Israel has been under pressure from the U.S. and Europe to moderate its response and faced the challenge of delivering a blow that would punish Iran for the attack without provoki
Israel launched a retaliatory strike on Iran following last week’s missile and drone barrage from Tehran, according to two US officials, though media from both countries appeared to downplay the severity of the incident.
Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning as explosions could be heard near a major air base near Isfahan, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike following Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
Despite the White House previously said it would not take part in any retaliatory attack by Israel against Iran, and the Jewish state issued "limited" strikes on Friday anyway.
An apparent Israeli drone attack on an air base near Iran's central city of Isfahan activated Iranian air defenses as tensions in the Middle East rise.
Israel and Iran on Friday both played down an apparent Israeli airstrike near a major air base and nuclear site in central Iran, signaling the two bitter enemies are ready to prevent their latest eruption of violence from escalating into a full-blown regional war.
The Biden administration announced new sanctions on Iran targeting its missile and drone program after its direct military attack on Israel last weekend.