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Tag: war in Gaza

  • Who are the hostages Israel believes are still alive?

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    TEL AVIV, Israel — Their faces stare down from every street corner in Israel on posters now sun-faded and ripped. Their stories, told by anguished family members, are almost as well-known as celebrities. They are civilians and soldiers, fathers and sons. Some were at the Nova music festival, where almost 400 people were killed and dozens kidnapped.

    The latest ceasefire, which began Friday, marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, when some 1,200 people were killed and 251 kidnapped.

    The fighting has killed 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children, and displaced around 90% of the Gaza population of some 2 million. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties in Gaza.

    There are currently 48 hostages being held in Gaza, including the body of one soldier from a previous war. Israel has determined that at least 25 of the hostages were killed on Oct. 7, 2023, or died while in captivity. It is unclear how many of the remaining around 20 hostages are still alive and will return to Israel. There is only one remaining female hostage, who Israel believes was killed in captivity.

    This combo of images provided by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, shows Israeli hostages.

    Hostages and Missing Families Forum via AP, File

    With the start of the ceasefire on Friday, the remaining hostages are expected to be released within 72 hours. Israel is set to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

    Here is a look at 22 hostages Israel believes are still alive.

    Matan Angrest, 22

    Matan Angrest, an Israeli soldier, was kidnapped from his military tank in southern Israel. He is the oldest of four children from Kiryat Bialik, outside of Haifa. His family has been among the most vocal protesters and very critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Tuesday’s two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, his mother, Anat Angrest, addressed her son at a rally. “I know you’re in pain, and I can’t hug you. I hear you whisper, ‘Come for me, Mom,’ and I can’t protect you,” she said.

    Gali Berman & Ziv Berman, 28

    The fraternal twins were taken from their homes in kibbutz Kfar Aza, on the border with Gaza, during the Oct. 7 attack. Seventeen others were also abducted from Kfar Aza, but the Berman twins are the only hostages from the kibbutz who remain in captivity. The family has heard from hostages who returned in a previous deal that, as of February, the brothers were alive but being held separately. Liran Berman, their older brother, said it’s the longest the two have ever spent apart. In Kfar Aza, the twins lived in apartments across from each other. Gali is more outgoing, while Ziv is more reserved and shy with a sharp sense of humor, their brother said.

    Elkana Bohbot, 36

    Elkana Bohbot was kidnapped from the Nova music festival. In the past year, Hamas has published multiple videos of Bohbot, filmed under duress, including one where he has a fake telephone conversation with his wife, Rivka; their son, Reem; his mother and his brother – pleading with them to help him get out of Gaza. His son made binoculars in kindergarten which he often uses to go out and “look for his father,” according to Bohbot’s mother, Ruhama.

    Rom Braslavski, 21

    Braslavski was working as a security guard at the Nova festival. He attempted to help festival goers evacuate and was wounded in both hands before being kidnapped, witnesses said. In August, the Islamic Jihad militant group released a video of a skeletal Braslavski sobbing and pleading for his life, adding that injuries to his foot prevent him from standing. The videos of Braslavski and Evyatar David digging his own grave horrified Israelis, sparking some of the largest attendance in months at weekly protests. His father, Ofir, said Rom is usually a strong, happy-go-lucky kid, and that video is the first time he’s seen his son cry.

    Nimrod Cohen, 21

    Nimrod Cohen was kidnapped from a tank where he was stationed as a soldier in southern Israel. Cohen is obsessed with Rubik’s cubes, his family said, and a burned Rubik’s cube was found in the tank he was abducted from. This year, his mother, Viki Cohen, illustrated a Passover haggadah, the text laying out the rituals and story recited during the Passover holiday, in honor of hostages, partly because her family has stopped celebrating holidays since the attack. “We don’t gather as a family, because it reminds us how much he is missing,” Cohen said. The only time the extended family gathers is at protests, she said.

    Ariel Cunio, 28

    The youngest of four Cunio brothers, Ariel was kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz with his girlfriend, Arbel Yehoud, and her brother, Dolev, a married father of four who was later killed in captivity. According to news reports, Cunio and Yehoud had returned from an extended trip to South America weeks before the attack and had just adopted a puppy. Yehoud was released during the ceasefire in January.

    David Cunio, 35

    David Cunio, brother of Ariel Cunio, was kidnapped with his wife, Sharon, and their 3-year-old twins from the Nir Oz kibbutz. Sharon’s sister Danielle and her 5-year-old daughter, who were visiting, also were kidnapped. All were released in November, except for David Cunio. In July, Sharon shared a photo of the twins marking their fifth birthday, their second without their father, writing on Facebook that the girls have changed so much while he’s been in captivity that “they’re not the same little girls he knew.”

    Evyatar David, 24

    Evyatar David was taken hostage at the Nova music festival along with his childhood friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal. In August, Hamas released a video of David, gaunt and pale, who said he was digging his own grave. The condition of the hostages in the videos horrified Israelis and led tens of thousands of protesters to take to the streets and demand a ceasefire deal, in one of the largest turnouts for the weekly hostage protests in months.

    Guy Gilboa-Dalal, 24

    Guy Gilboa-Dalal was among those abducted from the Nova music festival, while his brother managed to escape. In the past year, he’s appeared in two videos released by Hamas. In one, he appears alongside his childhood friend, David, with militants filming them pleading for their freedom in a vehicle while they watch three other hostages on stage being released to the Red Cross.

    Maksym Harkin, 37

    Maksym Harkin was abducted from Nova, which was the first festival he had ever attended, according to his family. Harkin was born in Ukraine and moved to Israel with his family, where he lived in Tirat HaCarmel in the north. He has a 3-year-old daughter and was the primary provider for his mother and 11-year-old brother. Just before he was taken, his mother said he sent a final text message that said, “I love you.” In July, Hamas released a video of him filmed under duress several months prior.

    Eitan Horn, 38

    Eitan Horn, originally from Kfar Saba, was visiting his brother Iair at the Nir Oz kibbutz on Oct. 7. Both were kidnapped. For most of the war, the two were held with three other hostages in a filthy cell underground. In early February, militants filmed the emotional interaction between the brothers as they were told that Iair would be released and Eitan would stay in Gaza. Since his release, Iair Horn has campaigned for his brother and the other hostages, flying frequently to the United States and meeting with politicians.

    Bipin Joshi, 24

    Bipin Joshi arrived in Israel from his native Nepal a month before the attack. He is the only non-Israeli hostage believed to be alive in Gaza. He came to Israel on a student exchange to work and study agriculture at kibbutz Alumim on the Gaza border. Ten of the 17 Nepali students in the program were killed during the attack. Joshi, who was able to throw a number of live grenades out of the bomb shelter where they were hiding, was injured and kidnapped. Joshi’s sister, 17-year-old Pushpa Joshi, regularly travels eight hours each direction on buses to Kathmandu from her home in western Nepal to lobby officials to secure her brother’s release. In August, his family traveled to Israel to meet with President Isaac Herzog and join families demonstrating in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square.

    Segev Kalfon, 27

    Segev Kalfon was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, where he was last seen attempting to flee militants along the highway. Before the attack, he worked at his family’s bakery in Dimona, in southern Israeli. The middle child of three, Kalfon had recently been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, a condition his family has highlighted in urging his release. Kalfon’s family received a sign of life from him after the last ceasefire, when some of the hostages said they were held with him for months. Kalfon’s family has focused on religious rituals in their fight for his release, including traveling to the grave of prominent rabbis and dedicating a Torah scroll in his honor.

    Bar Kupershtein, 23

    Bar Kupershtein was working at the Nova festival as a security guard when he was abducted. Witnesses said Kupershtein stayed at the festival to try to provide first aid to people who had been shot and injured. Kupershtein was the main financial support for his family after his father was severely injured in an accident several years ago, his aunt, Ora Rubinstein, told reporters. She said that his father worked with a physical therapist to regain the ability to speak, so he could meet with politicians to advocate for his son’s release. He has told the family that he will walk again when his son comes home, she said.

    Omri Miran, 48

    Omri Miran was kidnapped from the Nahal Oz kibbutz. During the attack, militants held his family, including his two daughters, ages 2 and 6 months, hostage in the kitchen of a neighbor’s house and then broadcast it on Facebook Live. Miran and the father of the other family, Tsachi Idan, were kidnapped. Idan’s body was released during the last hostage exchange after he was killed in captivity. Lishay Miran Lavi, Miran’s wife, said their younger daughter knows “daddy Omri” only through photos and videos, and doesn’t really understand what a father is.

