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Manchester City Stadium Tour

Visit the Etihad Stadium & Academy

Visit the Etihad Stadium & home of Man City FC

Tour Information

• Behind-the-scenes access to the Manchester City dressing room and players’ tunnel.
• Visit to the press conference room where post-match interviews are held.
• Stunning pitchside views of the iconic Etihad Stadium.
• Exploration of the Stadium’s state-of-the-art facilities including the dugouts and tech suite.
• Educational and interactive exhibits sharing the rich history of Manchester City Football Club.
• Opportunity to lift a replica Premier League trophy.
• Get a glimpse of the exclusive VIP guests’ areas and hospitality suites.
• Personalised access to media control room and Cityzens’ wall.
• Chance to shop for Manchester City merchandise at the end of the tour.

Opening Hours

Here are the regular opening hours for the Stadium Tours:

• Monday – Friday: 10:00 – 16:00 
• Saturday: 09:30 – 17:00 
• Sunday: 09:30 – 16:00 

The exact tour schedule is only released 10-12 weeks in advance due to possible fixture rescheduling or maintenance.

See the currently confirmed dates here:

Map & Directions

The Etihad Stadium is located at Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3FF .

It can be easily reached via tram from the city center – just off at the Etihad Campus stop.

For those visiting by car, the stadium offers ample parking.

And for the passionate fans choosing to walk, it’s approximately a 30-minute stroll from Manchester city centre.

• Manchester City Official Page – Etihad Campus
• Transport for Greater Manchester – Etihad Campus Stop
• Visit Manchester – Manchester City Football Club

Accessibility

The Manchester City stadium is dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all its visitors. The wheelchair-friendly stadium ensures that wheelchair users and people with mobility issues can explore the venue without any difficulties. Moreover, the club also assists visually and hearing-impaired visitors. You can find more information on accessibility upon booking your tour.

• Manchester City’s Official Accessibility Page
• Visit Manchester City Stadium and Club Tour Listing (Includes accessibility review)
• TripAdvisor Reviews on Etihad Stadium (Check for reviews mentioning accessibility)
• DisabledGo’s detailed review on Etihad Stadium Accessibility during match days

About The Experience

You start the tour by stepping into the shoes of the team’s legends as you make your entrance through the players’ tunnel. As you walk, the air of anticipation is palpable. Each visitor is given an audio guide, which narrates the club’s glittering history, making the tour all the more intriguing.

During the Manchester City stadium tour, you have the tremendous opportunity to explore one of contemporary football’s most revered venues. Not just the pitch, but you also gain exclusive insights into the areas usually just seen by the players and officials.

Get prepared to be amazed by the architectural brilliance of the stadium, as you explore the Colin Bell Stand, replete with plentiful seats offering perfect views of the pitch.

You also visit the press room where heated debates and critical analysis about the game take shape. Also expect to take a peek into the team’s dressing room, where pre-match strategy sessions stir the air with anticipation and camaraderie.

This in-depth tour also takes you to the Director’s Box, a place generally restricted for the club’s top executives. From here, you get a bird’s eye view of the entire pitch, probably the best view anyone can get in the stadium.

To cap off your tour, bask in the brilliance of the club’s numerous trophies in the Trophy room. Marvel at the silverware and feel a part of the team’s glorious past, present, and future.

The tour ends in the Manchester City store where you can browse through the exclusive club merchandise.

SAVE 22% OFF TOUR VOUCHERS

Use discount code STADIUM22 at checkout

Stadium & Museum Tour

WAS £60  NOW £46.80

*Use the discount code STADIUM22 See demo ↗

Family of 4

Family of 4 Voucher

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One Adult Voucher

WAS £30  NOW £23.40

One Child Voucher

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Stadium & Football Academy

If you’d like to include a visit to the football Academy please purchase one of these discounted vouchers:

*Use the discount code STADIUM22 for 22% Off How to add code ↗

Age details & notes

• Adults = 16+
• Children = 5-15
• Under 5’s = Free Entry

Please note: 

• Vouchers are valid for 12 months and can be used immediately.
• A combination of vouchers ay be used – See All Man City Vouchers

Dates & Availability

You can check availability and also book with FREE Cancellation  using the calendar below.

Please note: The 22% promotion code only applies to the vouchers above and cannot be used with this booking method.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any age restrictions for the tour.

No, the Manchester City Stadium tour is appropriate for all ages. It’s a great activity for both young football enthusiasts and older fans.

Is food available on the tour?

While you cannot eat during the tour itself, you’ll find various eateries and restaurants at the stadium where you can grab a bite before or after your tour. You should plan to enjoy the full tour without having to stop for snacks.

Are tours offered in languages other than English?

Yes, the tours are provided in multiple languages. You can choose a guided tour in your preferred language at the time of booking.

Are guided tours available?

Indeed! Expert guides are available to enrich your tour with interesting insights and fascinating anecdotes about Manchester City and the Etihad Stadium.

