MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/. The Kremlin considers it premature to comment on information about Israel's attack on Iran in the absence of official statements, Russia in general favors restraint in the actions of the parties, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"So far, actually, there have been no official statements from Israel. So we are studying this information, for now we consider it premature to make any comments without understanding the details. But in any case, whatever the case, we continue to advocate restraint of the parties, refusal of any actions that could provoke further escalation of tensions in such a difficult region," the spokesman said.
On the evening of April 13, Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel in response to what it called "repeated crimes" from Tel Aviv, including the attack on the consular office of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus ascribed to Israel. Tehran’s state-run media outlets said that military facilities in Israel were targeted. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it intercepted 99% of the nearly 350 projectiles launched at Israel with minor damage caused to Nevatim airbase. Following the military action, Tehran asserted that it was not planning any further action, while Jerusalem said that it was preparing to retaliate.
Earlier, ABC television reported, citing a US official, that Israel had launched a missile strike on a site on Iranian soil. CNN said, citing another US official, that the launch was Israel’s response to the Iranian attack on April 13.
Iranian media reported that drones were spotted in the skies over the Isfahan Province on Friday at around 3:00 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. GMT on Thursday). According to Iranian media reports, three drones were downed by air defenses in the skies over the city of Isfahan. The Tasnim news agency, in turn, said that there were no missile attacks on Iranian territory. Iranian Army General Siyavush Mihandoust said that the loud sounds heard in Isfahan were "due to the work of [Isfahan's] air defenses on suspicious objects" and that no destruction or "accidents" were recorded in the city. For their part, the informed sources of Press TV said that Iran's cities, including Isfahan, had not been attacked by any foreign state.
Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack. At the same time, the Washington Post reported, citing an unnamed Israeli official, that a warning strike had been launched against a site on Iranian territory. The purpose of the strike was to demonstrate Israel's ability to strike targets on Iranian territory, the source said.