British Minister of Labour and Pensions Mel Stride said he hopes that de-escalation between Iran and Israel is still possible, in response to reports that Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday.
Stride told GB News, "While we remain unaware of the details at this time, I hope that de-escalation is the way forward regardless of what happened in Iran," according to Reuters.
Three sources familiar with the matter said that Israel attacked Iran, while Iranian state media reported early on Friday that Iranian forces destroyed drones, following days after Tehran launched a retaliatory strike with drones and missiles on Israel.
One source told Reuters that the United States was not involved in the attack but Israel informed it prior to carrying it out.
Fars News Agency reported that the sound of three explosions was heard near a military base in the city of Isfahan in central Iran.

An Iranian official told Reuters that there was no missile attack and that the explosions were the result of activating Iranian air defense systems.

The official Iranian television stated that shortly after midnight, "three drones were spotted in the sky over Isfahan, and the air defense system was activated and these drones were destroyed in the sky."
It later added that the situation in Isfahan is normal and that no explosions occurred on the ground, and Israel did not comment on these reports.