Topline
Iranian state media seemed to downplay Israel’s reported airstrikes within Iranian territory on Friday, as officials offered mixed signals on whether the country will launch a major retaliation—raising hopes that tensions could ease after attacks on Israeli and Iranian soil sparked fears about a wider war.
Iranian worshippers walk past a mural showing the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, ... [+]
Key Facts
Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the Friday strike, which was reported near a major air base and nuclear site in the city of Isfahan—an apparent strike that followed Iran’s barrage of drones and missiles that targeted Israel over the weekend, and Israel’s airstrike on an Iranian consular building in Syria.
Israeli officials anonymously acknowledged the strike to multiple media outlets, describing it as a way to send a message to Iran, but analysts observed the attacks seemed limited.
Iranian state media largely downplayed the strike, with some state television personalities reportedly refraining from even mentioning Israel, instead describing the attack as being caused by “infiltrators” within the country.
An Iranian official anonymously told Reuters and the Times of Israel that Iran had no intention of responding to the attack, and even attempted to show skepticism that Israel was behind it, telling Reuters “the foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed.”
Iran’s fairly muted reaction to the strikes could signal the country is “seeking to step down off the ledge, minimise the impact of the attack, and perhaps walk back down the escalation ladder from here,” Jonathan Lord from the Center for a New American Security told Reuters.
Meanwhile for Israel, Sanam Vikil of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the Chatham House told the New York Times the attack’s limited scope “appears to signal a willingness to de-escalate from this dangerous round.”
Contra
Prior to Friday’s strike, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN Iran intended to respond if Israel attacked. He said “the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level” if Israel continues its “adventurism” or takes action “against the interests of Iran.”
What We Don’t Know
The extent of the damage from the strike was not fully known Friday, though it appeared there was no major damage. The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed no damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, which had been seen as a potential high-profile target for Israel in any response, as Israel has long criticized Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Chief Critic
While Israel made no direct comment on the strike, the country’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a hardliner who’d advocated a strong response to Iran’s attack, appeared to acknowledge it on X, writing a single Hebrew word translated roughly to “Lame!” according to the Times of Israel.
Key Background
Friday’s attack was the latest blow in a tit-for-tat between the two countries. Israel struck an Iranian embassy in Syria earlier this month, and Iran responded with a direct attack on Israel last week—though almost all of the missiles launched at Israel were intercepted. The volley prompted global concern of escalation and the spread of a wider regional conflict across the Middle East amid the war between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas. Iran’s leadership had signaled that a response from Israel would prompt more and stronger retaliation. Some Iranian officials had also warned the U.S., one of Israel’s closest allies, to stay out of the conflict.
Tangent
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday “there was no U.S. role” in Israel’s attacks.
