Flights resume in Iran after alleged Israeli strike

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran said flights have resumed following an alleged Israeli strike early Friday amid rising tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv, according to the country’s air navigation company.

“Flights resumed at Imam Khomeini International Airport and airline offices have been opened,” the Airport and Air Navigation Company said in a statement carried by the state news agency IRNA.

It said flights at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran have also returned to their previous normal status.

“Due to delays of several hours on some flights, passengers are asked to check flight times before departing to the airport,” it added.

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.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara