Israel carried out a military strike in Iran early Friday morning , according to NBC News, but Iranian officials played down the impact of the attack.
The Israeli strike was limited and officials were assessing the effectiveness and the damage caused, a source familiar with the situation told NBC News.
“A lot will depend on how much damage was done inside of Iran,” former CIA Director John Brennan said on MSNBC.
“What CIA is doing right now is trying to determine exactly what that damage is, and trying to then see how the Iranians are going to react,” Brennan added.
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A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces declined to comment on the reported strike.
Iranian state media and officials described a small number of explosions, which they said resulted from Iran's air defenses firing at suspicious objects over the city of Isfahan.
"Important facilities in the Isfahan province, especially nuclear facilities, are completely safe and no accidents have been reported," Press TV said, citing officials.
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The Tasnim News Agency, which is associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, showed video from Isfahan where cars were driving around and people were getting coffee, NBC News reported.
“Everything is safe and sound. Nothing is going on,” he said.
In down playing the attack, Iran appears to indicate it has no plans for retaliation - a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war.
Israel vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. Allies have urged Israel to hold back on any response to the attack that could spiral.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for "maximum restraint" to prevent wider war. He condemned Iran’s April 13 attack on Israel with around 300 drones and missiles and said it was a “serious escalation.”
“One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake could lead to the unthinkable: a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved and for the rest of the world,” Guterres said yesterday.
Israeli officials had notified U.S. officials on Thursday that a response was coming. However, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to NBC News that the U.S. was not involved in the Israeli strike on Iran Friday.
The U.S. embassy in Israel said in an "abundance of caution" it was restricting personal travel of its employees and their families a few hours after the strike reportedly took place. The restrictions are on personal travel outside the areas of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Be’er Sheva, NBC News reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities after the Israeli strike on the country.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the agency, “continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody,” the IAEA said on social media platform X.
“IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely,” the agency said. Iranian state media also reported no damage to nuclear facilities in Isfahan and said they were “in complete safety.”
Before Israel struck, Iran’s foreign minister warned Israel that any use of force in response to his country’s recent drone and missile attacks will be “decisive” and “make the regime regret its actions.”
This is a developing story
