Oman condemns alleged Israeli attack on Iran

ANKARA

Oman on Friday condemned an alleged Israeli attack in Iran’s central city of Isfahan following explosions in several Iranian cities.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the Gulf country denounces the repeated Israeli military assaults in the region.

The ministry called on the international community to “address the causes and roots of tension and conflict through dialogue, diplomacy and political solutions.”

It also called for focusing efforts on reaching a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and “resorting to international law and UN resolutions to reach a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue in order to restore security, stability and comprehensive peace in the entire region.”

Iranian state media said Friday that air defenses were activated against suspicious objects in several cities, including the central province of Isfahan.

The semi-official Mehr News Agency said three drones were destroyed in the skies above Isfahan.

Iran's state television confirmed "massive explosions" in Isfahan, but said no nuclear facilities were affected or targeted in the central city.

US media reports, citing officials, said that Israel had carried a strike inside Iran.

There was no official Israeli comment yet on reports of launching attacks inside Iran.

Tension escalated between Iran and Israel after Tehran launched a drone and missile attack on Saturday in response to the April 1 attack on its consulate in Syria, in which seven military advisers were killed.

Israel, which has not formally taken responsibility for the consulate attack, has vowed a military response to Iran’s weekend attack.

Friday’s explosions came amid Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 34,000 people since last October following a Hamas attack.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi