n AQLJAZEERA IFJ-INTER5NATIONAL FEDERATION OF JOURNALIST ONLINE JOURNALIST (Excerpt) Ertuğrul Demirözcan Israel is attacking the regions where Turks live in Iran EXPLAINER News | Conflict Has Israel attacked Iran's Isfahan province? What we know so far Iran deployed air defense batteries to intercept and destroy three drones over the city of Isfahan, but downplayed the incident. A man walks past a banner depicting missiles along a street in Tehran 01:05 ‘Unknown flying objects’ shot down, says Iranian official By Al Jazeera Staff Published On 19 Apr 2024 19 Apr 2024 | Updated: 20 Apr 2024 09:28 AM (GMT) Iran's air defense systems were deployed in multiple parts of the country early Friday morning after reports of explosions near the airport in Isfahan province, amid rapidly escalating tensions with Israel, according to state media. On Friday, there were also reported explosions in Iraq and Syria. Here is what we know so far: What happened and when? Iran fired air defense batteries in multiple provinces and shot down three small drones over the central city of Isfahan, according to state media reports. The reports came hours after US media reported that senior US officials said Israeli missiles had hit an Iranian site. “We also understand that the air defense systems over the city of Tabriz in the northwestern part of Iran were also activated,” Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari said, reporting from Tehran. Flights were suspended in various regions, including the capital city of Tehran and Isfahan. But about four hours later they were resumed, and there were no reports of casualties. "At 4:45 (01:15 GMT), we heard gunshots. There was nothing going on," a reporter from Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency said. “It was the air defense, these guys that you're watching, and over there too.” Explosions were also reported in Iraq and Syria, with Iranian state media saying that multiple military-related sites in Syria were targeted. Syria's state-run SANA news agency said that at approximately 2:55am (23:25 GMT) on Friday, the “Israeli enemy launched an attack with missiles”. Israel targeted Syria's "air defense sites in the southern region. The aggression led to material losses", SANA reported. This escalation comes less than a week after Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel in response to a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria on April 1 that killed seven members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Tensions between Iran and Israel have soared amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. advertising Where is Isfahan and where did the attacks take place? Iran's Fars News Agency said "three explosions" were heard near Qahjavarestan city in Isfahan province, close to the province's airport and an army airbase. Isfahan, located in the center of Iran, hosts the country's uranium conversion facility in the southeastern Zerdenjan area. Additionally, the Natanz uranium enrichment site is also located within the province. Isfahan also hosts a significant Iranian airbase that hosts Iran's aging fleet of US-made F-14 Tomcats, which were purchased prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution. According to a report by The Associated Press news agency, the region of Syria that was targeted is directly west of Isfahan, approximately 1,500km (930 miles) away, and to the east of Israel. In Iraq, the area affected was not immediately clear. Interactive_Israel strikes Isfahan_2_April19_2024 Did Israel attack Iran? Iranian media, quoting Iranian officials, suggested that there was no evidence yet of a foreign hand in the attacks. Al Jazeera's Jabbari said Iranian media was downplaying the incident. Instead, some unconfirmed Iranian media reports suggested that the strikes were potentially launched using small quadcopters — essentially unmanned, autonomously operated helicopters. Israel has not commented on the attacks yet. US broadcasters quoted American officials as saying that Israeli missiles had hit Iran. According to a report by CNN, the US was given advance notification of the strike but “didn't greenlight” it. Hours after the explosion, reports said Isfahan was “calm”. However, according to some analysts, regardless of the extent of the damage, the suspected strike sends a message to Iran about the vulnerability of its security. Isfahan “is deep within the country”, which according to Hamidreza Azizi, visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, could indicate “Israel's intelligence and operational access, regardless of whether the origin of the attack was internal or external”. In a news conference, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the US government told the G7 grouping of nations it was informed at the “very last minute” by Israel about the attack “but there was no sharing of the attack by the U.