The Indian Express
Israeli airstrike on Iranian air defense system
US official: Strike followed Iranian drone and missile attack on Erbil
Israel remains on high alert for escalation as Iran weighs response
Jerusalem (CNN) - Israel carried out a military strike on Iran early Friday, a US official told CNN, in a potentially dangerous escalation of a fast-widening Middle East shadow war.
The strike, which targeted an air defense system near the central Iranian city of Isfahan, came in response to a drone and missile attack on the Iraqi city of Erbil earlier this week that Western officials believe was carried out by Iran.
No casualties were reported in the Israeli strike, according to Iranian state media. However, the incident has raised concerns about the potential for further escalation between the two countries, which have been engaged in a tit-for-tat exchange of attacks in recent months.
Israel has vowed to respond to any Iranian attack on its territory, and the latest strike suggests that it is prepared to take preemptive action to defend itself.
Iran, meanwhile, has condemned the Israeli strike as an act of aggression and has vowed to retaliate.
The escalating tensions between Israel and Iran are a major concern for the Biden administration, which has been trying to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
The deal, which was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, collapsed in 2018 when then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement.
The Biden administration has been trying to get Iran back into compliance with the deal, but the latest escalation could make it more difficult to achieve that goal.
Al Jazeera
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