DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning as explosions were heard near a major air base near Isfahan, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike after Tehran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on the country.
It remained unclear whether the country was under attack, as no Iranian officials directly acknowledged the possibility and the Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment. However, tensions have remained high in the days since the early attack on Israel on Saturday, amid the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its own attacks on Iran in Syria.
An Iranian government official suggested that locations may have been targeted by drones.
IRNA said the defense fired in several provinces. It did not elaborate on what caused the batteries to ignite, although people in the area reported hearing the sounds.
In particular, IRNA said anti-aircraft fire was fired at a major air base in Isfahan, which has long been home to Iran’s fleet of US F-14 Tomcats – purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The semi-official news agencies Fars and Tasnim also reported the sound of explosions, without giving a reason. State television acknowledged “loud noises” in the area.
Isfahan is also home to sites linked to Iran’s nuclear program, including the Natanz underground enrichment site, which has been repeatedly targeted by suspected Israeli sabotage attacks. However, state television described all locations in the area as “completely safe.”
Dubai-based airlines Emirates and FlyDubai began flying around western Iran at around 4:30 am local time. They offered no explanation, although local warnings to pilots suggested the airspace may have been closed.
Iran later announced it would ground commercial flights in Tehran and parts of the western and central regions. Loudspeakers informed customers about the incident at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, online videos reportedly showed.
Iranian state television began a scrolling on-screen alert acknowledging a “loud noise” near Isfahan, without immediately commenting on it.
Hossein Dalirian, a spokesman for Iran’s civilian space program, said on the social media platform X that several small “quadcopter” drones had been shot down. It was not immediately clear where that happened or whether it was part of the ongoing incident in Iran.
Meanwhile, residents of Baghdad reported hearing sounds of explosions in Iraq, where a number of Iranian-backed militias are based, but the source of the noise was not immediately clear.
___
Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
