Israel targets air defense system in Syria, state news agency says

Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday.

The warplanes were seen around the time loud noises and drones were reported near a major Iranian air base and nuclear site early Friday. That area of Syria is directly west of Isfahan, some 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, and east of Israel. Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday after reports of explosions near a major airbase and nuclear site where drones were spotted.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken didn’t comment about the latest Middle East developments as he arrived for the final session Friday morning of a Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Capri, Italy.

Israel has vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. Allies have urged Israel to hold back on any response to the attack that could spiral. The United States and Britain announced Thursday that they were imposing a new round of sanctions on Iran.

Regional tensions have increased since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad — two militant groups backed by Iran — carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 33,900 people, according to local health officials.

Currently:

— Iran fires air defense batteries at Isfahan air base and nuclear site after drones are spotted.

— The U.S. and Britain issue new sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel.

— NATO and the EU urge G7 nations to step up air defense for Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions.

— The U.S. vetoes a widely supported resolution backing full U.N. membership for Palestine.

— Palestinian soccer renews call for sanctions against Israel at FIFA congress amid Hamas conflict.

Here is the latest:

OMAN CONDEMNS ‘ISRAEL’S REPEATED MILITARY ATTACKS IN THE REGION’

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The sultanate of Oman has condemned what it called an Israeli attack on Isfahan on Friday.

Oman has close ties with Iran and often serves as a interlocutor for the West when dealing with Tehran.

A statement from its Foreign Ministry said Oman “condemns and denounces Israel’s repeated military attacks in the region.”

EUROPEAN COMMISSION HEAD BESEECHES IRAN AND ISRAEL TO TAKE NO FURTHER ACTION

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called on Israel and Iran to refrain from further actions, saying “it is absolutely necessary that the region stays stable.”

“We have to do all, everything possible that all sides of this time from the escalation in that region,” von der Leyen said Friday in Arctic Finland in reply to a question on the recent strikes by the two countries on each other.

Von der Leyen was on a visit to part of Finland’s 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) land border with Russia — one of the EU’s longest external borders — with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to see the migration that Helsinki is facing from Moscow.

CHINA IS OPPOSED TO ANY ACTIONS THAT FURTHER RAISE TENSIONS IN THE MIDEAST, FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS

BEIJING — China is opposed to any actions that further raise tensions in the Middle East, its Foreign Ministry said Friday after an apparent Israeli attack on Iran.

Asked about Israel, Iran and rising tensions in the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the reports had been noted.

“We oppose any actions that lead to the escalation of tensions,” Lin told reporters at a daily briefing Friday. “China opposes any actions that lead to the escalation of tensions and will continue to play a constructive role in easing the tensions.”

BRITAIN CAUTIONS AGAINST ESCALATION AS IT INVESTIGATES REPORTED ISRAELI STRIKE INSIDE IRAN

LONDON — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cautioned Friday against escalation in the Middle East, saying Britain was working to confirm the details around a reported Israeli strike inside Iran.

“We have condemned Iran’s reckless and dangerous barrage of missiles against Israel on Saturday, and Israel absolutely has the right to self defense,” he said. “But as I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu when I spoke to him last week, and more generally, significant escalation is not in anyone’s interest. What we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region.”

AUSTRALIA URGES CITIZENS TO LEAVE ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AS MIDEAST TENSIONS RISE

SYDNEY — The Australian government urged its citizens Friday in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to leave “if it’s safe to do so,” in response to growing military tensions in the Middle East.

The Department of Foreign Affairs posted a travel advisory on its website Friday saying “there’s a high threat of military reprisals and terrorist attacks against Israel and Israeli interests across the region” and the security situation could deteriorate quickly, with little or no notice.

It said military attacks could cause closures and travel disruptions, and that Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport may pause operations due to heightened security concerns at any time.

Previously, the government had advised Australians to reconsider their travel to these areas, or whether to remain in the region, but had stopped short of asking its citizens to leave.

ISRAELI STRIKE TARGETS AIR DEFENSE UNIT IN SYRIA, STATE NEWS AGENCY SAYS

BEIRUT — Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in its south and causing material damage, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the strike hit a military radar for government forces. It was not clear if there were casualties, the Observatory said.

The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said six Israeli fighter jets entered Syria’s airspace and were flying east when they were spotted by the radar. He added that the fighters jets were flying east.

The warplanes were seen around the time loud noises and drones were reported near a major Iranian air base and nuclear site early Friday. That area of Syria is directly west of Isfahan, some 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away, and east of Israel.

Iranian state television described all atomic sites in the Isfahan area as “fully safe.” The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, also said “there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites” after the commotion.

IRAN FIRES AIR DEFENSE BATTERIES AFTER APPARENT EXPLOSIONS ARE HEARD NEAR MAJOR AIR BASE

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning at a major air base and a nuclear site near its central city of Isfahan over drones being spotted, raising fears of a possible Israeli retaliatory strike following Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.

Iran then grounded commercial flights in Tehran and across areas of its western and central regions. Loudspeakers informed customers of the incident at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, online videos purported to show. Iran later restored normal flight service, authorities said.

It was unclear if the country was under attack, as no Iranian official directly acknowledged the possibility and Israel’s military did not respond to a request for comment. However, tensions have remained high in the days since the Saturday assault on Israel amid its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its own strikes targeting Iran in Syria.

U.S. officials declined to comment as of early Friday, but American broadcast networks quoting unnamed U.S. officials said Israel carried out the attack.

Air defenses fired in several provinces over reports of drones being in the air, state television reported. However, Iranian state-run media sought to immediately downplay the incident, airing footage of an otherwise-peaceful Isfahan morning.

The facility at Isfahan operates three small Chinese-supplied research reactors, as well as handles fuel production and other activities for Iran’s civilian nuclear program.