    Eitan Mor, 25

    Eitan Mor was working as a security guard at the Nova music festival, where he helped evacuate people injured in the attack. Mor’s parents helped found the Tikva Forum, a loosely organized group of hostage families. They advocated for military pressure, not an immediate ceasefire or hostage release deal, as the best chance for bringing the hostages home. That stance has put Mor’s father at odds with many of the other families of hostages.

    Tamir Nimrodi, 20

    Tamir Nimrodi was kidnapped from Erez, a crossing on the northern border of Gaza that had been the main route for people entering and leaving the territory. He had been serving with the Israeli defense body overseeing humanitarian aid in Gaza. Nimrodi was kidnapped with two other soldiers by militants who walked them to the Gaza gate and forced them to cross. Israel confirmed the deaths of the two soldiers who were kidnapped with Nimrodi. There has been no sign of life from Nimrodi in the two years since he was seen in footage walking into Gaza in shorts and a T-shirt without his glasses. Herut Nimrodi, his mother, has said she doesn’t know what is worse: to think he has been killed in captivity, or that he’s alive but being held in terrible conditions. “I’m scared to even imagine,” she said.

    Yosef-Chaim Ohana, 25

    Yosef-Chaim Ohana was kidnapped from the Nova music festival, where he was working as a bartender. Witnesses saw him attempting to help others escape before he was kidnapped. He is the oldest of three brothers, one of whom previously died from an illness.

    Alon Ohel, 24

    Alon Ohel, who also has German and Serbian citizenship, was kidnapped at the Nova music festival from a mobile bomb shelter along with Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American-Israeli who was killed in captivity in August 2024. A talented pianist, his family has placed pianos across Israel and several sites around the world to raise awareness of his plight. Three other hostages who had been held with Ohel for more than a year were released during the previous ceasefire, including Eli Sharabi, who said Ohel was like his adopted son. Sharabi said they were kept chained for the entire period of their captivity and subsisted on a moldy pita per day. Ohel has shrapnel in his eye from the attack on the bomb shelter and his family is worried he may be partially blind.

    Avinatan Or, 32

    Avinatan Or was kidnapped from the Nova music festival along with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani, who was rescued by Israeli forces in June 2024. On Oct. 7, Hamas released a video of the pair that has become one of the most well-known videos from that day. It showed Argamani on an all-terrain vehicle crying, “Don’t kill me!” and reaching out her arms to Or, who is being marched away from her by militants. Or worked in hi-tech in Tel Aviv before his abduction.

    Matan Zangauker, 25

    Matan Zangauker was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz along with his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky. The two met while working on a medical cannabis farm there. Gritzewsky was released after 55 days and has since advocated tirelessly for his release, wearing a hat of Zangauker’s she rescued from their burned home. His mother, Einav, has been a constant presence at protests, giving impassioned speeches and even being hoisted in a cage above the crowd to draw attention to the hostages’ plight. Zangauker, who said she was previously a Netanyahu supporter, has emerged as one of his harshest critics. ___

    Associated Press writer Sam Metz contributed from Jerusalem.

    Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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  • Israeli fashion brand launches campaign about hunger in Gaza: ‘We cannot use food as weapons’

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    The campaign lands as conditions facing Gazans after nearly two years of war are gaining attention among Israelis in new ways.

    (JTA) — In the early days of the war in Gaza, the Israeli women’s fashion brand Comme Il Faut launched a campaign with prominent models and female business leaders drawing attention to the Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas.

    This week, the brand turned heads again: with a social media campaign protesting alleged starvation among civilians in Gaza.

    Israeli chefs and restaurateurs hold empty pots along with the caption “Resist starvation” in Hebrew, English and Arabic in the campaign, which was posted to the brand’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. The campaign has stirred controversy and condemnation among an Israeli public that is both ready to end the war in Gaza and torn over reports about grim conditions for the Palestinians who live there.

    “We thought, because of what’s going on in Gaza and the hunger in Gaza, to do this photo shoot with people from the food industry and chefs,” Romi Kaminer Goldfainer, the director ofComme Il Faut, said in an interview. “We thought how difficult it is to talk about fashion during this time — it’s even harder to talk about food and wine [and] dining when there’s this terrible hunger, like in one hour away from Tel Aviv.”

