Israel Strikes Iran Overnight, Tehran Downplays the Attack

Israel appears to have launched a retaliation attack on Iran overnight, nearly a week after the Islamic nation launched a combination of more than 300 missiles and drones against it.

Explosions were reported near the Iranian city of Isfahan, which plays an important role in Iran’s nuclear program, and air defenses were triggered across the country.

However, Iranian officials downplayed the attack and did not directly acknowledge the idea that Israel attacked. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi said that “the explosion this morning in the sky of Isfahan was related to the shooting of air defense systems at a suspicious object that did not cause any damage,” according to the Associated Press.

At the same time, explosions were reported in Iraq, near Baghdad, and Syria.

Israel has not confirmed whether it launched an attack. The Epoch Times has contacted Israel’s military for comment.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also downplayed the attacks during a press conference on April 19 in Capri, Italy, where he met his G-7 counterparts. He did not directly acknowledge the Israeli strikes against Iran overnight, calling them “reported events.”

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“I’m not going to speak to these reported events. All I can say is that for our part and for the entire G-7, our focus has been on de-escalation, on avoiding a larger conflict,” he told reporters when asked about the attacks.

“The United States has not been involved in any offensive operations,” he added.

On April 18, the United States announced additional sanctions and export controls on Iran, targeting its drone programs and steel industry.

“G-7 countries will adopt additional sanctions or other measures in the days ahead,” Mr. Blinken said.