Israel has carried out a military strike inside Iran, a U.S. official told CNN Friday, a potentially dangerous escalation in a fast widening Middle East conflict that Iranian government officials have so far sought to play down.The United States was given advance notification Thursday of an intended Israeli strike in the coming days, but did not endorse the response, a second senior U.S. official said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later confirmed the U.S. 맥스카지노�has not been involved in any offensive operations,맥스카지노� but was focusing on Israel맥스카지노�s defense and de-escalation.Iran맥스카지노�s air defense systems were activated in the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz after three explosions were heard close to a major military airbase near Isfahan, state media reported early Friday morning.Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander-in-chief of Iran맥스카지노�s army, said the explosions in the sky above Isfahan were related to anti-aircraft systems shooting at what he called a suspicious object, which did not cause any damage, Iranian state news IRNA reported. Other Iranian officials said air defenses intercepted three drones and there were no reports of a missile attack.Iran has not identified the source of the strike.Multiple state-aligned news agencies reported that sites associated with Iran맥스카지노�s nuclear program were secure and the attack appeared to be limited in scope.Iranian media appeared to further minimize the scale of the attack on Friday, broadcasting calm scenes from Isfahan showing residents walking through parks and visiting landmarks. Traffic was reported as normal and the airport was also reported to have reopened after flights were briefly canceled or suspended early Friday.Reports of Friday맥스카지노�s strike came hours after Iran맥스카지노�s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN that if Israel takes any further military action against Iran, its response would be 맥스카지노�immediate and at a maximum level.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�If the Israeli regime commits the grave error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them,맥스카지노� he added, noting that this warning had been communicated to the White House via the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.Tensions across the Middle East remain on a knife edge, following Iran맥스카지노�s unprecedented direct strike against Israel late Saturday. The attack, during which Iran launched more than 300 drones and cruise missiles toward Israel, came in response to a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on April 1, which killed a top commander, and several others.Separately, 맥스카지노�material losses맥스카지노� were reported in southern Syria after an Israeli strike, targeted 맥스카지노�our air defense sites in the southern region,맥스카지노� Syrian state media SANA reported Friday citing a military source. The Israeli military said that it does not comment on reports in foreign media.The Israeli military said it was unable to provide a comment on Friday, when asked by CNN about reports of explosions in Iran.At the end of a three-day meeting in Capri, Italy, the Group of Seven (G7) nations urged all parties in the region to 맥스카지노�prevent further escalation.맥스카지노� Jordan맥스카지노�s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also warned the strikes risk 맥스카지노�dragging the region into further conflict,맥스카지노� adding that the 맥스카지노�Israeli-Iranian retaliations must end.맥스카지노�US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks on Israel attack on IranIran warned of 맥스카지노�maximum맥스카지노� response hours earlierIsrael맥스카지노�s action in Iran is the latest escalatory move in a region that has been rocked by Israel맥스카지노�s devastating war in Gaza following Hamas맥스카지노� brutal Oct. 7 attack. That attack killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw more than 200 others taken hostage.Israel맥스카지노�s bombardment and siege of Gaza has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials, caused widespread destruction of the enclave and sparked a humanitarian crisis where more than 1 million people face 맥스카지노�catastrophic맥스카지노� levels of hunger.Prior to Friday맥스카지노�s Israeli strike, the U.S. expectation was the country would not target Iran맥스카지노�s civilian or nuclear facilities, the senior U.S. official told CNN.CNN has previously reported that Israel told the U.S. its response to the weekend attacks would be limited in scope. U.S. 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 attackThe range of targets was 맥스카지노�never specified in precise terms but nuclear and civilian locations were clearly not in that category,맥스카지노� the senior official added.Calls for restraintIsrael맥스카지노�s Western allies have both rallied to its defense in the wake of Iran맥스카지노�s attack Saturday, while also urging restraint.President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he should consider Iran맥스카지노�s strikes a win, since they had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel맥스카지노�s ability to defend itself.Biden had already made clear to Netanyahu that the U.S. would not participate in any offensive operations against Iran in response, a senior administration previously told CNN.Benny Gantz, a key member of Israel맥스카지노�s war cabinet, had pushed for a swift response to the attack, two Israeli officials told CNN, arguing that the longer Israeli delayed its response, the harder it would be to garner international support for it.Some hardline officials have gone further. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said Israel should 맥스카지노�go crazy맥스카지노� in response. Ben Gvir appeared to criticize Israel맥스카지노�s reported strike, publishing a one-word response on X early Friday morning 맥스카지노� a slang word meaning 맥스카지노�lame맥스카지노� or 맥스카지노�weak.맥스카지노�Israel맥스카지노�s opposition leader Yair Lapid called Ben Gvir맥스카지노�s comment 맥스카지노�unforgivable.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�Never before has a minister in the security cabinet done such heavy damage to the country맥스카지노�s security, its image and its international status,맥스카지노� Lapid said.Jasmine El-Gamal, a former Middle East adviser to the U.S. Defense Department, told CNN that Israel and Iran맥스카지노�s tit-for-tat strikes were about 맥스카지노�posturing and messaging.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�Neither side, obviously, is willing or ready to escalate into an all-out war. The Israelis in particular cannot get into an all-out war without the full support, both military and political, of the Americans, which President Biden made it clear he was not willing to give,맥스카지노� she said.El-Gamal said Israel맥스카지노�s reported strike was meant to tell Iran, 맥스카지노�We can get to your nuclear sites if we want to. We know where they are, and even though we didn맥스카지노�t hit them this time 맥스카지노� we can do it.맥스카지노