Image source, Reuters

Famed for its palaces, tiled mosques and minarets, Isfahan - where blasts were heard overnight - is also a major centre for military industry.

Iran's third-biggest city, nicknamed "Nesf-e-Jahaan" which translates to "half the world", is located in the centre of the country near the Zagros mountains.

The city and its region are home to drone and ballistic missile factories.

Relatively nearby is the Natanz nuclear facility, the most important centre for Iran's nuclear enrichment programme.

With the name Isfahan tied to Iran's nuclear facilities, the symbolism of an attack there will not have gone unnoticed.

If this was an Israeli attack it seems that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu was sending a message to Iran that it has the capability to strike those sensitive targets in the province whilst refraining from actually doing so at this stage.

• Read our full piece about Isfahan, the Iranian city where the explosions were heard

An anti-Israel demonstration has been held in Iran's capital.

Hundreds of people have gathered on the streets of Tehran, with protesters holding signs opposing Israel and waving flags - both Iranian and Palestinian.

Many of those gathered can also be seen carrying portraits of the country's Supreme Leader Ayotollah Ali Khamenei, as well as his predecessor Ruhollah Khomeini.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

US officials say Israel hit Iran with a missile overnight on Friday, in what appears to be a retaliatory strike after weeks of escalating tensions between the two countries.

But there has been no official confirmation of what exactly happened.

Iranian state media downplayed its significance and the Israeli military has not commented on the incident.

What is Iran saying about the strike?

Iran's Fars news agency reported that explosions were heard near an army base in Isfahan and that air defence systems were activated.

Iranian state TV said three drones were destroyed in the sky and no ground explosions occurred.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters: "We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack".

Was Israel involved?

Israel does not routinely confirm its military actions, which have targeted Iranian-backed armed groups in Syria and Iraq on many occasions.

US officials have told the BBC's partner CBS News that an Israeli missile hit Iran in the early hours of Friday.

Israel previously said it would retaliate against Iran's attack at the weekend, which involved hundreds of drones and missiles in response to a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria.

Isfahan province is a large area in the centre of Iran home to significant Iranian military infrastructure, including a large airbase, a major missile production complex and several nuclear facilities.

Read more on the strike and its consequences here.

BBC journalist Jessica Parker asks top US diplomat Antony Blinken whether the United States was involved in Israel's strikes against Iran, and whether Washington was in touch with the Israeli leadership.

Watch the video to hear what he has to say.

Image source, .

Today's strike on Iran, which US officials have told the BBC's partner CBS News came from Israel, is an attack that is widely seen as its response to Iran's missile and drone attack on Israel.

Iran's own direct attack on Israel - its first ever - was in turn retaliation for an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, which killed senior military commanders.

Previously Israel and Iran had been engaged in a years-long shadow war - attacking each other's assets without admitting responsibility, with those attacks ratcheting up considerably during the current war in Gaza.

The two countries were allies until the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, which brought in a regime that has used opposing Israel as a key part of its ideology.

Iran today does not recognise Israel's right to exist and seeks its eradication and Israel believes that Iran poses an existential threat as evidenced by Tehran's rhetoric and its build-up of proxy forces in the region including the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah.

• To read more about the relationship between the two states, their military capabilities and Iran's allies follow this link: Why have Israel and Iran attacked each other?

Image source, Reuters

We can bring you an update now on an incident in Paris, where armed police have made an arrest after reports that a man was seen entering the Iranian consulate not far from the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

French media said a witness saw a suspicious man entering the consulate, and elite officers from France's BRI intervention brigade surrounded the building. The witness saw the man apparently carrying a grenade or explosive vest.

French reports said the suspect eventually left the building, and was arrested shortly after. He was then searched by BRI officers and found to have no explosives on him.

Meanwhile, the US embassy in Paris shared a security alert on X, external, saying "Paris authorities request people stay away from the vicinity of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Paris’ 16 arrondissement in light of the ongoing security operation."

You can read further updates here.

Armen Nersessian
BBC Persian

In a recent interview with Iranian television, Major General Seyyed Abdulrahim Mousavi, commander-in-chief of the army, addressed the explosion in Isfahan.

He attributed the sound of explosions to the anti-aircraft defence system engaging several suspicious objects, reassuring the public that no damage occurred.

Iranian authorities have initiated an investigation into the matter and pledged to provide updates to the public in due course.

Meanwhile, Kioumars Heydari, the commander of the army ground forces, issued a warning that any recurrence of suspicious flying objects would be swiftly addressed.

Iran's airspace remains safeguarded by the Khatam al-Anbia defence base, overseen by the Joint Staff of the Army.

This base plays a critical role in enhancing Iran's air defence capabilities through its integrated command and control network.

Meanwhile, Kasra Naji, BBC Persian's correspondent in Tel Aviv, reports that the situation in Israel appears normal.

Defence authorities have advised citizens to continue with their daily routines and Israel has not issued any official statement regarding the reported attack.

Iran plays down attack scope and damagepublished at 14:14 British Summer Time 19 April

14:14 BST 19 April

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

Residents in the central Iranian province of Isfahan recorded the sounds of explosions overnight, which Iranian state media has attributed to air defence missiles hitting three drones.

Reports suggest the attack was close to an airport and military base. Officials claim there has been no major damage.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran's nearby nuclear facilities have not been affected. Israel has not admitted responsibility.

But officials have told local media this was a response to Iran’s airstrike last weekend and was designed to show Israel could attack deep into Iranian territory.

Some reports suggest air-launched missiles had been involved. Iran appeared to play down the incident, with one official quoted as saying there were no plans for retaliation.

But in Israel there was criticism over the limited scope of the attack.

The far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, posted on social media one word: "Lame."

The opposition leader, Yair Lapid, has accused Ben Gvir of damaging Israel by exposing it to ridicule.

Video shows flashes in the sky reportedly over Isfahanpublished at 13:53 British Summer Time 19 April

13:53 BST 19 April

We've been looking at some video that's been sent to BBC Persian which show a succession of flashes in the sky. It's said to be above the Iranian city of Isfahan, but verifying footage filmed at night can be difficult because there are few identifiable features.

However, two clips have emerged which we checked have not appeared before. When we ran them simultaneously, we could see the sequence of flashes matched perfectly, making us confident they were filmed at the same time from different, but nearby locations.

In addition, our colleagues at BBC Persian have told us that accents heard at one point in one video sound similar to those from the Isfahan area.

Image source, Reuters

Antonio Guterres - secretary-general of the United Nations - says it is "high time to stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East", according to a statement from his spokesperson.

He adds that Guterres "condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond".

Escalation seems to be averted, but tensions remainpublished at 13:25 British Summer Time 19 April

13:25 BST 19 April

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Since last weekend’s massive Iranian attack on Israel, in which almost all drones and missiles were shot down, this region waited for the much-anticipated Israeli response. The scale of the reaction had the potential to determine whether the two old rivals would be in an all-out war.

Many questions about what happened, and what might come, remain. But the apparent limited Israeli attack and the response from Iran, which has played down the incident and indicated there will not be a response, will bring relief to many.

A dangerous escalation seems to have been averted, but tensions continue. Since Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza started, in response to the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October, Iranian proxies in the region have carried out attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq, raising fears of a regional conflict.

Here in Lebanon, Hezbollah - the main player in the so-called Axis of Resistance, an alliance of regional groups and militias supported by Iran – has attacked Israel almost every day. Israel has retaliated, and some of its targets have been deep inside Lebanese territory.

These attacks are unlikely to stop unless there is a ceasefire in Gaza, a remote prospect as recent negotiations have failed to result in a deal. That means the region will remain on edge, although one of the worst scenarios, an open war between Israel and Iran, seems less likely, at least for now.

Image source, EPA

Good afternoon.

It's just passed 13:00 (12:00 GMT) here in our London newsroom.

Here are the headlines so far today:

• An Israeli missile has struck Iran, two US officials have told the BBC's US partner CBS News

• Tehran state media shared reports of explosions in the central province of Isfahan - home to a large Iranian airbase - but downplayed claims of an attack

• BBC Persian shared footage showing orange flashes in the night sky above Isfahan and what appears to be bursts of anti-aircraft fire

• Israel has not officially commented
• Speaking at a G7 leaders' meeting in Capri, Italy, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken refused to be drawn on whether the US had prior knowledge of the attack and said the US was "not involved" in the strikes
• Countries around the world - including the UK, China and Egypt - have urged calm
• It follows weeks of soaring tensions between the regional rivals, which have already seen an attack on an Iranian compound in Syria - widely believed to have come from Israel - and an unprecedented assault on Israel by Iran

Image source, Reuters

As a final question, the BBC's Jessica Parker asks Blinken why he is refusing to discuss the events overnight.

Conceding that he is going to be "incredibly boring", the top US diplomat again declines to speak about the apparent Israeli attack on Iran.

Blinken does repeat that the US was "not involved" in any offensive military operations and is continuing to work for de-escalation.

In answer to a second question about how he would characterise the current state of US-Israeli relations, Blinken says "we are engaged on a regular, pretty much daily basis".

"We are committed to helping Israel defend itself and as necessary participating in its defence, as you saw just a few days ago."

Blinken is once again pressed on the recent events in Iran.

It is put to him that the Israeli and Iranian responses seem measured and calculated and is asked if that means a major confrontation has been averted.

He's also asked about the US position on Rafah.

Image source, Reuters

Blinken repeats that his focus is on de-escalation and calling on all sides concerned to show restraint.

On Rafah he says the US cannot support a major military operation there. He says there are around 1.4m people in Rafah and they must be able to get out of the way of any conflict and that's a "monumental task".

He says a major military operation there would have "terrible consequences".

Blinken also criticises Hamas' leadership of the people in Gaza.

Next question for Blinken is again on Israel's reported strike on Iran.

"Do you have the feeling today's strike was limited so that Iran was not compelled to react, in that sense are you optimistic?" he is asked.

He again says that he is not going to speak to reported events.

"All I can say is that for our part and for the entire G7, our focus has been on de-escalation and on avoiding a larger conflict. Actually that's been true since day one and the horrific events of October 7. A big part of our approach has been to prevent the conflict from spreading to avoid escalation everywhere."

"Those efforts will continue," Blinken adds.

The first question to Blinken is about Israel's apparent attack on Iran and if the US was notified in advance.

He refuses to answer, except to say the US "has not been involved in any offensive operations".

He says that the US and the G7 have been focused on work to de-escalate tensions and "any potential conflict".

Blinken adds that Israel had been hit by an "unprecedented attack" and that the US is focused on "making sure Israel can defend itself".

Image source, Reuters

Moving away briefly from events in the Middle East, the US secretary of state goes on to say that the G7 is also very clear in its "unwavering support" for Ukraine .

Blinken says Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks he can "outwit" Ukraine and outwit Ukraine's supporters but the message is that he can't.

He says the international community is putting Ukraine on a long-term path where it can stand "strongly on its own two feet" with several security pacts.

He says there is also work being done to drive private sector investment into Ukraine.

Blinken adds that it is "imperative" Ukraine gets more resources, more air defences, more munitions, more artillery, and that allies including G7 countries are committed to that.

Blinken says that G7 foreign ministers remained "intensely focused on Gaza," even while they were dealing with the escalation between Iran and Israel.

Blinken mentions the ceasefire talks and emphasises that it is Hamas who is holding up a deal.

"The only thing standing between the Gazan people and a ceasefire is Hamas," he says, adding that Hamas has rejected "generous proposals" from Israel.

He also urges rapid implementation of Israel's humanitarian assistance commitments such as more aid, more crossings and better distribution of the assistance.

"We have seen important progress but we need to see sustained results and that there is distribution throughout Gaza," Blinken says.

Antony Blinken opens by saying the G7 condemned the "unprecedented" Iranian attack on Israel which happened on Saturday, noting it was unprecedented in both "scope and scale".

He goes on to emphasise the US was committed to Israel's security and de-escalating broader conflict in the Middle East.

Blinken says the G7 is also committed to holding Iran to account, noting the US government announced more sanctions on Tehran yesterday.

The G7 will adopt more sanctions "in the days ahead", the top US diplomat adds.

Image source, Reuters

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has just begun delivering some remarks at the G7 meeting in Italy.

We'll bring you all the key lines from the US government's top diplomat here about the overnight attack on Iran, so stick with us.