US says ‘not involved in any offensive operation’ after Israel carries out retaliatory attacks against Iran

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday (Apr 19) said that America was "not involved in any offensive operation" and declined to comment on reports of Israellaunching a retaliatory offensive against Iran.

"I'm not going to speak to these reported events... All I can say is for our part and for all the members of the G7 our focus is on de-escalation,"Blinken told a press conference on the Italian island of Capri.

"What we're focused on, what the G7 is focused on, and again, it's reflected in our statement, and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflicts," he said.

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The top United States diplomat reiterated the same response on being asked about the situation several times during the press briefing.

"The US has not been involved in any offensive operation," he said.

'Washington was informed of strikes in advance,' says G7 host Antonio Tajani

Earlier, at a separate news briefing, G7 host and Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the United States was notified about the Israeli strikes way in advance. However, he did not share much details.

"The United States were informed at the last moment," he said, adding that "it was just information" passed on -- without saying who by.

The Group of Seven ministers, in its final statement, said, "In light of reports of strikes on April 19th, we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation. The G7 will continue to work to this end."

Iran ‘not planning’ retaliation against Israel

Iran is not planning any retaliation against Israel after Friday's (Apr 19) attacks, a top Iranian official was quoted by Reuters as saying.

“The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,” the official said.

Earlier in the day, an explosion was reportedly heard near the Iranian city of Isfahan, the cause of which is not yet known. However, airspace over several Iranian cities was closed shortly after the explosion.

Iran subsequently said that it shot down several drones and that there had been "no missile attack for now".

Several drones "have been successfully shot down by the country's air defence, there are no reports of a missile attack for now", Iran's space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian said on X.

"Flights over Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran cities have been suspended," state media reported.

The province of Isfahan is home to a large air base, a major missile production complex and reportedly several nuclear sites.

(With inputs from agencies)