By Jasper Ward and Nidal al-Mughrabi
WASHINGTON/CAIRO (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday that Tehran was investigating an overnight attack on Iran, adding that a link to Israel had not been proven so far as it downplayed the attack.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told NBC News that the drones took off from inside Iran and flew a few hundred meters before being shot down.
“They are … more like toys that our children play with, not like drones,” Amirabdollahian said.
“It has not been proven to us that there is a link between these and Israel,” he said, adding that Iran was investigating the matter but that media reports were not accurate, according to information from Tehran.
Iranian media and officials described a small number of explosions, which they said resulted from air defenses impacting three drones over Isfahan, central Iran, in the early hours of Friday. They characterized the incident as an attack by “infiltrators”, rather than by Israel, obviating the need for retaliation.
Amirabdollahian warned that if Israel reacts and acts against Iran’s interests, Tehran’s next response would be immediate and at the highest level.
“But if not, then we’re done. We’re done,” he said.
The attack appeared to target an Iranian air force base near the city of Isfahan, deep in the country, but without hitting any strategic sites or causing serious damage.
Israel said nothing about the incident. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was not involved in any offensive operations, while the White House said it had no comment.
CALIBRATED RETALIATION
Israel had said it would retaliate after the April 13 attack, the first direct attack on Israel by Iran, which caused no casualties after Israel and its allies shot down hundreds of missiles and drones.
Tehran launched these strikes in response to an alleged Israeli airstrike on April 1 that destroyed a building in the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus and killed several Iranian officials, including a high-ranking general.
Allies, including the United States, have applied pressure throughout the week to ensure that any further retaliation is calibrated so as not to provoke further escalation, and Western countries have tightened sanctions on Iran to mollify Israel.
There was no word from Israel on Friday about whether it planned further action. In addition to direct attacks on Iranian territory, it has other ways of attacking, including cyberattacks and attacks against Iranian representatives elsewhere.
Violence between Israel and Iranian proxies across the Middle East has intensified during six months of bloodshed in Gaza, raising fears that the long-time enemies’ shadow war could turn into a direct conflict.
Israel’s assault on Gaza began after Hamas Islamists attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the Israeli military offensive has killed 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
As night fell on Friday, Israeli planes and tanks bombed several areas of the Gaza Strip, with airstrikes hitting areas of Rafah where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are sheltering, according to residents, Hamas media and officials in Hamas-run Gaza. ministry of health.
A strike hit two apartments in a residential building in the city, killing nine people, including four children, and injuring many others, health officials said.
Airstrikes also destroyed at least five houses in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, residents and Hamas media said.
“They (Israeli security) telephoned some residents and ordered them to evacuate their homes before the planes bombed some buildings nearby,” Abu Omar, a resident of Al-Nuseirat, told Reuters via an app of chat.
“As soon as we escaped, the explosions shook the earth,” he added.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.