Tehran - Iran sought to downplay explosions reverberated in an Iranian city on Friday, reportedly as a result of an Israeli attack, indicating a lack of immediate plans for retaliation. Iran's response seemed calculated to forestall the eruption of a wider regional conflict.

The attack, though limited in scale, and Iran's restrained reaction appeared to reflect the efforts of diplomats who had been intensively engaged in averting a full-scale war since the Iranian drone and missile assault on Israel the previous Saturday.

Iranian authorities and media characterized the incident as the result of Iran's air defenses intercepting three drones over Isfahan. Notably, they refrained from directly attributing the attack to Israel, instead describing it as the work of "infiltrators," a semantic choice that circumvented the immediate necessity for retaliatory action.

Reuters reported of a source within Iran confirming there were no immediate plans to retaliate against Israel, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the origin of the attack.

Israel maintained a conspicuous silence regarding the incident, despite prior indications of plans to respond to the Saturday strikes, which marked the first direct assault on Israel by Iran in decades of proxy warfare in the Middle East.

Tensions between the two adversaries had escalated significantly since an assumed Israeli airstrike on April 1, which targeted a building within Iran's embassy compound in Damascus, resulting in the deaths of several Iranian officers, including a high-ranking general.

Iran's retaliatory strike, a direct assault on Israeli territory, marked an unprecedented escalation but resulted in minimal casualties and only minor damage, largely due to Israel and its allies' successful interception of hundreds of missiles and drones.

Efforts to de-escalate the situation were evident, with allies, including the United States, exerting pressure to ensure that any further retaliation would be carefully calibrated to avoid exacerbating hostilities. This diplomatic push was underscored by visits from the British and German foreign ministers to Jerusalem and the imposition of stricter sanctions on Iran by Western nations to assuage Israeli concerns.

Within Israel's own government, there were voices advocating for a more forceful response, as evidenced by the far-right national security minister's tweet branding the reaction as "Feeble!" following Friday's strikes.

Internationally, there were widespread calls for both sides to exercise restraint and prevent further escalation. Leaders from various regions, including the EU, China, and Arab states, emphasized the importance of maintaining stability in the region and urged all parties to refrain from actions that could exacerbate tensions.

Interestingly, within Iran, official news reports of the incident made no mention of Israel, instead framing it as an interception of mini drones by "infiltrators from inside Iran." State television featured analysts who downplayed the significance of the event, attributing it to a routine operation of air defense systems.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had previously warned Israel of a "severe response" to any attacks on Iranian territory, but the measured reaction following Friday's strikes indicated a desire to avoid further escalation.

Ahead of the incident, Iran had conveyed its concerns to the United Nations Security Council, urging action to halt what it termed as Israel's "military adventurism" against its interests. The U.N. secretary-general echoed these concerns, highlighting the precarious situation in the Middle East.

Despite the tensions, Iran reopened its airports and airspace that had been temporarily closed during the strikes, signaling a desire to return to normalcy. However, security concerns persisted, prompting precautionary measures such as travel restrictions by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, which warned of the continued need for vigilance.

The recent escalation is situated within a broader context of ongoing tensions in the region, notably stemming from the protracted conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. This conflict has seen extensive violence, with casualties on both sides, and has drawn in support from Iran-backed groups operating in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq, raising fears of a wider regional conflagration.