US secretary of state condemns airstrike in Iran; discussion ‘leans more towards infiltration than attack’ says anonymous Iranian official

• Israel has mounted strikes on Iran, US says, as Tehran plays down attack
• What we know so far about Israel’s strike on Iran
• What’s in Isfahan? The city home to Iranian nuclear facilities

It’s 7:24am in Tehran and 6:54 In Tel Aviv. Let’s get a reminder of what we know so far:

US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out military operations against Iran but did not describe those operations.

The Israeli military has told news agencies including Agence France-Presse and Associated Press: “We don’t have a comment at this time.”

Iran’s state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan Friday

Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported “three explosions” were heard near the Shekari army airbase in the north-west of Isfahan province, while Iran’s space agency spokesperson Hossein Dalirian said “several” drones had been “successfully shot down”.

Nuclear facilities in Isfahan were reported to be “completely secure”, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported, citing “reliable sources”.

Flights were suspended across swathes of Iran on Friday. “Iran’s air defence has been activated in the skies of several provinces of the country,” Tehran’s official IRNA news agency said.

Mehr news agency reported that “flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, and airports in the west, northwest and southwest have been suspended.”

Flight-tracking software showed commercial flights avoiding western Iran, including Isfahan, and skirting Tehran to the north and east.

There was no immediate comment from Dubai’s Emirates airline, which was operating several of the planes.

Blasts were also reported in southern Syria, according to a local activist group. “There were strikes on a Syrian army radar position,” said Rayan Maarouf, who runs the Suwayda24 anti-government website that covers news from Sweida province in the south, reports AFP.

Oil prices surged more than three per cent in early Asian trade on Friday after the reports of explosions.

Iranian official indicates no ‘immediate’ plan for retaliation after explosions reported in sky over Isfahan and Tabriz

• Middle East crisis: live updates
• What’s in Isfahan? The city home to Iranian nuclear facilities

US officials have confirmed that Israel has carried out airstrikes against Iran, as explosions were reported in the sky over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz, while the Iranian government sought to play down the scale of the attack.

According to Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, speaking later on Friday, the US told the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Capri that it had received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran.

Reported Israeli drone strike on Isfahan may signal that this widening conflict has become more dynamic

• Middle East crisis – live updates
• What we know so far about Israel’s strike on Iran

While the details remain vague, and Iranian denials strong, it seems very likely, given past history and strong comments from US officials, that a limited Israeli drone strike was launched against the Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday morning.

Isfahan is significant for its military-industrial facilities, the presence of an important facility in Iran’s nuclear programme and a major airbase hosting the Islamic Republic’s ageing fleet of F-14 “Tomcats”, making the importance of any strike, whether carried out from beyond Iran’s borders or from within but backed by Israel, more than symbolic.

PM criticised for personal independence payment review amid ‘spiralling’ disability welfare bill

Rishi Sunak is considering withdrawing a major cash disability benefit from some people with mental health conditions, prompting claims he has launched a “full-on assault on disabled people”.

The prime minister announced fresh curbs on disability benefits on Friday, saying he wanted to explore whether some cash payments to claimants with mental health conditions could be replaced by treatment or access to services.

Shifting responsibility for issuing fit notes, formerly known as sicknotes, away from GPs to other “work and health professionals” in order to encourage more people to return to work.

Confirming plans to legislate “in the next parliament” to close benefit claims for anyone who has been claiming for 12 months but is not complying with conditions on accepting available work.

Asking more people on universal credit working part-time to look for more work by increasing the earnings threshold from £743 a month to £892 a month, so people paid below this amount have to seek extra hours.

Confirming plans to tighten the work capability assessment to require more people with “less severe conditions” to seek some forms of employment.

Katie Fieldhouse says Conservative party failed to act after she reported incident in early January

The Conservative activist who has accused a Tory MP of making a late-night demand for money has said she is appalled by the party’s response.

Katie Fieldhouse has said Mark Menzies called her one night in December at 3.15am asking for £5,000 to pay “bad people” who had detained him in a flat and were not letting him leave.

Former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon addresses arrest of husband and former SNP chief executive outside Glasgow home

Rishi Sunak is arguing that not getting people into work is an “irresponsible burden” on future generations and taxpayers. He says:

We risk not only letting those people down [the people who are long-term sickness benefits], but creating a deep sense of unfairness amongst those whose taxes fund our social safety net in a way that risks undermining trust and consent in that very system.

We can’t stand for that. And of course, the situation as it is, is economically unsustainable. We can’t lose so many people from our workforce whose contributions could help to drive growth.

Swifties take to social media to dissect lyrics and celebrate Swift’s 11th album on Friday as the musician releases 15 more songs

• Breakups, fantasies and her most cutting lyrics: inside The Tortured Poets Department
• The Tortured Poets Department review – fame, fans and former flames in the line of fire

The Tortured Poets Department is just out but it is already splitting Taylor Swift fans – between those who have already listened to it after it leaked online early, and those who refused to listen out of loyalty to their favourite singer.

Swift’s 11th studio album was released on Friday but all 16 tracks and lyrics began appearing on social media on Wednesday. Some fans – known as Swifties – refused to listen to the leaked album, insisting that “true fans” would wait for the official release, while others shared false links to the leak in attempts to stop people finding it.

Lawyers for Harry and other claimants argued trial delay to examine timing of claims would be ‘highly disruptive’

Prince Harry has won the latest bout of his long-running legal battle with the publisher of the Sun after a high court judge rejected an application to delay the trial.

News Group Newspapers (NGN) had applied to push back the trial for alleged unlawful information gathering – which is scheduled for January next year – to allow the court to examine whether claims of unlawful news gathering by Harry and 41 others were brought too late.

Dozens of secretly filmed, voyeuristic videos feature women often in short dresses on nights out

Women who have been secretly filmed on nights out are being urged to contact UK police after videos posted online have racked up millions of views and attracted an abundance of misogynistic comments.

Police are trying to catch people responsible for dozens of voyeuristic TikTok and YouTube videos that have titles such as “Manchester nightlife” and feature women who do not know they are being filmed.

Matthew Haydon, 48, had once asked to throw a grenade on the children’s TV show Jim’ll Fix It, court hears

A man whose obsession with weaponry once led him to ask to throw a grenade on the children’s television programme Jim’ll Fix It has been found guilty of causing an explosion in his home.

Matthew Haydon, 48, sustained wounds to his chest and hands in a blast at his family home in the Bedfordshire village of Sharnbrook on 10 April last year. Afterwards, he told police of his longstanding interest in explosives, citing his request to the former BBC show.