    Kaminer Goldfainer, whose mother Sybil Goldfainer founded the brand in 1987, said she was inspired after seeing an Israeli chef’s recent social media post about struggling to promote their business amid reports of starvation in Gaza.

    Palestinians run towards airdropped aid packages, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, August 19, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)

    “We make clothes for women, and we believe that fashion is also a political thing, like food, like anything in culture,” she said.

    The campaign lands as conditions facing Gazans after nearly two years of war are gaining attention among Israelis in new ways. Israel has long rejected claims of starvation in the enclave, but last month, a global hunger monitoring group released a report stating that parts of Gaza meet its standards for declaring a famine. Amid an international outcry and growing opposition among the Israeli public to the war, Israeli news organizations have begun reporting more often on the plight of Gazans and some anti-war protesters have started incorporating the photographs of Gazans into their demonstrations.

    Humanitarian aid to Gaza

    But some Israelis have rejected the expressions of concern, charging that they represent giving aid to an enemy and place the onus of responsibility unfairly on Israel — criticism also leveled recently at efforts by Diaspora Jews to blunt the privations of war on Gazans.

    Such sentiments exploded in the comments of Comme Il Faut’s Instagram posts.

    “Tell it to Hamas. The food is at their place,” wrote one user. Another posted, “The only ones who are starving are our kidnapped. Shame of a campaign.”

    Kaminer Goldfainer said the expectation of such a response deterred some potential participants in the campaign.

    “People are very afraid for their businesses and for speaking up,” she said. She said Comme Il Faut had reached out to almost 100 Israeli chefs and restauranteurs to see if they would participate in the campaign, but many said no or did not respond to their inquiry. Others cancelled after initially saying yes for fear of the backlash.

    In the end, the campaign featured a dozen Israeli chefs and restauranteurs, including Michal Levit, a food culture researcher; Tamar Cohen Tzedek, the chef and owner of the restaurant Cucina Hess 4; Avivit Priel Avichai, the chef and owner of Ouzeria restaurant; and Aviram Katz, the restauranteur behind HaBasta, Mifgash Rambam and Morris Bar.

    In the caption of some of the posts, the chefs wrote in Hebrew, English and Arabic that they “can no longer stay silent in the face of the systematic starvation of the people of Gaza and the hostages among them.”

    “Our stomachs turn. From its depths, from the abysses of the soul, we cry out against the starvation of millions of innocent people and children, who are perishing and dying en masse,” the captions continued.

    Comme Il Faut also collaborated with Parents Against Child Detention, an Israeli organization that raises awareness about the mass detention of Palestinian children, on the campaign.

    “Our protest against hunger is a protest on behalf of the children and girls, who have no voice in the public sphere. For us this is not a political question but a basic moral responsibility — no boy and girl should starve,” PACD wrote in an Instagram post of the campaign.

    “The voices that arise from the food community, from people and women whose lives are devoted to food and filling, echo our call: you must not comply with the reality of empty pots,” the post continued. “We will continue to fight — until the pots are full.”

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  • ‘Time to intensify efforts’: Hadash Party backs mass protest against Gaza starvation in Tel Aviv

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    Thousands of peace activists will stand together, participating in an anti-war, anti-hunger protest in Tel Aviv backed by the Hadash Arab party.

    The Hadash Party called for the broadest possible participation of the Arab public to take part in an upcoming protest on Saturday in Tel Aviv that will demonstrate against starvation in Gaza and the war.

    Hadash makes up one of the two Arab parties currently in the Knesset, in a joint list with Ta’al, known as Hadash-Ta’al.

    The protest was named “Stop the Starvation, Stop the War – Yes to Life and Peace.” It is expected to be an Arab-Jewish demonstration led by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, which is an extra-parliamentary organization dealing with matters concerning the Arab community.

    In a Thursday statement about the protest, Hadash slammed the recent actions of the current government, saying, “This is the time to intensify efforts and halt the deterioration.”

    The party’s statement began by criticizing Israel’s recent announcement of its Gaza City takeover plan.

    Activists attend a protest demanding an end to the war in Gaza, and against the humanitarian crises there, outside the US embassy in Tel Aviv, July 29, 2025. (credit: JAMAL AWAD/FLASH90)

    “The government of genocide intends to continue destroying all of Gaza City and the central cities and camps of the Strip,” Hadash said.