How long does the tour last?

The Manchester City Stadium tour typically lasts about 90 minutes, but this can vary depending on the size and speed of the group.

Can I take photos during the tour?

Yes, you are encouraged to capture your memories during the Etihad Stadium tour. However, professional recording equipment is not permitted.

Are lockers available for storing belongings?

Small lockers are indeed available for storing personal items during your tour. However, for safety reasons, large items and luggage are not permitted inside the stadium.

Can I purchase Manchester City merchandise on the tour?

Definitely! The tour includes a stop at the club shop, where you can purchase official Manchester City merchandise, including jerseys, scarves, mugs and more.

Some of the more exclusive items you can expect to find include signed memorabilia from past and current players, collector’s edition kits, and limited edition souvenirs that capture pivotal moments in the club’s history. You’ll find the prices reasonable and the range extensive, making it a dream come true for any fan of the Blues.

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Get 22% off the normal tour price tours with an e-voucher! It’s valid for 12 months and can be used right after purchase.

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See who won YouTube qualifier for Myrtle Beach Classic

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Several popular YouTubers had a chance to earn a spot at the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic via “The Q at Myrtle Beach,” a 16-player, 18-hole qualifier that included YouTubers such as Grant Horvat, Peter Finch, Micah Morris and George Bryan IV.

Veteran Korn Ferry Tour pro Matt Atkins won the qualifier and will compete on TOUR next month in his home state of South Carolina. Atkins appears frequently in Bryan Bros Golf YouTube content (a joint venture between George and his brother, Wesley), where Atkins, 33, is known affectionately as “Crashkins” – a term that often appears in comments when he is covered on TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour social channels.

Bryan IV didn't make it easy for Atkins, though. Bryan led by two strokes to the par-5 18th hole but hit a wedge into the water and made bogey. Atkins drained a 15-foot birdie at No. 18 to match Bryan's 3-under 69, requiring a playoff hole, again the par-5 18th. Atkins won with a birdie on the first playoff hole, earning the Myrtle Beach Classic's sponsor exemption that was awarded via "The Q."

Tyler Watts finished in third place at 1-under 71, while Scott Stevens and Jay Card tied for fourth at even-par 72. Finch and Turk Pettit shared sixth place at 1-over 73. Other scores included Morgan Deneen (74), Dan Rapaport (76), Ryan Wilkinson (76), Jamie Wilson (77), Luke Kwon (78), Grant Horvat (79), Fat Perez (81), Cole Lantz (83) and Micah Morris (86).

The inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic will be contested May 9-12 at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, as an Additional Event alongside the Wells Fargo Championship. “The Q” was contested last month, with players capturing content for their personal social channels but withholding results until Tuesday, with a full-length feature video released on the Play Golf Myrtle Beach YouTube channel.

Atkins has made 157 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, including a victory at the 2017 El Bosque Mexico Championship, which propelled him to his first TOUR card via the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour season-long standings. He is playing this season on conditional Korn Ferry Tour status; he will compete at this week’s Veritex Bank Championship after successfully Monday qualifying. He also Monday qualified for the TOUR’s Mexico Open at Vidanta earlier this year (his 26th career TOUR start), and he finished T38 at The RSM Classic last fall as a Monday qualifier, where he spoke emotionally about what it means to pursue a professional golf career amidst financial uncertainty.

Atkins will have no status uncertainty next month in South Carolina. He’ll compete at the Myrtle Beach Classic via “The Q.”

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Brighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester City. Premier League.

8:00pm, Thursday 25th April 2024.

Amex Stadium Attendance: Attendance 31,596.

Brighton and Hove Albion 0

Manchester city 4.

• K De Bruyne ( 17' 17th minute )
• P Foden ( 26' 26th minute , 34' 34th minute )
• J Álvarez ( 62' 62nd minute )
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Brighton 0-4 Man City - free match highlights and recap

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Brighton vs Man City: Prediction, kick-off time, team news, TV, live stream, h2h results, odds today

Manchester City are looking to respond in the Premier League title race when they head down to Brighton .

Pep Guardiola’s side switched focus to retaining the FA Cup on Saturday and duly booked their spot in another final by defeating Chelsea at Wembley.

The champions would have watched on as Arsenal thumped Chelsea 5-0 to move four points clear while Liverpool lost 2-0 at Everton to remain a point clear, though City have two games in hand over their title rivals.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW BRIGHTON VS MAN CITY LIVE!

They travel to the south coast to play a Brighton team in pretty dire form after winning only one of their last six, albeit they remain a side packed with quality.

Date, kick-off time and venue

Brighton vs Man City is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off time tonight, Thursday, April 25, 2024.

The Amex Stadium in Falmer, near Brighton will host.

Where to watch Brighton vs Man City

TV channel : The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR. Coverage starts at 7pm.

