France, Oman condemn Israeli attack, as Israeli minister posts “Feeble” on X

-France calls for de-escalation after reports of Israeli attack on Iran
-Oman condemns “Repeated Israeli military attacks in the region”
-Israeli far-right national security minister, commented on X after Israeli strike
-Iran is ‘minimizing the impact’ of Israeli attacks, says analyst

France is calling for de-escalation in the Middle-East crisis, Deputy French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday, responding to reports that Israel launched an air attack on Iranian soil earlier that day.

“All I can say is that France’s position is to call on all actors for de-escalation and restraint,” Barrot told Sud Radio.

Three drones downed after explosions heard in Isfahan: Iranian media

Meanwhile, Oman also issued a statement condemning “Repeated Israeli military attacks in the region,” State News Agency reported.

Egypt’s foreign ministry also issued a statement on Friday saying that it was deeply concerned about an escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, following reports of an Israeli attack on Iran.

Egypt also warned of the consequences of expanding the conflict and instability in the region

ISRAELI MINISTER COMMENTS ON X

Israel’s hard right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued the one word posting “Feeble!” on social media platform X on Friday, following reports of an apparently limited Israeli strike in Iran that appeared to have elicited a muted response from Iranian officials.

ANALYSTS SAY IRAN IS ‘MINIMISING THE IMAPCT’

Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil on Friday (April 19), sources said, in the latest tit-for-tat exchange between the two arch foes, whose decades of shadow war has broken out into the open and threatened to drag the region deeper into conflict.

No missile attack against Iran, Iranian official tells media

Iranian media reported explosions, but an Iranian official told Reuters those were caused by air defense systems. State media said three drones over the central city of Isfahan had been shot down.

“That seems to indicate that Iran is seeking to step down off the ledge, minimize the impact of the attack, and perhaps walk back down the escalation ladder from here,” analyst Jonathan Lord, the Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at CNAS told Reuters on Friday.

Israel’s leadership and the military were silent early on Friday.

The United States received notification before Israel’s attack, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters, which came days after Iran launched an unprecedented strike on Israel with a barrage of drones and missiles. Most of those were shot down.