    “Already today, millions of refugees live in impossible conditions in tent cities, with the most vulnerable facing immediate danger of death. The planned invasion is expected to lead to an inevitable humanitarian disaster,” Hadash added.

    Thousands of Jewish and Arab activists will protest together in solidarity

    The party’s statement also addressed the situation in the West Bank, claiming that “ethnic cleansing is running unchecked.”

    Hadash condemned the recent approval of the construction project in the West Bank, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, marking asignificant expansion in Ma’aleh Adumim in an area known as E1.

    “In the face of all this, the basic human duty that must be upheld against all forms of murderous fascism is our responsibility—never again! It is in our hands to stop the genocide and the right-wing government,” the party said.

    “It is our duty to strive for a future that ensures recognition of the Palestinian people’s rights, thereby creating a future of security and prosperity for both peoples. To this end, we must raise our voices for the immediate cessation of the war and the return of all hostages, prisoners, and displaced persons to their homes,” Hadash added.

    The protest is planned to set out from Dizengoff Square at 4:00 p.m., where it will then proceed to Habima Square.

    Hadash said thousands ofJewish and Arab participants, peace activists, and communities from across the country are expected to participate.

    In recent developments with Hadash, the party’s leader met with the heads of the other three central Arab parties, Ra’am, Ta’al, and Balad, last week.

    The four parties decided to move forward with negotiations to reestablish the Joint List bloc in the meeting.

    The Joint List bloc, once made up of the four parties, began to break apart ahead of the 2021 elections after Ra’am left the alliance. Then, in a dramatic last-minute split in 2022, Balad broke off from the two remaining factions and filed a separate list.

    MK Ahmad Tibi, head of Hadash-Ta’al, told The Jerusalem Post after the meeting that “the four Arab lists must run together on a joint slate,” due to “the challenges facing Arab society in Israel and the state as a whole.”

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  • More than 100 protesters arrested, 4 police officers injured as pro-Palestinian encampment cleared at Boston’s Emerson College

    More than 100 protesters arrested, 4 police officers injured as pro-Palestinian encampment cleared at Boston’s Emerson College

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    More than 100 people were arrested and four police officers were injured early Thursday when protesters clashed with Boston police as a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College was cleared.The encampment is one of several set up by students at colleges nationwide to show solidarity with the pro-Palestinian protesters who were arrested at Columbia University in New York earlier this week. An Emerson student said an announcement was made at 1 a.m. that the encampment, which is off Boylston Street, saying anyone in the alley would be arrested.Boston police officers walked out of the Massachusetts Transportation Building at 2 a.m. and made their way through the crowd in the alley.Video from the scene showed dozens of officers in the area, many of whom were wearing protective gear.”I saw one student get shoved to pavement and hands behind them. Protesters seemed compliant — not fighting back or acting violent,” Emerson student Kyle Graff said.Another student who was at the demonstration and left the area said he watched the incident unfold from his dorm window and said he saw officers dragging away some people who resisted arrest. “Being there and seeing the people standing around, getting dragged to the ground, getting arrested, it was horrifying. It was absolutely disgusting. I am still shaking from experience,” the student said.Boston Police Department spokesman Sgt. John Boyle said 108 people were arrested and are expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.Of the four police officers injured, one suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.Boylston Place Alley is not solely owned by Emerson College and it is a fire alley with a public right of way requirement to access non-Emerson buildings, including the State Transportation Center.Just outside the alley, several police vans were parked to take away protesters, and crime scene tape was placed to cordon off the area.Demonstrators have been urging college officials to support a ceasefire in Gaza and divest from companies and institutions that support Israel.The removal at Emerson comes hours after pro-Palestinian protesters set up another encampment at Harvard Yard.The ACLU said colleges are walking a tight rope balancing First Amendment rights and campus safety.”We’ve been urging campus administrators and law enforcement to exercise restraint in interfering with student demonstrations and encampments,” said Carol Rose, of the ACLU. “These are hard times for colleges and universities. Trying to balance the legal requirement that they ensure education free of discrimination at the same time to ensure the free speech rights of students.”Harvard University is only allowing people with campus IDs onto Harvard Yard and there are signs indicating tents and tables are not allowed without proper permission.At MIT, police are on standby but no arrests have been made thus far in connection with the protests, nor have any threats been reported.

    BOSTON —

    More than 100 people were arrested and four police officers were injured early Thursday when protesters clashed with Boston police as a pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College was cleared.

