Iran’s nuclear sites are unharmed, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on April 19 after Israel allegedly launched retaliatory strikes overnight.
In a statement released today, the United Nations Atomic Watchdog said it is monitoring the situation very closely. It further said that IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has emphasised the ongoing need for utmost restraint from all parties, adding that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts.
IAEA can confirm that there is no damage to #Iran’s nuclear sites. DG @rafaelmgrossi continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts. IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely. pic.twitter.com/4F7pAlNjWM
— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) April 19, 2024
“IAEA can confirm that there is no damage to #Iran’s nuclear sites. DG @rafaelmgrossi continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts. IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely.”
A US official confirmed to ABC News outlet that Israel carried out airstrikes against Israel. Al Jazeera cited Mehr news agency reporting that “sounds were heard over the city” in Isfahan early today, adding that “several miniature UAVs were shot down.”
However, the official could not confirm whether Syria and Iraq sites were hit as well. The report came shortly after local sources reported blasts in the Isfahan region in central Iran.
Following this, Iran fired air defence batteries and shut down flight operations in several cities, including Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, that were later lifted.
The latest development comes after Iran on April 13 fired a barrage of over 300 missiles and drones against Israel, which Tehran said was in retaliation for a presumed Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1 in which 13 people were killed.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during discussions on the Middle East situation at the UNSC on April 18, warned Israel against taking any military actions targeting Iranian interests. He stated Iran had concluded its “defence and counteroffensive measures” and urged the international community to stop Israel from carrying out any military operations against Iran.
On April 17, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed at a cabinet meeting that Israel will make its own decisions and do whatever is necessary to protect itself, even if it contradicts the advice given by its allies, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu made the statement at the cabinet meeting on April 17 after meeting with the foreign ministers of the UK and Germany. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Israel on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, as per Syrian media reports, the Syrian Army’s locations in the southern Syrian governorates of As-Suwayda and Daraa were also the targets of attacks.
The attacks targeted Syrian military radar sites between Qarda and Izraa in Daraa, southern Syria, according to the local news outlet As-Suwayda24.
The Jerusalem Post reported that residents of Mosul and Erbil in Iraq also reported hearing the sounds of fighter jets on April 19 during early morning hours.
(with inputs from ANI)
