Iran activates air defence system and diverts flights after ‘explosions’ heard over major city

File: An Iranian military truck carries parts of a Sayad 4-B missile past a portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (AFP via Getty Images)

Iran has fired its air defence batteries and shut down flight operations in several parts of the country following “explosions”.

Commercial planes began diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran without explanation as state media reported “explosions” had been heard over the city of Isfahan.

The incident comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East after Iran launched an unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel in retaliation against a strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria earlier this month.

Israel last week had warned of a military response “to exact the price from Iran in the fashion and timing that is right for us” without sharing further details.

Air defence systems in Isfahan were activated against “an object suspected to be a drone”, the Fars news agency reported citing sources. It said three explosions were heard near an army base in the city’s northwest.

Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai diverted flights around western Iran, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace might have been closed.