*Explosion heard near Iranian city of Isfahan, Iranian news agencies report. EDITED

[elleng]

Iranian semi-official FARS news is reporting that three explosions were heard near the military base where fighter jets are located in the northwest part of the city of Isfahan.

"The defense is activated in response to an object that is likely to be a drone," sources tell FARS news.

https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-04-18-24/index.html

edit:

Blasts are reported near the Iranian city of Isfahan.
Explosions were heard early on Friday near the Iranian city of Isfahan, according to an Iranian news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The agency, Fars News, said the cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.

The agency said the explosions were heard in Qahjavarestan, a small city in west-central Iran close to Isfahan airport. Flight tracking websites showed that civilian planes had diverted their routes away from the area.

The explosions came five days after Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel, its first direct attack on the country, in response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed seven Iranian officials on April 1.

For days, Israeli leaders have threatened to respond to Iran’s strikes, which turned the two countries’ yearslong shadow war into a direct confrontation.

The Israeli military declined to comment about the explosions on Friday in Iran.

Iran’s army chief, Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, said on Wednesday that Iran would respond to any Israeli aggression, according to remarks carried by the IRNA state news agency.

President Biden has advised Israel against responding, amid fears that an Israeli counterattack would escalate into an all-out war. For more than six months, Israel has been fighting on two other fronts — against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both are allies of Iran.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/18/world/israel-iran-gaza-war-news

***Being discussed on MSNBC now, and just now, MSNBC confirms informed it was an Israeli 'action' of some kind.

[moniss]

1. Let's see how fast the G-7

hold a meeting over this.

[elleng]

2. HA!

G7 reaffirms support for Ukraine’s defense, financial needs.

The Group of Seven on Thursday reaffirmed its support for Ukraine's defense, addressing both its urgent short-term financing needs and long-term reconstruction. Germany will host a Ukraine recovery conference in Berlin this year, while Italy will host the conference in 2025.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a bilateral meeting on the margins of G7 foreign ministers talks in Capri, Italy, that the United States is committed to helping Kyiv defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia’s aggression, including the recent attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.'

https://www.voanews.com/a/g7-reaffirms-support-for-ukraine-s-defense-financial-needs/7575954.html

talks in Capri, Italy, !!!