US knew about Israel's reported Iran attack: 10 points

Israel had vowed to avenge Iran's weekend attack, which was largely blunted by Tel Aviv and its allies, including the United States.

Israel has reportedly attacked Iran, days after Tehran fired 300 projectiles towards the country. Tehran's Fars news agency reported that three explosions were heard near an army base in Isfahan. Iran's state TV claimed the country's defense system destroyed three drones in the sky.

An Israeli flag flies on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Al Aqsa mosque compound and the city skyline in Jerusalem on April 19, 2024. US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival Iran, while Iran's state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan. (AFP)

Israel had vowed to avenge Iran's weekend attack, which was largely blunted by Tel Aviv and its allies, including the United States. Iran's first direct attack on Israel was in response to the alleged Israeli air strike on the nation's consulate in Damascus. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had warned that his country would severely respond to any attack on its territory.

Here are 10 points on Iran-Israel conflict

1. Iran's state media said nuclear facilities in Isfahan were unharmed. Flight operation at Airports in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan was stopped as precaution.
2. US media reported that the United States had received information about Israel's reported strike in advance. However, they didn't endorse the operation or participate in it. The US had said that it would support Israel's defense but would not take part in any offensive operations. The country had also announced new economic sanctions against Iran. "We didn't endorse the response," a US official told CNN.
3. According to some reports, Iran used air defense batteries in Isfahan. The Israel military and the White House have not made official remarks so far. Iran's IRNA said it fired batteries at a major air base in Isfahan, which houses American-made F-14 Tomcats, purchased before Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.
4. On Thursday, Iran told a UN meeting that Iran's weekend attack against Israel was a legitimate response to a suspected Israeli missile strike on its embassy compound in Syria.
5. Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian had said Iran would give a decisive response to Israel's attack. "Certainly, in case of any use of force by the Israeli regime, and violating our sovereignty, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate a bit to assert its inherent rights to give a decisive and proper response to make the regime regret its actions," he said.
6. As Western countries were dissuading Israel from attacking Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a curt reply, said on Wednesday that it reserved the right to protect itself against Tehran.
7. On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres painted a grim picture of the situation in the Middle East, warning that spiralling tensions over the war in Gaza and Iran's attack on Israel could devolve into a “full-scale regional conflict.”
8. "The Middle East is on a precipice. Recent days have seen a perilous escalation -- in words and deeds," Guterres told the Security Council.
9. "One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable --- a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved," he said, calling on all parties to exercise “maximum restraint.”
10. Meanwhile, oil prices surged more than three percent in early Asian trade on Friday following the reported explosions.

With inputs from AP, AFP, Reuters