This story has been updated.
Explosions were reported near Isfahan, Iran, a site of the country’s nuclear program.
The strikes occurred on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s leader’s birthday.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote on X, “Israel has the ability to conduct strikes against targets inside Iran without entering Iranian air space from aircraft over Syrian and Iraqi airspace.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said prior to the strike that Iran would respond at a “maximum level,” according to The Daily Wire.
“It will be decisive. Our response will be decisive through the Swiss embassy in Tehran,” he said.”
“We have announced to the White House, sent a message to the White House and Washington, D.C., the administration, in which we reiterated that if the Israeli regime commits that grave error once again, our response will be decisive, definitive, and regretful for that,” he added. “We do not seek to create tension and crisis or increase such situations in the Middle East, and we sincerely hope that the Israeli regime does not repeat the previous egregious error.”
Updated on April 19 at 8:35 a.m. PT.
Iranian state media claimed the strikes were “limited.”
Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning following reports of explosions.
This is a developing story.
