Explosions heard in Iran, air defence batteries fired, Israeli strikes ...

Iran activated its air defence batteries across several provinces after an apparent Israeli strike on Friday, prompting fears of an escalating conflict among two of the Middle East’s biggest military powers.

Explosions were heard near a major air base and nuclear research site in central Iran.

As global airlines scrambled to re-route passenger flights following the reported explosions, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) responded by warning Australians against travelling to Israel and the Palestinian territories because of the risk of further attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that he would retaliate after Iran launched a blizzard of missiles on Israel last weekend, the vast majority of which were shot down by sophisticated air defence systems operated by Israel and its security partners.

Iran said it launched those attacks in response to a strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed 16 people, a strike Israel has not claimed but has been widely attributed to the country.

Iranian state television reported that three drones were brought down on Friday over Isfahan in central Iran, home to Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft and sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program.

Iranian state TV said that at “around 12.30am GMT [10.30am Australian time] three drones were observed in the sky over Isfahan. The air defence system became active and destroyed these drones in the sky.”

Iranian nuclear sites were undamaged, Iranian state media reported while also denied reports that Israel had launched a missile strike against Iran.

In an update to its travel advice website, DFAT said: “There’s a high threat of military reprisals and terrorist attacks against Israel and Israeli interests across the region.

“The security situation could deteriorate quickly, with little or no notice.

“We continue to advise reconsider your need to travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and whether you need to remain in country.

“We urge Australians in both Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories to depart if it’s safe to do so.”

IRNA said the air defences were fired across several provinces. It did not elaborate on what caused the batteries to fire, though people across the area reported hearing the sounds.

The semi-official Fars and Tasnim news agencies also reported the sound of blasts, without giving a cause. State television acknowledged “loud noise” in the area.

However, state television described all sites in the area as “fully safe”.

Reuters later quoted an Iranian official saying the explosions were the result of the batteries being fired, not a missile attack.

But according to two US officials quoted by Bloomberg, the explosions were the result of an Israeli missile strike.

Earlier, the American ABC News citing a US official reported Israeli missiles had hit a site in Iran.

The New York Times also quoted three unnamed Iranian officials confirming that a strike had hit a military air base near Isfahan, but did not say which country had mounted the attack.

“The cause of these sounds is still unknown, and investigations continue until the exact details of the incident are determined,” the semi-official Fars news agency said.

It remained unclear if the country was under attack.

Israeli officials had notified the US on Thursday that they planned to retaliate within 24-48 hours, according to two US officials who spoke to Bloomberg and asked not to be identified discussing private conversations. Spokespeople for the National Security Council and the Pentagon declined to comment.

Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting around western Iran around 4:30am Iran time. They offered no explanation, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.

Iran then suspended flights over several cities.

“Flights over Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran cities have been suspended,” state media reported.

Iranian state television began a scrolling, on-screen alert acknowledging a “loud noise” near Isfahan, without immediately elaborating.

The Israeli military said that warning sirens which sounded in northern Israel were a false alarm.

The incident comes as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel last weekend.

Fars reported on the sound of explosions over Isfahan near its international airport. It offered no explanation for the blast. However, Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military, as well as sites associated with its nuclear program.

Iran’s government offered no immediate comment.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Isfahan is some 350 kilometres south of Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Hossein Dalirian, a spokesman for Iran’s civilian space program, said on the X social media platform that several small “quadcopter” drones had been shot down. It wasn’t immediately clear where that happened or if it was part of the ongoing incident.

Last weekend, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria. Most of the drones and missiles were downed before reaching Israeli territory.

The strike in Syria killed two Iranian generals. Iran supports Hamas in its fight against Israel.

Iran told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that Israel “must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests” as the US secretary-general warned that the Middle East was in a “moment of maximum peril.”

Israel had said it was going to retaliate against Iran’s missile and drone attack. The United States and several other countries have called on Israel not to respond.

With Reuters, AP, Bloomberg

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