Watch live: Flights across Middle East region tracked after Israel launch missile strike on Iran

Watch live on Friday (19 April) as flights across the Middle East region are tracked after Israel launched a missile strike on Iran.

Israel launched a retaliatory attack against Iran overnight, with explosions heard near a major military airbase.

Tehran were forced to activate their air defence system above the city of Isfahan, which is also home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear programme. However, there was no damage to the nuclear sites, said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

It remained unclear if the country was under attack, as no Iranian official directly acknowledged the possibility and Israel’s military did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for a comment.

It is understood the US received advanced warning of the attack, with White House officials closely monitoring the situation.

Iranian state media said that air defence batteries had been fired across several provinces, with three drones destroyed. It did not elaborate on what caused the batteries to fire, though people across the area reported hearing the sounds of explosion.

Before the strikes, Iran had vowed to retaliate immediately if hit and at a “maximum level”.