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tour de force

Definition of tour de force

Examples of tour de force in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tour de force.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1802, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near tour de force

tour d'horizon

Cite this Entry

“Tour de force.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tour%20de%20force. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

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United by their shared passion for motorsport and a fundamental belief that every engineering project should be delivered with the same agility, speed and precision commanded by their former roles, the new team became the driving force behind the engineering excellence that TDF epitomises today.

This ethos continues to be evident today in the quality of work delivered by all three of TDF’s core engineering teams – TDF/One, TDF/Works and TDF/Precision. It defines and drives the approach to all TDF projects. Projects that include everything from restoring and preparing some of the rarest racing cars, to precision manufacture of bespoke components for the aerospace and medical science industries, to exclusive driving experiences.

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YOUR RACING CAR FANTASIES MADE REAL

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Racer inside you.

The TDF-One gives its owner the opportunity to reimagine Formula 1 in their own vision, experiencing feelings and emotions only a car of this caliber can deliver.

THE ULTIMATE TRACK CAR

Drawing on all our experience engineering modern and historic Formula One cars, we have created the ultimate track car: the TDF-One.

Our unique concept takes a modern Formula One chassis which has competed in World Championship races, and combines it with a powerful, but robust, power unit to create the ultimate high-performance car.

The TDF-One has been designed to offer customers the chance to own, experience and master a racing car with a performance level only previously experienced by Grand Prix drivers.

Exhilarating Experience

The TDF-One is an exclusive track car developed and built in the UK by TDF, and designed to offer owners an exhilarating experience, previously known only to Grand Prix drivers

Beyond The Limits

Drawing on years of experience running historic Formula One™ cars for private clients around the world, TDF have created a completely new proposition, which goes beyond the limits of any hypercar.

Authentic Experience

TDF have engineered a completely new car which offers a safe but authentic experience, without the expense and resource typically associated with privately run historic Formula One™ cars.

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Meaning of tour de force in English

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• a feather in your cap idiom
• accomplishment
• achievement
• achievement test
• have something to your credit idiom
• have something under your belt idiom
• secret sauce
• sense of achievement
• stratosphere

Examples of tour de force

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of or relating to birds

Dead ringers and peas in pods (Talking about similarities, Part 2)

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TDF-1 lets you own an F1 car with less hassle

Only the engine and transmission differs from an f1 car.

High-performance track cars are all the rage among the wealthy, whether they're barely road-legal open supercars or track-only based on NASCAR race cars . A British company called Tour De Force Engineering , a company that specializes in restoring and maintaining old F1 cars, is now offering the TDF-1, which except for the powertrain, is exactly a 2011 to 2012 Formula 1 car. And with its different powertrain, it's actually easier to use and maintain than an actual current F1 car.

Tour De Force Engineering has a stockpile of chassis and parts from Marussia and Sauber that it uses to build the TDF-1, as well as provide spares for owners. The main choice for buyers is to pick from which manufacturer's parts they want their car built. Regardless of chassis, Tour De Force provides its own specified engine and transmission, which are connected as integral parts of the chassis, just like a real F1 car. The engine is a turbocharged 1.7-liter inline-four that makes 600 horsepower at its redline of 9,000 rpm. Coupled to the engine is a six-speed semi-automatic sequential transmission with a reverse gear and electronically operated clutch. Interesting to note is that the transmission's case is made from magnesium and carbon fiber , which Tour De Force says is the first of its kind offered to private owners.

While the unique four-cylinder is not as high-revving or as exciting sounding as the 2.4-liter V8s the cars used in competition, Tour De Force notes it isn't as needy. Instead of preheating the engine before use and having complete tear downs after each event, this engine will start and run from cold at the press of the starter button, and it only has to go in for maintenance once a year or once every 3,000 kilometers, whichever comes first. The company says you don't even need a crew with you to run the car at tracks, just you and, if you want, an extra mechanic. The powertrain will still deliver impressive performance, too, with Tour De Force estimating a sub-2-second 0-100-km/h (62 mph) time and a top speed of over 200 mph.

As for the rest of the TDF-1, it's pretty much identical to the old F1 cars it shares parts with. It has the same type of double-wishbone suspension front and rear. Shocks come from Ohlins, and the brake calipers from Brembo. The brakes themselves are the same size and carbon composition as that of similar F1 cars. It even has fully functional drag reduction system (DRS) for high-speed on straights. Tour De Force has made a change to the system so if DRS has been activated, it will shut off automatically if a certain amount of braking force or steering input is detected in order to prevent a driver spinning out or crashing from trying to brake or corner without sufficient downforce. And if you're curious, Tour De Force says that the TDF-1 can produce up to 4g of force in corners and 4.5g when braking.

Pricing hasn't been given by Tour De Force, but if you have the significant means likely required to buy a TDF-1, you can order one right now. New owners will get comprehensive driver training from the development driver and pro racer Jessica Hawkins, plus access to the company's driving simulator. The car's handling will be tuned to the buyer's preferences and a custom seat and pedals installed. Each car will also come with pit equipment and spare parts, plus travel cases for the car and parts . Tour De Force will also host track days at courses around the world to which customers will be invited.

Featured Gallery Tour De Force Engineering TDF-1

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tour de force noun

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What does the phrase tour de force mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the phrase tour de force . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the phrase tour de force ?

How is the phrase tour de force pronounced, british english, where does the phrase tour de force come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the phrase tour de force is in the 1800s.

OED's earliest evidence for tour de force is from 1802, in a letter by Lord Elgin.

tour de force is a borrowing from French.

Etymons: French tour .

Nearby entries

• toupee, n. 1727–
• toupeed, adj. 1847–
• toupet, n. 1728–
• toupeted, adj. 1903–
• toupet-titmouse, n. 1785–
• tour, n. c1320–
• tour, v. 1746–
• Tourangeau, n. & adj. 1883–
• Tourangeois, adj. & n. 1857–
• tourbillion | tourbillon, n. 1477–
• tour de force, n. 1802–
• Tour de France, n. 1922–
• tour d'horizon, n. 1952–
• tourelle, n. c1330–
• tourer, n. 1927–
• tourette, n.¹ 1881–
• Tourette, n.² 1899–
• Tourettism, n. 1981–
• tourification, n. 1802–
• tourify, v. 1820–
• tourifying, adj. 1825–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, entry history for tour de force, n..

tour de force, n. was first published in 1913; not yet revised.

tour de force, n. was last modified in July 2023.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into tour de force, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1913)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

• View tour de force in OED Second Edition

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Citation details

Factsheet for tour de force, n., browse entry.

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Definition of tour de force noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

tour de force

• a cinematic tour de force
• It was described as a ‘literary tour de force’.

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

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Want Your Own Formula 1 Car? Here's TDF-1, Built to Be User-Friendly

Built on a 2011/2012 F1 chassis with a 600-hp four-cylinder engine, it's claimed to deliver 95 percent of the on-track performance of a Formula 1 car.

• Tour-de-Force Power Engineering, or TDF, is offering a car with a 2011 Marussia or 2012 Sauber Formula 1 chassis and a 600-hp turbo 1.8-liter engine.
• TDF claims its TDF-1 offers "95 percent of the performance of an F1 car."
• Cheaper to run: it can go 1860 miles between engine servicing, the company claims. But the price is nearly $2 million.

With a growing number of circuit-only versions of hypercars on the market, it is becoming increasingly hard for even those with the deepest pockets to have the quickest car at a high-end track day. Here is a potential answer to that problem: the chance to buy your own Formula 1 car.

Well, almost. The TDF-1 uses the carbon-fiber monocoque of a real F1 car, either a 2011 Marussia or a 2012 Sauber, but has been given a heart transplant in the form of a turbocharged 1.8-liter inline-four engine capable of delivering a claimed 600 horsepower at 9000 rpm. This powerplant was chosen for its much greater durability than the 2.4-liter V-8 engines the cars were fitted with originally.

Produced by U.K.-based TDF, the TDF-1 is claimed to offer 95 percent of the performance of an equivalent Formula 1 car, but with a much lower cost of ownership. The engine is fitted with a starter, so it can be started from inside the car. In contrast, real F1 cars use external starters and need to have oil and coolant prewarmed before they fire up.

TDF says the four-cylinder engine will go 1864 miles between engine servicing, making it much longer-lasting than F1 engines past or present.

As with the original V-8, the four-banger is a stressed component within the chassis, as is the gearbox: a simpler and cheaper six-speed automated manual that uses magnesium and a carbon-fiber case—the first such trans case to make it to public hands says TDF. TDF says the car weighs just 1322 pounds without fluids, which is barely less than the 1415 pounds with driver that was mandated for 2011 F1 cars. The TDF-1 will still have an active drag reduction system (DRS), but it will close automatically with any steering or braking input to increase stability.

Raw performance figures tell a very limited part of the story. TDF claims a sub-two-second zero-to-62-mph time and top speed above 200 mph. More indicative of the otherworldly driving experience this barely house-trained Formula 1 car will offer: the company says it will be able to generate up to 4.0 g's of lateral acceleration and 4.5 g's under braking. It will have original-fitment carbon-carbon brakes and run on Pirelli tires, which are available in soft, medium, hard, and wet compounds.

A More User-Friendly F1 Car

Although it is possible to run your own retired Formula 1 car, as some extremely rich thrill seekers do, the TDF-1 will be much easier to operate. TDF says it's designed to be started with just one mechanic, but the starter motor (and onboard radiator fans) mean the car can theoretically be started and driven without any help at all.

Buyers will receive a set of pit equipment and some spares, as well as cases to help transport the car and its components. A driver training course is also included, with one-to-one driver coaching. TDF will have "exclusive hosted driver days" at tracks including Barcelona in Spain and Paul Ricard in France.

There will be three Marussia-based TDF-1s and two Saubers. None will be cheap; TDF plans to charge $1.9 million before taxes. Yet, compared to the even more ludicrous costs of running a real Formula 1 car, a nearly as fast four-cylinder one makes a strange amount of sense.

Our man on the other side of the pond, Mike Duff lives in Britain but reports from across Europe, sometimes beyond. He has previously held staff roles on U.K. titles including CAR, Autocar, and evo , but his own automotive tastes tend toward the Germanic: he owns both a troublesome 987-generation Porsche Cayman S and a Mercedes 190E 2.5-16.

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For $1.9 Million, You Can Now Buy—and Race—Your Very Own Formula 1 Car

The exclusive program, offered by british engineering firm tour-de-force, is offered for nearly $2 million., shaun tolson, shaun tolson's most recent stories.

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Every now and then a significant Formula 1 race car will roll across the auction block, like Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2002 which sold last November in Abu Dhabi. However, buying such a car—although thrilling at the time of purchase—doesn’t usually offer the winning bidder much excitement beyond the initial acquisition. After all, who wants to be the person responsible for clipping a barrier in a record-setting Ferrari or—worse yet—putting it into a wall.

Fortunately, for those who want to experience the high-speed thrills that such a technologically advanced vehicle can deliver, there is another option. Tour-de-Force , a British engineering company with decades of Formula 1 experience, now offers private ownership of state-of-the-art Formula 1 racing machines. The program, which has been two years in development and is priced at about $1.9 million, provides a select group of auto enthusiasts the chance to drive their own F1 race cars at some of the world’s most prestigious and challenging circuits.

Tour-de-Force now offers its new TDF-1 program after two years of development.  Photo: Courtesy of Tour-de-Force.

What does almost $2 million get you? For starters, you’ll take ownership of a 1,300-pound racer outfitted with a carbon-fiber monocoque and equipped with a turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder engine that churns out 600 hp at 9,000 rpm. This is a highly advanced competition car, one built by a team of former F1 engineers and mechanics who had previously worked for Williams, Mercedes and Renault racing teams.

At 1,300 pounds, a 600 hp TDF-1 car can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than 2 seconds and reach more than 200 mph.  Photo: Courtesy of Tour-de-Force.

Capable of exceeding 200 mph and sprinting from zero to 60 mph in less than two seconds, the TDF-1 car is a single-seat rocket on wheels. “As a professional racing driver, I’ve been behind the wheel of some impressive cars in my career, but nothing comes close to the TDF-1,” says Jessica Hawkins, a development driver for the program. “The responsiveness, balance and agility is second to none, and the raw speed is incredible.”

The race car is custom fit to each owner.  Photo: Courtesy of Tour-de-Force.

In addition to the race car, which is custom fit to each owner, the program also provides buyers with pit equipment, a spares package, flight cases (for transporting the car anywhere around the world), driver equipment and access to a development program that makes it possible for drivers of all ability levels to effectively pilot the TDF-1.

“We know the complexities of keeping these cars on the track, from maintenance and repairs to running costs and the sheer skill needed to drive them well,” says Matt Faulks, director of TDF. “With TDF-1, we wanted to create a package that allows enthusiasts to have a genuine F1 experience that is more accessible and cost-effective.”

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Tour De Force

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Tour De Force is an ultimate ability for Chamber .

• 1 Description
• 2.2 Spread values
• 3 Update History

Description [ ]

Tour De Force is an Empowerment ability that Chamber has to equip before using. Chamber can cast Tour De Force during the buy phase of any round in which he has his ultimate. Upon casting, he will summon a sniper rifle. Chamber can unequip and reequip this rifle with a shorter equip time for the rest of the round.

If Chamber kills an enemy with Tour De Force, a temporary slowing field will be created on the ground under the victim's position. If the target is high enough above ground when they are killed, it is possible for the slow field to not be created at all.

* Values that are not marked as confirmed (i.e. values not provided explicitly in game or from patch notes) are only estimates. Whilst they may not be the true value, they have been tested so that they should be very accurate. a Verified using the Range 's training dummy

Spread values [ ]

Update history [ ].

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Tour de Force - Live in London

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Tour de Force

Belgium, of all places. What's Belgium got besides chocolates and fries? No matter, this year it was Hannes' and Kiki's turn to choose the destination of their annual bike tour with their cl... Read all Belgium, of all places. What's Belgium got besides chocolates and fries? No matter, this year it was Hannes' and Kiki's turn to choose the destination of their annual bike tour with their closest friends. They all look forward to the adventure, after all they know that what count... Read all Belgium, of all places. What's Belgium got besides chocolates and fries? No matter, this year it was Hannes' and Kiki's turn to choose the destination of their annual bike tour with their closest friends. They all look forward to the adventure, after all they know that what counts the most is the time they spend together. It's only after the tour has begun that Hannes... Read all

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• 6 User reviews
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• Arzthelferin

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• Connections Referenced in ZDF Magazin Royale: Das Problem der deutschen Filmlandschaft (2021)
• Soundtracks What You're Thinking Performed by Passenger feat. Josh Pyke Written by Michael David Rosenberg and Alex Lloyd

User reviews 6

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• Sep 12, 2020
• How long is Tour de Force? Powered by Alexa
• October 23, 2014 (Germany)
• Official site
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• Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany
• Majestic Filmproduktion
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• €4,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 35 minutes
• D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

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"Epiphone’s premium recreations of some of the most popular and iconic guitar designs of all time": The 7 new Inspired By Gibson Custom Shop models are a guitar tour-de-force – including Les Paul '59 and Custom models

It looks like Cesar Gueikian's recent Epiphone tease wasn't even the half of it; four new Inspired By Gibson Custom Shop electric guitars and three acoustics have now been officially revealed.

The additions revealed by the Gibson Gazette are significant; the 1959 Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Custom, 1963 Les Paul SG Custom, 1959 ES-355, 1942 Banner J-45, 1957 SJ-200, and J-180 LS.

Epiphone is not messing around here - and those acoustics even feature torrefied tops alongside LR Baggs VTC preamps. The electrics feature VOS (Vintage Original Sheen) finishes and Gibson USA pickups alongside VTS post, Mallory capacitors and, where model appropriate, 'the 50s wiring we love.

Gibson Gear Guide host Dinesh Lekhraj puts his La session guitarist experience to great use in the video demos above to show us more, but let's have a read of the lowdown on each model too because the specs really do stack up. 

Epiphone's higher end models have come in for some flack for pricing in recent times but I think the value here is quite compelling on paper.

“While you can still get all the same beloved Epiphone instruments at the same affordable price points, the new Epiphone Inspired by Gibson Custom line appeals to those who want the historic and premium specs that our Custom Shop fans love," says Mat Koehler, Vice President of Product at Gibson. 

"I am proud to say that this new line of instruments represents a true collaboration of our USA teams and our overseas teams in every sense. Collectively, we made sure every possible upgrade was included so that these would become the new crown jewels of our Epiphone range.”

1959 Les Paul Standard 

The original Epiphone Inspired By Gibson 1959 LP was a big hit – and justifiably so. This takes that premium crossover concept further.

Pickups here are Gibson USA Custombuckers.

The carved hard maple cap features a AAA figured maple veneer, Gibson's 1959 rounded medium C neck profile (on a one-piece mahogany neck), the 'open book' Gibson R9 headstock shape, Gibson USA and 50s-era wiring. 

Other features include a VOS finish in Factory Burst, Iced Tea Burst, Tobacco Burst and Epiphone.com 's exclusive Washed Cherry Burst. Tuners are Epiphone Deluxe vintage with Keystone buttons. 

Why buy a Gibson? Well, the finish may be VOS but it's polyurethane, and the fretboard is aurel here instead of rosewood, but for £1,199 I don't feel these are huge compromises considering the specs elsewhere that actually affect the important factors of playability and tone. You'll also get a vintage-style hard case. A very promising Les Paul indeed! 

Les Paul Custom

Oh lawdy, this £1,199 model is making it count! Available in the classic Ebony or Alpine White this has Grover Rotomatic® 18:1 gear ratio tuners and there's no compromise on the fretboard wood; it's ebony like a Gibson equivalent.

Humbuckers here are all about powerage with the Alnico 5 Gibson USA 490R and 498T. 

You get the tuxedo appointments of mother-of-pearl headstock and block inlays and the neck profile here is the Rounded C – again it's one-piece mahogany and long tenon. The latter was a feature that was only available on the limited Joe Bonamassa   Lazarus 1959 Les Paul in the Epiphone line a couple of years ago as I recall.  I still wish I'd bought that one actually… 

1963 Les Paul SG Custom with Maestro Vibrola 

Available in Classic White only this recreates the last year the Les Paul name was used with the SG custom but the debut of the Maestro Vibrola. 

This also features a one-piece mahogany SlimTaper profile neck with a long neck tenon that is said to aid stability and resonance. A trio of USA Gibson Custombucker pickups and a bound ebony fretboard raise the game further. 

A hell of a lot of Epiphone here for £1,379. Just for comparison, the Custom Shop version of this guitar is $6,499. Could this be the best deal of the lot? 

1959 ES-355

Available in Cherry Red, Classic White and Ebony VOS, the 1959 ES-355 features a 5-ply layered maple/poplar body with a solid maple centerblock.

The one-piece long tenon mahogany neck has '50s Rounded Medium C profile, and the ebony fretboard that is adorned with block mother of pearl inlays. Tuners are Grover Rotomatic and the tailpiece is a Gibson Historic Reissue aluminum stop bar. 

Pickups for this £1,199 model are USA Gibson Custombuckers. 

1942 Banner J-45, 1957 SJ-200 and J-180 LS

Overlook the acoustics in this new drop at your peril – Epiphone is getting seriously high-end here with thermally aged tops, solid back and sides, the open book headstocks and the LR Baggs VTC preamps I've been really impressed with on other acoustic guitars I've reviewed in the past. Guitars that were priced significantly more than the £1,199 and £1,379 for the J-45 and SJ-200.

Both models include hardshell cases and the main compromise looks to be laurel fingerboards (Epiphone isn't even compromising on the hardware with bone bridge pins, saddle and nut here). The J-45's thermally aged top is solid red spruce, while the J-200's is solid Sitka spruce. 

The latter features scalloped X bracing and solid maple back and sides. The J-45 's are solid mahogany as you'd expect from the Gibson's workhouse blueprint. 

Neck profile on the J-45 is V and for the J-200 it's C-shaped with a flamed maple neck. 

The star-inlaid Epiphone J-180 LS in Pink is perhaps the closest thing to a Taylor Swift signature model we'll see from Gibson. But it's also available in Ebony and Frost Blue to widen the appeal further.

Again, the solid spruce top is thermally aged, and the neck, back and sides are solid mahogany with the LR Baggs VTC system installed. 

• To order any of these models head to Andertons and Thomann and Guitar Center

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Tour de France

Tour de france stage 1: the hilliest-ever opening stage of the tour, a dramatic opener to this year's tour with an elevation gain of 3,800 meters. will the bunch fragment like last year.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Stage 1 — Saturday, June 29 Florence-Rimini Distance: 206km (128 miles) Profile: Medium mountain stage

Stage 1: A daunting opener

Last year’s first stage was said by some to be amongst the hardest Tour openers ever; one year later, the organizers have decided to follow the same template.

Indeed they have ramped up the difficulty, with an elevation gain of 3,800 meters, some 500 meters more than last time around. The stage will not so much shake off the cobwebs as evaporate them. Starting in Florence as part of the first-ever Italian Grand Depart in history, the riders will have 30 mainly flat kilometers before the first of seven categorized climbs rear up.

The Col de Valico Tre Faggi is the highest on the stage, peaking at 930 meters altitude after 12.5km of climbing. A breakaway is almost certain to form here and, passing over the subsequent climbs of the Côte des Forche, the Côte de Carnaio and the Colle de Barbotto, should be able to further pad their advantage.

The pendulum may well swing the other way over the three climbs located in the final 50 kms. The last of these, the Côte de Saint-Marino, is followed by 25 downhill and flat roads to the finish in Rimini. Much will depend on how the favorites ride the stage but if the big names and their teams go all in, a very difficult first day is in store.

The stage finish is a poignant location for Italian cycling. The 1998 Tour de France winner Marco Pantani died in Rimini in 2004, with this year’s Tour taking place 20 years after that tragic event.

The view of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme: “It’s rare for the Tour de France to start with more than 3,600 meters of climbing — in fact it’s never happened before! — and it’s also the first time that the race has visited the home city of Gino Bartali.

“The succession of hills in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna are likely to be the setting for an immediate and testing confrontation between the contenders for the title, particularly the climb into San Marino (7.1km at 4.8 percent), where the race will add a 13th name to its catalogue of foreign visits.”

Muted Reactions to Israeli Strikes on Iran Hint at De-Escalation

Israel had vowed retaliation for Iran’s attack last weekend, but the strikes reported overnight were limited, and Iran downplayed them.

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Farnaz Fassihi ,  Ronen Bergman and Patrick Kingsley

Here are the latest developments.

The Israeli military struck Iran early on Friday, according to two Israeli and three Iranian officials, in what appeared to be Israel’s first military response to Iran’s attack last weekend but one whose scope, at least initially, appeared to be limited.

The Iranian officials said that a strike had hit a military air base near the city of Isfahan, in central Iran. Initial reaction in both Israel and Iran was muted , which analysts said was a sign that the rivals were seeking to lower the temperature of their conflict. World leaders, who for nearly a week have urged Israel and Iran to avoid starting a broader war in the region, called for both sides to de-escalate tensions on Friday.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the strike. A senior U.S. official said that Israel had notified the United States through multiple channels shortly before the attack. All the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The explosions came less than a week after Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel — nearly all of which were shot down — in response to an April 1 strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed seven Iranian officials. That attack brought the decades-long shadow war between Israel and Iran — waged on land, at sea, in air and in cyberspace — more clearly into the open.

Here’s what else to know:

A Western official and two Iranian officials said that Israel used both missiles fired from warplanes and drones in the strike , suggesting that the attack included more advanced firepower than initial reports indicated. Iranian officials initially told The New York Times that the attack had been carried out only by small drones, possibly launched from inside Iran, and that radar systems had not detected unidentified aircraft entering Iranian airspace. They said that a separate group of small drones was shot down in the region of Tabriz, roughly 500 miles north of Isfahan.

In public, Iranian officials sought to downplay the strike. Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander in chief of Iran’s army, said explosions heard early Friday in Isfahan “were from our air defense firing at a suspicious object,” and that there had been “no damage.” Iranian news agencies appeared keen to show that things were “back to normal” in the city.

President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran had warned that “the tiniest act of aggression” on his country’s soil would draw a response. But in the hours after Israel’s strike, there have been no public calls for retribution by Iranian officials. One lawmaker, Seyed Nezamedin Mousavi, called the strike “ridiculous,” saying it showed Israel “is content with these ineffective actions.”

Isfahan is one of Iran’s most famous and historic cities . The area also hosts a number of Iranian military sites. Iranian media reported that nuclear facilities in Isfahan had not been hit.

Israeli leaders came close to ordering widespread strikes in Iran on the night Iran attacked, officials said, but the war cabinet postponed a decision. Mr. Biden and other world leaders urged Israel for days not to retaliate in a way that would inflame a wider Middle East war while it fights Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both allies of Iran.

Alissa J. Rubin

An explosion damages a military base in Iraq used by an Iran-backed armed group.

Iraq’s joint military command says one person was killed and eight were injured in an explosion early Saturday at a base used by an Iranian-backed armed group, Harakat al Nujaba, in Iraq’s Babylon Province.

In a carefully worded statement, Iraq’s military did not attribute the explosion to an air attack with a missile or a drone. “Air Defense Command confirmed that there was no drone or jet fighter in the airspace of Babylon Province before and during the explosion,” the statement said.

Privately, however, military officials say it appears that at least one projectile hit inside the Kalsu base’s perimeter. A video taken shortly after the event and posted on social media showed damaged buildings and a large rubble-filled crater. A second video showed several parts of the base on fire.

According to Iraq’s joint command, the base is used by several elements of the Iraqi security forces including the Iraqi Army and police as well as the Popular Mobilization Forces , or P.M.F., an umbrella organization.

The P.M.F. includes some brigades that are backed by Iran. The one stationed at this base, Harakat al Nujaba, has participated in attacks on U.S. installations in Iraq and Syria. More recently it has joined with other Iranian-backed forces in Syria and Lebanon to attack Israeli territory.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strike.

The U.S. military, which has carried out strikes on Iranian-backed armed groups in Iraq in the past, said in a statement released shortly after the attack that it had not participated in strikes on locations in Iraq. The Israeli military declined to comment.

The explosion came a day after Israel attacked a military air base near the city of Isfahan in central Iran, according to two Israeli and three Iranian officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. That attack, on Friday, appeared to be Israel’s first military response to Iran’s huge drone and missile attack on Israeli soil nearly a week ago.

Falih Hassan contributed reporting from Baghdad.

Farnaz Fassihi

Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, who is in New York attending U.N. meetings, told Iran’s state news agency that the small quadcopter targeting a military base in Isfahan did not have casualties or damage. “Israel is determined to portray its defeat as a victory,” Mr. Amir Abdollahian said, the most senior official to comment on the attacks and draw a link to Israel publicly.

Christoph Koettl and Christiaan Triebert

Satellite imagery shows that a precision attack damaged an air defense system at an Iranian base.

The Israeli attack on an Iranian air base in Isfahan hit a crucial part of an air defense system, a New York Times analysis of satellite imagery found.

Images showed that the precision attack at the Eighth Shekari Air Base damaged or destroyed the “flap-lid” radar , which is used in S-300 air defense systems to track incoming targets.

The Times used several satellite images in its analysis; the location of the damaged area was first pointed out on the social media platform X by Aurora Intel , and the findings have also been confirmed by a former U.S. government imagery analyst, Chris Biggers.

The radar is typically surrounded by several vehicles, including four trucks carrying missiles. Before the strike, the missiles were seen positioned next to the radar. After the strike, they had been moved and did not appear visibly damaged. It was not clear why the missiles had been moved. However, the fact that they appear undamaged indicated that the attack had a very precise target, according to Mr. Biggers.

Other areas of the air base and adjacent airport also appeared to be undamaged. The precision of the strike, deep within Iran and with several sensitive sites close by, suggested Israel chose the specific and narrow target, the air defense system.

According to the Missile Defense Project of the Washington think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, Iran has acquired Russian-made S-300 air defense systems to deter Israeli and other airstrikes.

Reporting from the Capitol

Liberal Democrats urge ‘no’ vote on Israel aid to pressure Biden on Gaza.

A group of left-leaning House Democrats is urging its colleagues to oppose the $26 billion aid package for Israel, hoping to maximize the number of “no” votes from the party and send a warning to President Biden about the depth of his political coalition’s discontent over his support for Israel’s tactics in Gaza.

Framing the upcoming vote as a make-or-break moral choice akin to Congress’s votes to authorize and fund the Iraq war, progressive leaders in the House are working to muster a sizable bloc of Democratic opposition to the aid measure, which is expected to pass on Saturday and become law in the coming days.

“In the wake of those votes, people came around much, much later and said, ‘We shouldn’t have allowed that to go forward,’” Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington and the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said of the decades-ago debate over Iraq. “And I think that this is that moment.”

Representative Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas, called it a “defining vote,” adding, “We’re either going to participate in the carnage, or we’re not.”

There is little doubt that the bill, which would send roughly $13 billion in military assistance to Israel as it continues its offensive in Gaza, will pass the House, along with money for Ukraine, Taiwan and other American allies.

But progressive Democrats estimated that 40 to 60 members of their party may oppose it on the House floor on Saturday. That would be a striking signal from Congress, where ironclad bipartisan backing for Israel has long been the norm. And it would highlight the fraught divisions the war in Gaza has sown within the Democratic Party, even as more Democrats including Mr. Biden have begun to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict and urge him to better protect civilians.

The legislation would allocate $5 billion to Israel’s defense capabilities and $9 billion for “worldwide humanitarian aid,” including for civilians in Gaza. But it would not place further conditions on how Israel could use American military aid, nor block future arms transfers from the United States as an increasing number of Democrats have sought to do.

Democrats who are leading the push against the Israel aid bill said they strongly supported the Jewish state and its right to defend itself, and would vote in favor of sending military aid that supports Israel’s defense capabilities, such as by replenishing the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Iron Beam defense systems. They also denounced the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas that prompted the war, and said the hostages taken by Hamas must be released.

But they argued that approving more offensive weaponry without conditions was an untenable moral and political position that would amount to an endorsement of Mr. Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war, including his intention to invade Rafah over the objections of the Biden administration. More than 33,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the start of the conflict, according to the health ministry there, and the population is facing a hunger crisis.

“I understand the need for defensive weapons for Israel, particularly in light of the attack by Iran,” said Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, who ran his first campaign on an antiwar platform and helped lead efforts to end U.S. participation in the war in Yemen. “But there is no justification to provide bombs and weapons to Netanyahu to continue the war in Gaza that is killing thousands of innocent Palestinian women and children.”

Saturday’s vote will recall a similar situation from 2007, when the speaker at the time, Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, split a piece of spending legislation to allow Democrats to register their opposition to funding the Iraq war while backing a domestic funding bill. Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, similarly divided the foreign aid package to be considered on Saturday in order to get each element across the finish line in the face of distinct coalitions of resistance to different pieces of the bill.

In a critical test vote on Friday , the House agreed, 316 to 94, to bring up the package, with 39 Democrats — mostly progressives — joining 55 Republicans in opposition.

“This is a moment for members of Congress who support a safe and secure Israel to send a message that giving Netanyahu more offensive weapons is not a path for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians,” Representative Becca Balint, Democrat of Vermont and the first Jewish member of Congress to call for a cease-fire, said in an interview. “To give Netanyahu more offensive weapons at this stage, I believe, is to condone the destruction of Gaza that we’ve seen in the last six months. And it’s also a green light for an invasion of Rafah.”

Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat who led the opposition to funding for the Iraq war in 2007, said the conversations among Democrats in Congress opposing continued U.S. backing for the war in Gaza were “not unlike” those that took place 17 years ago.

“We may well be casting the vote on whether a much wider war takes place, and whether American weapons go that result in the death of thousands of innocent people,” Mr. Doggett said.

The Democrats who oppose the aid package for Israel represent a minority of their caucus. But they see a “no” vote as part of a strategy to pressure Mr. Biden to condition aid and halt future offensive weapons transfers. Through many meetings, text chains and conversations with the administration, they have worked to shift the president’s approach to Israel, while underscoring the electoral risks Mr. Biden faces among voters who helped power him to the White House in 2020 and are now furious over his handling of the war.

“The only way to get a course correction is for a sizable number within the Democratic caucus to say it must shift,” Ms. Balint said.

Representative Dan Kildee, a Michigan Democrat who has been pressing Mr. Biden to withhold offensive weapons from Israel, said a big “no” vote would strengthen the president’s hand to do so.

“It helps the administration to have some number of Democrats express ourselves in this way,” he said.

Representative Greg Casar, Democrat of Texas, said he hoped a substantial number of Democrats opposing the bill would give the Biden administration greater leverage to influence the Israeli government’s approach to the war.

“I hope this vote will show the world that there is a really significant segment of the United States that doesn’t want to see expanded and widening wars,” he said.

Farnaz Fassihi and Eric Schmitt

Israel used missiles as well as drones in its overnight strike on Iran, officials say.

Israeli warplanes fired missiles on Iran during a retaliatory strike early Friday morning, one Western official and two Iranian officials said, suggesting that the attack included more advanced firepower than initial reports indicated.

It was not immediately clear the types of missiles used, from where they were fired, whether any were intercepted by Iran’s defenses or where they landed.

The Western official and the Iranian officials requested anonymity to discuss classified information.

Previously, Iranian officials said Friday’s attack on a military base in central Iran was conducted by small aerial drones, most likely launched from inside Iranian territory. A separate group of small drones, they said soon after the attack, was shot down in the region of Tabriz, roughly 500 miles north of Isfahan.

Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack and would not comment on the use of planes or missiles.

Israel’s strike came in response to an Iranian attack last weekend in which Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel. A majority of the weapons used in that salvo were fired from Iranian territory and intercepted by Israel and its allies before causing any damage.

By contrast, the Iranian officials said, Iran’s military did not detect anything entering Iran’s airspace on Friday, including drones, missiles and aircraft. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that no missile attacks occurred and that Iran’s air defense system was not activated.

Iran’s decision to launch its strike primarily from its own soil last week was perceived by Israel as an escalation in the countries’ long-simmering shadow war. The Iranians believe the large salvo is helping with deterrence. Throughout the yearslong conflict, the two countries have traded clandestine attacks, including targeted assassinations, cyberattacks and conventional strikes conducted from and within third countries.

Iran’s attack last week was itself prompted by an Israeli strike on April 1, in which Israeli aircraft killed several Iranian armed forces commanders in Syria.

By using drones seemingly launched from inside Iran’s territory rather than its own, Israel hinted at a willingness to turn down the temperature on the conflict while also demonstrating an ability to conduct attacks that Iran could not detect.

One Iranian official, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said that even though the strike did little damage, the likelihood that drones were fired from under Iran’s nose sent a message about Israel’s capabilities.

A guided missile fired from an undetected warplane, even if it landed outside Iranian territory, would most likely deliver a similar threat.

Officials from both countries remained largely quiet about Friday’s attack, a gesture that appeared aimed at de-escalating a conflict some fear could spiral into a broader regional war. Israel’s silence on the attack, an Iranian official said, would allow Tehran to treat the strike as it had comparable previous attacks and not prompt an immediate response.

Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran’s Parliament speaker, said that Israel’s limited attack on Iran showed that Iran had achieved its goal of deterrence. Israel’s refusal to openly claim responsibility, he said, amounts to a victory for Iran.

Israel’s attack, he said on the messaging app Telegram, was meant to show that it had the “capability to access Iran but in practice it also showed that it has accepted that it should not repeat its miscalculation.”

Peter Baker

The White House maintained public silence about the Israeli strike on Iran. “I’m not going to speak or speculate about any of the reports that are out there,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said at her daily briefing. John Kirby, the national security spokesman who typically speaks on foreign policy issues, did not join the briefing.

Jean-Pierre did repeat the president’s standard position urging against widening the war: “We do not want to see this conflict escalate. We continue to consult with our allies and partners, including in the region, to reduce further risk of escalation in the region.”

Raja Abdulrahim

Israel reportedly strikes an air defense site in Syria.

The Israeli military struck a Syrian air defense site in southern Syria with missiles early Friday, causing material damage, though no casualties were reported, according to Syrian state news media.

Syria’s official news agency, SANA, provided no other details and Israel did not comment on whether it was responsible for the attack, in keeping with its usual practice.

The strike happened around the same time that Israel carried out a strike on a military air base near the city of Isfahan, in central Iran.

That strike came less than a week after Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel — nearly all of which were shot down — in retaliation for an April 1 attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria that killed seven Iranian military officers.

Friday’s strike in Syria targeted a radar system in the southern province of Dara’a, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in Britain.

The Syrian military detected Israeli aircraft entering Syrian airspace, but its air defenses did not try to intercept the strikes, the Observatory said.

Iranian-backed armed groups throughout Syria have been on high alert since Iran’s strikes on Israel last weekend, the Observatory said. The groups obscured their positions and gave some of their leaders a week of leave.

Iran is closely allied with Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, and with the Syrian government, and both Hezbollah and Iran’s Quds Force operate in Syria. For years, Iranian proxies like Hezbollah have launched strikes at northern Israel.

Israel has repeatedly targeted Iran and its allies with strikes in Syria, including in Damascus, the capital, and Aleppo.

Attacks across Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon have escalated since the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas on Israel.

Since the first of the year, Israel has carried out nearly three dozen attacks in Syria, destroying buildings, military headquarters and weapon and ammunition warehouses, the Observatory said. The strikes have killed 129 fighters and 12 civilians, the group said.

Adam Rasgon

Jordan will not allow its airspace to be violated by either Israel or Iran, Jordan’s foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart in a phone call, the official Jordanian news agency, Petra, reported.

Jordan lies between the two enemies, and it played a key role in helping shoot down the barrage of missiles and drones Iran fired at Israel on Saturday.

Leily Nikounazar and Gaya Gupta

Residents of Isfahan describe their fears of an escalated war.

Daily life appeared to return to normal in Isfahan on Friday, according to Iranian state news media and a resident who was interviewed, hours after Israel’s attack on a nearby military base continued the cycle of strikes and counterstrikes between the two countries.

But tensions from the overnight attack reverberated through the city, and some residents described the threat of full-fledged war as crippling — despite analysts’ assessment that both nations were trying to avoid further escalation.

Mehrdad, 43, an engineer from Isfahan, said the latest retaliation left him and his pregnant wife feeling stressed and unwell. He asked that his last name not be used for fear of retribution.

“The future of this country concerns me,” he said. “I believe nothing good is expected.”

Though he said that the city had returned “back to its normal” and reactions from officials were muted — which he believed was to help make people feel at ease — many residents remain scared after a stressful night of explosions.

For the first six months of the war between Israel and Hamas, Iran’s involvement in fighting had been limited to its proxies, including the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthi militia. But after Iran’s first direct strike on Israel last weekend, Mehrdad said, “things are coming to the surface.”

He hoped that diplomatic mediation would put an end to the threat of war, and he worried that the county’s infrastructure would be “ruined” by further Israeli attacks.

“Our economic situation is awful. We have 50 percent annual inflation,” he said. “Now guess what would happen if the war materialized. What would happen to our living conditions in this country?”

Mahsa, 34, an accountant from Isfahan who also asked that her last name not be used for fear of retribution, described a tense atmosphere of fear and instability. The economy is often the main topic of conversation when people gather, she said, and many are worried about the consequences of a wider war.

“When Iran attacked, we were all worried and we really didn’t know what to expect,” she said, describing the cycle of retaliation between Israel and Iran as a “show game.”

“Of course, after this Israeli attack, the direction of the game will be determined,” she added. “Either a full-scale war, or the end of this line, or just threats.”

The distress is crushing. Mahsa said her mental health had deteriorated, describing an instance last week when she broke down sobbing in the middle of the street for seemingly no reason while on a run. Dreams seem “more impossible to achieve, day by day,” she said.

“We don’t have much mental energy left,” she added.

An earlier version of this article misstated the gender of Mahsa, an accountant from Isfahan, Iran. She is female, not male.

How we handle corrections

The seemingly small scale of Israel's attack may give both countries an exit from the cycle of escalation. “It appears we are out of the danger zone and, because Israel’s strike was limited, it has allowed both countries to back down for now,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House.

The few Iranian officials who have talked publicly about the attack have downplayed it, suggesting a bid to de-escalate. A lawmaker, Seyed Nezamedin Mousavi, called the strike "ridiculous,” saying it showed Israel “is content with these ineffective actions.” A former foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, dismissed it as "fireworks."

Cassandra Vinograd

Here is a look at the recent history of Iran-Israel hostilities.

For decades, Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war across the Middle East , trading attacks by land, sea, air and in cyberspace. A recent round of strikes — mainly an aerial barrage by Iran against Israel last weekend — has brought the conflict more clearly into the open and raised fears of a broader war.

A retaliatory Israeli strike on an Iranian air base on Friday, however, appeared limited in scope, and analysts said it suggested an effort to pull back from the dangerous cycle and potentially move the war back into the shadows.

Here is a recent history of the conflict:

August 2019: An Israeli airstrike killed two Iranian-trained militants in Syria, a drone set off a blast near a Hezbollah office in Lebanon and an airstrike in Qaim, Iraq, killed a commander of an Iran-backed Iraqi militia. Israel accused Iran at the time of trying to establish an overland arms-supply line through Iraq and northern Syria to Lebanon, and analysts said the strikes were aimed at stopping Iran and signaling to its proxies that Israel would not tolerate a fleet of smart missiles on its borders.

January 2020: Israel greeted with satisfaction the assassination of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani , the commander of the foreign-facing arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in an American drone strike in Baghdad.

Iran hit back by attacking two bases in Iraq that housed American troops with a barrage of missiles, wounding about 100 U.S. military personnel .

2021-22: In July 2021, an oil tanker managed by an Israeli-owned shipping company was attacked off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members, according to the company and three Israeli officials. Two of the officials said that the attack appeared to have been carried out by Iranian drones.

Iran did not explicitly claim or deny responsibility, but a state-owned television channel described the episode as a response to an Israeli strike in Syria.

In November 2021, Israel killed Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh , and followed up with the assassination of a Revolutionary Guards commander, Col. Sayad Khodayee , in May 2022.

December 2023: After Israel’s bombardment of Gaza began in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led assault, Iranian-backed militias stepped up their own attacks . And late last year, Iran accused Israel of killing a high-level military figure, Brig. Gen. Sayyed Razi Mousavi , in a missile strike in Syria.

A senior adviser to the Revolutionary Guards, General Mousavi was described as having been a close associate of General Suleimani and was said to have helped oversee the shipment of arms to Hezbollah. Israel, adopting its customary stance, declined to comment directly on whether it was behind General Mousavi’s death.

January 2024: An explosion in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, killed Saleh al-Arouri , a Hamas leader, along with two commanders from that group’s armed wing, the first assassination of a top Hamas official outside the West Bank and Gaza in recent years. Officials from Hamas, Lebanon and the United States ascribed the blast to Israel , which did not publicly confirm involvement.

Hezbollah, which receives major support from Iran, stepped up its assaults on Israel after Mr. al-Arouri’s death. Israel’s military hit back at Hezbollah in Lebanon, killing several of the group’s commanders .

March: An Israeli drone strike hit a car in southern Lebanon, killing at least one person. Israel’s military said it had killed the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit. Hezbollah acknowledged the death of a man, Ali Abdulhassan Naim, but did not provide further details.

The same day, airstrikes killed soldiers near Aleppo, northern Syria, in what appeared to be one of the heaviest Israeli attacks in the country in years. The strikes killed 36 Syrian soldiers, seven Hezbollah fighters and a Syrian from a pro-Iran militia, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that tracks Syria’s civil war.

Israel’s military did not claim responsibility. But the country’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, wrote on social media, “We will pursue Hezbollah every place it operates and we will expand the pressure and the pace of the attacks.”

April: A strike on an Iranian Embassy building in Damascus on April 1 killed three top Iranian commanders and four officers. Iran blamed Israel and vowed to hit back forcefully.

Two weeks later, Tehran launched a barrage of more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, an unexpectedly large-scale attack , although nearly all the weapons were shot down by Israel and allies. Israel said for days it would respond, before a strike on Friday hit a military air base near the central Iranian city of Isfahan.

Israel has commonly used exploding drones in attacks on Iran.

Iranian officials said that the Israeli strike on Friday morning was carried out by small exploding drones, a tactic that would follow a well-established pattern in Israeli attacks on Iranian military targets.

As Israel has targeted Iranian defense and military officials and infrastructure, small drones — specifically ones known as quadcopters — have been a signature of those operations. Quadcopter drones, so named because they have four rotors, have a short flight range and can explode on impact.

The drones might have been launched from inside Iran, whose radar systems had not detected unidentified aircraft entering Iranian airspace, Iranian officials said. If the drones were launched within the country, it demonstrates once again Israel’s ability to mount clandestine operations in Iranian territory .

Israel’s military has not commented on Friday’s strike. Though it rarely claims responsibility publicly for attacks against Iranian targets, several attacks in recent years have used drones:

August 2019: Israel sent an exploding drone into the heart of a Hezbollah-dominated neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon, to destroy what Israeli officials described as machinery used in the production of precision missiles.

June 2021: A quadcopter exploded outside Tehran at one of Iran’s main manufacturing centers for centrifuges, which purify uranium and are used at the country’s two major uranium enrichment facilities . Western officials have closely watched activity at those facilities for signs that Iran could be moving toward producing a nuclear weapon. Iran claimed that there had been no damage to the site outside Tehran, but satellite images showed evidence of significant damage.

February 2022: Six quadcopters exploded at Kermanshah, Iran’s main manufacturing and storage plant for military drones.

May 2022: A strike targeted the highly sensitive Parchin military site outside Tehran, where Iran develops missile, nuclear and drone technology. Quadcopter drones exploded into a building, killing an engineer and injuring another person, Iranians with knowledge of the attack said at the time.

January 2023: A drone attack on an Iranian military facility in January 2023 caused a large explosion in the center of Isfahan, the city near the air base that was struck on Friday. At the time, Iran made no effort to hide the fact that an attack had happened, but said it had done little damage. Iranian state media reported that drones had targeted an ammunition manufacturing plant but had been shot down by a surface-to-air defense system.

Michael Crowley

Traveling with Secretary Blinken

Blinken says the U.S. has not been involved in ‘offensive operations’ in Iran.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Friday that the United States “has not been involved in any offensive operations” in Iran when asked about Israel’s strike on the country on Friday, but he declined to comment further.

Mr. Blinken spoke on the last day of a meeting of Group of 7 ministers in Capri, Italy, where the agenda was dominated by the conflict in the Middle East, including the exchanges of strikes in the past week between Israel and Iran. In remarks to reporters before departing the island, Mr. Blinken said the G7 was unified in urging de-escalation between Iran and Israel to avoid a wider war.

But Mr. Blinken would not even directly confirm the Israeli strike, which appeared to be the country’s first military response to Iran’s attack last weekend, referring instead to “reported events,” and he would not say whether the United States had been notified in advance of the Israeli action. Shortly before he spoke, Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, told reporters that the United States had been “informed at the last minute” of the Israeli strike.

“But there was no involvement on the part of the United States,” Mr. Tajani said. “It was simply information which was provided,” adding that he believed the G7’s collective efforts deserved credit for “the small scale of the event.”

Mr. Tajani did not say how he knew the United States had not been notified in advance, but he had recently come from a meeting with Mr. Blinken and other G7 ministers. A senior American official said on Friday that Israel had notified the United States through multiple channels shortly before its attack on Iran.

The G7 weighed in collectively in a statement concluding the three-day meeting, urging countries to prevent further escalation “in light of reports of strikes” on Friday. The G7 includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the European Union.

The statement also said that the member nations “condemn in the strongest terms Iran’s direct and unprecedented attack” on Israel.

“Israel and its people have our full solidarity and support and we reaffirm our commitment toward Israel’s security,” it added.

The G7 also issued a new warning to Tehran, demanding that “Iran and its affiliated groups cease their attacks” throughout the Middle East and saying that “we stand ready to adopt further sanctions or take other measures.”

Mr. Blinken said of Iran that “degrading its missile and drone capabilities” was a key G7 goal.

Mr. Blinken also addressed the ongoing conflict in Gaza, pointing a finger at Hamas for the failure so far to reach a cease-fire deal that would include the release of Israeli prisoners.

“The only thing standing behind the Gaza people and a cease-fire is Hamas,” he said.

But he also addressed a major friction point with Israel, warning against what Israel says is its planned attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have sought shelter from fighting elsewhere in the enclave. Israel has said an invasion of Rafah is necessary to eliminate Hamas battalions in the city.

“We cannot support a major military operation in Rafah,” Mr. Blinken said. Mr. Blinken said that protecting and caring for civilians amid such an operation was “a monumental task for which we have yet to see a plan.”

Asked about the U.S. veto on Thursday of a United Nations Security Council resolution to recognize a Palestinian state, Mr. Blinken said that while the United States supports the creation of such a state, doing so requires negotiations and that the proposed resolution “will have no effect on actually moving things forward and achieving a Palestinian state.”

He added: “You can put something down on a piece of paper and wave it around. It has no effect. What does and can have an effect is actual diplomacy.”

Mr. Blinken also noted that, under U.S. law passed by Congress, U.N. acceptance of a Palestinian member state would require “cutting off all of our funding for the United Nations.”

The Iranian news media appear keen to show that things are “back to normal” in Isfahan. The official news agency, IRNA, published a gallery of photos — people strolling, shoppers at a market, a child with a soccer ball — that it said showed “normal life” in the city today. Flights at the Isfahan airport, which had been suspended for a few hours, have resumed, it said.

Joe Rennison

S&P Global Ratings downgraded Israel’s credit rating on Thursday evening, citing the confrontation with Iran. It lowered Israel’s rating to A+ from AA-. That’s still a high rating on a scale that runs from triple-A down to D.

Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander in chief of Iran’s army, said explosions heard early Friday in Isfahan “were from our air defense firing at a suspicious object. There has been no damage from the incident.” He said that experts were investigating the episode.

Reporting from Jerusalem

World leaders call for de-escalation after Israel’s strike in Iran.

World leaders on Friday urged Israel and Iran to de-escalate tensions after Israel struck an Iranian military base, the latest salvo in a cycle of retaliation that has raised fears of a broader war in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, whose military participated in defending Israel last weekend against Iran’s missile and drone attack, told reporters, “Significant escalation is not in anyone’s interests — what we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region.”

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, told reporters during a visit to China, “It is absolutely essential that the region remains stable and that all sides refrain from further action.”

Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said the Group of 7 nations — which includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — had changed the agenda of its meeting Friday on the resort island of Capri to “address the Iran issue and put priority attention on the Middle East.”

“The political goal of the G7 is de-escalation,” Mr. Tajani said.

The government of Jordan, which has been criticized in the Arab world for playing a role in intercepting Iran’s attack last weekend, issued an especially pointed plea.

“Israeli-Iranian retaliations must end,” Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister said on Friday. He urged the international community to turn its attention back to Gaza, where six months of Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion have killed over 33,000 people and led to extreme hunger in parts of the territory.

“The inhumane war on Gaza must end now,” Mr. Safadi said. “The focus of the world must remain on ending the catastrophic aggression on Gaza.”

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