Israel launches missile strikes into Iran, U.S. military official says : NPR

Demonstrators hold an anti-Israel rally waving a huge Iranian flag in front of an anti-Israel banner on the wall of a building in Felestine (Palestine) Square. Monday, April 15, 2024, Tehran, Iran.

Waheed Salemi/AP

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Waheed Salemi/AP

Demonstrators hold an anti-Israel rally waving a huge Iranian flag in front of an anti-Israel banner on the wall of a building in Felestine (Palestine) Square. Monday, April 15, 2024, Tehran, Iran.

Waheed Salemi/AP

A senior U.S. military official told NPR on Thursday that the Israeli military carried out missile strikes against Iran. There were also reports of bombings in Iraq and Syria.

The attacks appeared to be what Israel vowed to do in response to an attack by Iran on Sunday, when Tehran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel. Most of Iran’s interceptions were intercepted or caused little damage. The U.S. military official spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that Brigadier General Mihan Dost, a military official in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, said the loud noise heard in the east of the city was the sound of an air defense system intercepting what he called a “suspicious target.” No damage was done.

Iranian news has not reported any such attacks and concluded that the sounds reported near Isfahan were one or more drones being intercepted. The Israeli military has not yet responded to NPR’s request for comment.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on social media that Iran’s nuclear facilities had not been damaged.

The scope of the Israeli attack and the weapons used were unclear.

The United States and other Western allies have been urging Israel to abandon military strikes to avoid a war between Israel and Hamas that triggers a regional conflict.

These concerns were further heightened on April 1 when an airstrike that Iran blamed on Israel killed two Iranian military commanders at the country’s consulate in Damascus, Syria.

Iran said Sunday’s attack on Israel was a response.

Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, which Israel says killed 1,200 people, and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza, which Gaza health officials say killed more than 30,000 people, the region has been on the brink of a wider conflict. .

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah frequently exchange fire on Israel’s northern border. Houthi rebels, also backed by Iran, have been hunting international merchant ships passing through the Red Sea in recent months. The group’s leaders claim they are targeting ships with ties to Israel as part of the country’s ongoing incursions into Gaza.

This is a developing story and will be updated.