Tehran plays down reported Israeli attacks, signals no further
retaliation
Send a link to a friend
[April 19, 2024]
By Parisa Hafezi and James Mackenzie
DUBAI/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Explosions echoed over an Iranian city on
Friday in what sources described as an Israeli attack, but Tehran played
down the incident and indicated it had no plans for retaliation - a
response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war.
The limited scale of the attack and Iran's muted response both appeared
to signal a successful effort by diplomats who have been working round
the clock to avert all-out war since an Iranian drone and missile attack
on Israel last Saturday.
Iranian media and officials described a small number of explosions,
which they said resulted from Iran's air defences hitting three drones
over the city of Isfahan. Notably, they referred to the incident as an
attack by "infiltrators", rather than by Israel, obviating the need for
retaliation.
An Iranian official told Reuters there were no plans to respond against
Israel for the incident.
"The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not
received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards
infiltration than attack," the official said.
Israel said nothing about the incident. It had said for days it was
planning to retaliate against Iran for Saturday's strikes, the first
ever direct attack on Israel by Iran in decades of shadow war waged by
proxies which has escalated throughout the Middle East through six
months of battle in Gaza.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Apr/19/images/ads/current/chuckglass_sda_SHG_2024.png)
The two longstanding foes had been heading towards direct confrontation
since a presumed Israeli airstrike on April 1 that destroyed a building
in Iran's embassy compound in Damascus and killed several Iranian
officers including a top general.
Iran's response, with a direct attack on Israel, was unprecedented but
caused no deaths and only minor damage because Israel and its allies
shot down hundreds of missiles and drones.
Allies including the United States had since been pressing hard to
ensure any further retaliation would be calibrated not to provoke a
spiral of hostilities. The British and German foreign ministers visited
Jerusalem this week, and Western countries tightened sanctions on Iran
to mollify Israel.
In a sign of pressure within Israel's hard-right government for a
stronger response, Itamar Ben Gvir, the far-right national security
minister tweeted a single word after Friday's strikes: "Feeble!".
Countries around the world called on Friday for both sides to avert
further escalation.
"It is absolutely necessary that the region remains stable and that all
sides restrain from further action," EU Commission head Ursula von der
Leyen said. Similar calls came from Beijing and from Arab states in the
region.
In financial markets, global shares eased, oil prices surged and U.S.
bond yields fell as traders worried about the risks.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Apr/19/images/ads/current/ldn_smallsda_BUSINESSMAG_2023.png)
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/041924PIX/news_j19.jpg)
An anti-Israel billboard with a picture of Iranian missiles is seen
on a street in Tehran, Iran April 19, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA
(West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Apr/19/images/ads/current/peasleymemorials_lda_2022.png)
NO MENTION OF ISRAEL
Within Iran, news reports on Friday's incident made no mention of
Israel, and state television carried analysts and pundits who
appeared dismissive about the scale.
An analyst told state TV that mini drones flown by "infiltrators
from inside Iran" had been shot down by air defences in Isfahan.
Shortly after midnight, "three drones were observed in the sky over
Isfahan. The air defense system became active and destroyed these
drones in the sky," Iranian state TV said.
Senior army commander Siavosh Mihandoust was quoted by state TV as
saying air defense systems had targeted a "suspicious object".
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had warned Israel before Friday's
strike that Tehran would deliver a "severe response" to any attack
on its territory.
Iran told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that
Israel "must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism
against our interests" as the U.N. secretary-general warned that the
Middle East was in a "moment of maximum peril".
By morning, Iran had reopened airports and airspace that were shut
during the strikes.
Still, there was alarm over security in Israel and elsewhere. The
U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem restricted U.S. government employees from
travel outside Jerusalem, greater Tel Aviv and Beersheba "out of an
abundance of caution".
In a statement, the embassy warned U.S. citizens of a "continued
need for caution and increased personal security awareness as
security incidents often take place without warning".
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Apr/19/images/ads/current/SIU_sda_040124.png)
Israel's assault on Gaza began after Hamas Islamists attacked Israel
on Oct. 7, killing 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's
military offensive has killed about 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza,
according to the Gazan health ministry.
Iran-backed groups have declared support for Palestinians, carrying
out attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq, raising fears the Gaza
conflict could grow into a wider regional war.
(Reporting by Humeyra Panuk, Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali in
Washington and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Additional reporting by
Kanishka Singh, Jasper Ward, Jamie Freed and Dan Williams; Writing
by Stephen Coates and Peter Graff; Editing by William Mallard and
Angus MacSwan)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |