Tensions in the Middle East remained high as five explosions at a military base belonging to an Iran-backed militia in Iraq killed three people on Saturday, CNN reported. Israeli and US officials said neither was involved in the blast even as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that Iran would respond at an immediate and "maximum level" if Israel acts against its interests.
The development comes after explosions were reported near the airport in Isfahan province, prompting Iran to deploy its air defence systems. Both Iran and Israel played down the incident, signalling a step to calm tensions.
The fresh flashpoint between Iran and Israel comes amid regional tensions over the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, an airstrike hit a base used by the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a Shiite Iran-backed paramilitary force based in Iraq. The US military has said its forces were not behind the strike.
The development comes a day after an alleged drone attack on Isfahan city. Iran said it has no plans for immediate retaliation against Israel. Officials in Jerusalem indicated that the attack was meant to send a signal rather than cause damage.
However, Iran's foreign minister on Friday said Tehran was investigating the strike on Isfahan city, adding that so far a link to Israel had not been proven. The minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said Iran will respond at an immediate and "maximum level" if Israel acts against its interests.
Iran's Foreign Minister told NBC News the drones took off from inside Iran and flew for a few hundred meters before being downed. "They're... more like toys that our children play with, not drones," Amirabdollahian said.
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on an ally of Israel's far-right national security minister and two entities that raised money for Israeli men accused of settler violence.
