Israel carries out strike in Iran, a US official says

April 18, 2024 - Iran targeted in aerial attack

Kathleen Magramo, Sana Noor Haq, Christian Edwards, Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Amir Vera, Tori B. Powell and Maureen Chowdhury, Adam Renton and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

Updated 0617 GMT (1417 HKT) April 19, 2024
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12:19 a.m. ET, April 19, 2024

Israel carries out strike in Iran, a US official says

From CNN's Alex Marquardt

IRGC released a photo that it said showed flashes in the sky of Isfahan, Iran following reports of explosions.
IRGC released a photo that it said showed flashes in the sky of Isfahan, Iran following reports of explosions. IRGC

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official tells CNN, in a move that threatens to push the region deeper into conflict.

The target is not nuclear, the official said.

Prior to the Israeli strike Friday (local time), the US expectation was that they would not target civilian or nuclear facilities, another senior US official told CNN.

CNN has previously reported that Israel told the US its response would be limited in scope. US intelligence had suggested Israel was weighing a narrow and limited strike inside Iran because they feel like they have to respond with a kinetic action of some kind given the unprecedented scale of the Iranian attack

The range of targets was “never specified in precise terms but nuclear and civilian locations were clearly not in that category,” the second official added.

The US has been urging Israel not to respond to last weekend’s Iranian attack, which President Joe Biden on Thursday called “unprecedented.” The US “didn’t green light” an Israeli response, the second official said.

This post has been updated with the latest developments.

12:07 a.m. ET, April 19, 2024

Oil prices surge, Dow futures sink nearly 500 points on reports of explosions in Iran

From CNN’s Matt Egan and Laura He

A working oil pumpjack is pictured in Taft, California, on September 21, 2023. 
A working oil pumpjack is pictured in Taft, California, on September 21, 2023.  Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

Oil prices surged nearly 4% and US stock futures fell sharply Thursday evening amid reports of explosions in Iran.

In recent trading, US oil prices climbed 3.7% to $85.80 a barrel. Brent crude, the world benchmark, gained 3.4% to $90.13 a barrel. 

Energy prices moved sharply higher as Iranian news agencies reported explosions heard near Iran’s Isfahan Airport.

The developments drove US stock futures steadily lower, with Dow futures down 480 points, or 1.3%. Nasdaq futures lost almost 2%.

“The market has been on edge since Iran launched a missile and drone attack on the Jewish state over the weekend,” said analysts from ANZ on Friday.

“Israel’s response could determine whether oil supplies are ultimately under threat.”

Gold futures were up 1% at $2,422.4 per ounce in morning Asian trade with investors piling into safe-haven investments.

But stock markets in Asia sank as appetite for risk weakened, according to analysts.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 3.5%. South Korea’s Kospi lost 3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.5%. China’s Shanghai Composite inched down 0.1%.

This post has been updated with more information.

11:28 p.m. ET, April 18, 2024

Multiple explosions heard near military base in Isfahan province, semi-official news agency says

From CNN's Adam Pourahmadi

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

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

It has been said that the army radar was one of the possible targets and the windows of several office buildings were broken in this area, FARS reports.

The cause of the blasts are not yet known.

Reports of the explosion come hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN that if Israel takes any further military action against Iran, its response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.”

10:36 p.m. ET, April 18, 2024

Outgoing flights from several Iranian airports canceled, Iranian state TV reports

From CNN's Jennifer Hauser

Iranian state media Press TV is reporting outgoing flights from several Iranian airports have been canceled, citing an Iranian official.

All flights going to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz had already been suspended, the director of Iran’s public relations for an airport company announced in an interview with state-run Mehr TV.

10:32 p.m. ET, April 18, 2024

Iran's air defense systems have been activated in several provinces, state news reports

From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali

Iran's air defense systems have been activated in several provinces of the country, state news IRNA reported in the early hours of Friday local time.

 

10:25 p.m. ET, April 18, 2024

Iran says flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz are suspended

From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali and Artemis Moshtaghian

All flights heading to the cities of “Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, the airports of the West, North West and South West have been suspended," the director of Iran’s public relations for an airport company announced in an interview with state-run Mehr TV.

The suspension is effective immediately, but flights have not been canceled, the director said.

“Passengers should check the flight information before departure,” he added.

10:19 p.m. ET, April 18, 2024

Explosion heard near Iran's Isfahan Airport, Iranian news agencies report

From CNN's Hamdi Alkshali and Artemis Moshtaghian

An explosion was heard in the Iranian city of Ghahjaworstan, located northwest of the city of Isfahan, according to the Iranian semi-official FARS news agency, citing local sources.

"The city of Ghahjaworstan is located near Isfahan Airport and the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force," FARS news said.

Iranian Press TV also reported an explosion was heard near the central city.

The cause of this explosion is unknown.

The post was updated with a map.

9:45 p.m. ET, April 18, 2024

At least 8 flights have been diverted over Iranian airspace

From CNN's Jennifer Hauser

Flight tracking website Flight Radar 24 shows multiple flights diverted over Iranian airspace early Friday.

CNN counted at least eight flights.

8:17 p.m. ET, April 18, 2024

S&P downgrades Israel's sovereign rating on "heightened geopolitical risk"

From CNN's Luciana Lopez

S&P Global Ratings cut Israel's sovereign credit rating on Thursday to A+ from AA- on increased geopolitical risk from the war with Hamas and friction with Iran.

"In our view, the recent increase in confrontation with Iran heightens already elevated geopolitical risks for Israel," S&P analysts wrote. "We expect a wider regional conflict will be avoided, but the Israel-Hamas war and the confrontation with Hezbollah appear set to continue throughout 2024 – versus our previous assumption of military activity not lasting more than six months."

Israel's rating outlook is negative, which means another downgrade could come again at some point.

Credit ratings are used by markets and investors as a guide to how creditworthy they think a borrower is. A lower credit rating means that a lender will generally ask for a higher interest rate in return for money.

Israel's credit rating is still considered investment grade – a higher tier of ratings than the alternative, commonly referred to as junk ratings – but the S&P move underscores the financial toll on top of the humanitarian effects of the war.