Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday.
The warplanes were seen around the time loud noises and drones were reported near a major Iranian air base and nuclear site early Friday. That area of Syria is directly west of Isfahan, some 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, and east of Israel. Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday after reports of explosions near a major airbase and nuclear site where drones were spotted.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken didn’t comment about the latest Middle East developments as he arrived for the final session Friday morning of a Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Capri, Italy.
Israel has 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. The United States and Britain announced Thursday that they were imposing a new round of sanctions on Iran.
Regional tensions have increased since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad — two militant groups backed by Iran — carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 33,900 people, according to local health officials.
Currently:
— Iran fires air defense batteries at Isfahan air base and nuclear site after drones are spotted.
— The U.S. and Britain issue new sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel.
— NATO and the EU urge G7 nations to step up air defense for Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions.
— The U.S. vetoes a widely supported resolution backing full U.N. membership for Palestine.
— Palestinian soccer renews call for sanctions against Israel at FIFA congress amid Hamas conflict.
Here is the latest:
OMAN CONDEMNS ‘ISRAEL’S REPEATED MILITARY ATTACKS IN THE REGION’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The sultanate of Oman has condemned what it called an Israeli attack on Isfahan on Friday.
Oman has close ties with Iran and often serves as a interlocutor for the West when dealing with Tehran.
A statement from its Foreign Ministry said Oman “condemns and denounces Israel’s repeated military attacks in the region.”
EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEAD BESEECHES IRAN AND ISRAEL TO TAKE NO FURTHER ACTION
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called on Israel and Iran to refrain from further actions, saying “it is absolutely necessary that the region stays stable.”
“We have to do all, everything possible that all sides of this time from the escalation in that region,” von der Leyen said Friday in Arctic Finland in reply to a question on the recent strikes by the two countries on each other.
Von der Leyen was on a visit to part of Finland’s 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) land border with Russia — one of the EU’s longest external borders — with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to see the migration that Helsinki is facing from Moscow.
CHINA IS OPPOSED TO ANY ACTIONS THAT FURTHER RAISE TENSIONS IN THE MIDEAST, FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS
BEIJING — China is opposed to any actions that further raise tensions in the Middle East, its Foreign Ministry said Friday after an apparent Israeli attack on Iran.
Asked about Israel, Iran and rising tensions in the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the reports had been noted.
“We oppose any actions that lead to the escalation of tensions,” Lin told reporters at a daily briefing Friday. “China opposes any actions that lead to the escalation of tensions and will continue to play a constructive role in easing the…
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