    The encampment is one of several set up by students at colleges nationwide to show solidarity with the pro-Palestinian protesters who were arrested at Columbia University in New York earlier this week.

    An Emerson student said an announcement was made at 1 a.m. that the encampment, which is off Boylston Street, saying anyone in the alley would be arrested.

    Boston police officers walked out of the Massachusetts Transportation Building at 2 a.m. and made their way through the crowd in the alley.

    Video from the scene showed dozens of officers in the area, many of whom were wearing protective gear.

    “I saw one student get shoved to pavement and hands behind them. Protesters seemed compliant — not fighting back or acting violent,” Emerson student Kyle Graff said.

    Another student who was at the demonstration and left the area said he watched the incident unfold from his dorm window and said he saw officers dragging away some people who resisted arrest.

    “Being there and seeing the people standing around, getting dragged to the ground, getting arrested, it was horrifying. It was absolutely disgusting. I am still shaking from experience,” the student said.

    Boston Police Department spokesman Sgt. John Boyle said 108 people were arrested and are expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.

    Of the four police officers injured, one suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

    Boylston Place Alley is not solely owned by Emerson College and it is a fire alley with a public right of way requirement to access non-Emerson buildings, including the State Transportation Center.

    Just outside the alley, several police vans were parked to take away protesters, and crime scene tape was placed to cordon off the area.

    Demonstrators have been urging college officials to support a ceasefire in Gaza and divest from companies and institutions that support Israel.

    The removal at Emerson comes hours after pro-Palestinian protesters set up another encampment at Harvard Yard.

    The ACLU said colleges are walking a tight rope balancing First Amendment rights and campus safety.

    “We’ve been urging campus administrators and law enforcement to exercise restraint in interfering with student demonstrations and encampments,” said Carol Rose, of the ACLU. “These are hard times for colleges and universities. Trying to balance the legal requirement that they ensure education free of discrimination at the same time to ensure the free speech rights of students.”

    Harvard University is only allowing people with campus IDs onto Harvard Yard and there are signs indicating tents and tables are not allowed without proper permission.

    At MIT, police are on standby but no arrests have been made thus far in connection with the protests, nor have any threats been reported.

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  • Live updates: Israel attacks Iran, explosions in Isfahan, war in Gaza

    Live updates: Israel attacks Iran, explosions in Isfahan, war in Gaza

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    An aerial attack on Iran on Friday came fresh on the heels of earlier tit-for-tat Iranian and Israeli strikes, a potentially dangerous escalation of the Middle East conflict as a decades-long shadow war between the two countries emerges into the open.

    What the US says: Israel carried out the strike, a US official told CNN. The US was given advance notification Thursday of an Israeli strike in the coming days, but “didn’t green light” an Israeli response, another senior US official told CNN.

    What Israel says: Israel has not claimed responsibility or commented.

    What Iran says: Iranian officials and state-aligned media have so far sought to play down the incident.

    Iranian air defenses intercepted three drones, a Tehran official said, after reports of explosions near an army base in the central province of Isfahan. There were no reports of a missile attack, he said.

    A loud blast near Isfahan city was caused by “air defense firing at a suspicious object,” a senior Iranian military commander said, adding there was no “damage or incident,” according to the state-aligned Tasnim news agency.

    All facilities around Isfahan were secure, including significant nuclear sites, Iranian media reported. The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed no Iranian nuclear sites were damaged.

    Why is this happening now? The attack follows an unprecedented Iranian assault on Israel last weekend that Tehran said was retaliation for a deadly suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria on April 1. The reprisals marked the first time the Islamic Republic had launched a direct assault on Israel from its soil.

    In the wake of Iran’s retaliatory attack, countries including the US called for restraint from Israel to prevent escalation, as Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza has already stoked regional tensions.

    What’s next? Hours before the first reports of explosions in Iran emerged Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had warned that Tehran’s response to any further Israeli military action against it would be “immediate and at a maximum level.”

    The details of a potential “maximum response” have been planned by Iran’s armed forces, he added.

    Iranian media, however, appeared to downplay the severity of Friday’s attack, publishing footage and images of calm scenes in Isfahan and the northwestern city of Tabriz.

    A regional intelligence source with knowledge of Iran’s potential reaction said Tehran was not expected to respond to the strikes — but did not give a reason.

    Here are more details on what we know.

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