Live stream : Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Sky Go website or app.

LIVE coverage: Follow all the action with Standard Sport ’s dedicated match blog !

Brighton vs Man City team news

Brighton XI: Steele, Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Barco, Gross, Baleba, Lallana, Moder, Joao Pedro, Welbeck

Subs: Verbruggen, Igor, Webster, Enciso, Adingra, Fati, Buonanotte, Offiah, O'Mahony

Man City XI : Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Kovacic, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Foden, Alvarez

Subs: Dias, Stones, Grealish, Doku, Ortega, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis

Brighton vs Man City prediction

This is certainly a difficult game for City but they have proven so strong in title run-ins that it’s hard to look past them.

Man City to win 3-1.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Brighton wins: 6

Man City wins: 20

Brighton vs Man City latest odds

Brighton to win: 6/1

Man City to win: 2/7

Odds via Bet365 and subject to change .

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Manchester United surrendered a 3-0 lead but prevailed in a nervy shootout to set up an FA Cup final with Manchester City

• 5d ago FINAL SCORE: Coventry 3-2 Man United (2-4 on pens)
• 5d ago UNITED WIN!
• 5d ago FULL TIME!! Coventry 3-3 Man United
• 5d ago GOAL DISALLOWED! Coventry 3-3 Man United
• 5d ago GOALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! Coventry 4-3 Man United (Torp 120+12)
• 5d ago Simms hits the bar!
• 5d ago HALF-TIME IN EXTRA TIME: Coventry 3-3 Man United
• 5d ago Fernandes hits the bar!
• 5d ago FULL TIME! Coventry 3-3 Man United – extra time to come
• 5d ago GOAL!!! Coventry 3-3 Man United (Wright 90+5)
• 5d ago PENALTY TO COVENTRY!
• 5d ago GOAL!!! Coventry 2-3 Man United (O'Hare 79)
• 5d ago GOAL! Coventry 1-3 Man United (Simms 71)
• 5d ago GOAL! Coventry 0-3 United (Fernandes 59)
• 5d ago HALF-TIME! Coventry 0-2 Man United
• 5d ago GOAL Coventry 0-2 Man United (Maguire 45)
• 5d ago GOAL! Coventry 0-1 United (McTominay 23)
• 5d ago Chance for Garnacho!
• 5d ago Blunt and to the point
• 5d ago Preamble
• 5d ago Teams in brief: United down to one fit centre-back
• 5d ago Teams in brief: O'Hare and Eccles come in for Coventry
• 5d ago Teams in full

Jamie Jackson’s match report is in, so that’s my cue to go and write some Talking Points. Thanks for your company, correspondence and views on VAR. It’s been memorable. Coventry lost the match but won a lot of friends.

André Onana is not suspended for the Cup Final, apparently. I wish I could tell you why. His gamesmanship, in sledging Ben Sheaf, may have had an effect.

The player of the match is Bruno Fernandes. Someone call the police, Diogo Dalot’s been robbed. He was immense. Rasmus Hojlund did well too, thumping the last penalty home after the lean spell he’s been having.

On ITV Mark Pougatch notes that when Hojlund went over to celebrate near the United fans, none of his teammates joined him. “I don’t like this United team,” says Roy Keane, not for the first time.

You wait 150 years for an all-Manchester FA Cup final. Then two come along at once.

Here’s Harry Maguire. “We started the game really well,” he says, “Really professional… The penalty was so harsh, but all credit to Coventry.”

The Sky Blue flags are still flying proudly. United do a rather muted lap of honour, and rightly so.

FINAL SCORE: Coventry 3-2 Man United (2-4 on pens)

Mark Robins and his men really don’t deserve that. They mounted a great comeback, thought they’d got the winner in the 121st minute, but as so often, the first team to miss a penalty end up squeezing through.

UNITED WIN!

Hojlund hits it very well, into the corner. And Coventry’s hearts are broken, on penalties, at Wembley, again.

Sheaf misses! Over the bar. United lead 3-2 and Hojlund has the chance to win the match.

Onana gets another yellow, Martinez-style.

Fernandes scores! United lead, for the first time since the 70-minute mark.

O’Hare misses! Flying save by Onana. Still 2-2.

But Coventry haven’t missed one yet.

Eriksen scores! So it’s 2-2.

Torp scores! Making up for the goal that was chalked off. Coventry lead 2-1.

Dalot scores, so it’s 1-1.

That’s two pens in one afternoon for Haji Wright. And he’s sent Onana the wrong way twice.

Wright scores, again. 1-0 to Coventry.

He went for the dink and Collins, after feinting to his right, stayed put.

First pen: Casemiro misses!

The pens will be taken at the United end. A few of their fans were leaving when Torp’s shot went in… Hope they’re back now.

“Garnachooooo,” says Rick Harris. “Ten Hag obviously decided to teach Garnacho a lesson by substituting him when he looked like United’s best player. If United lose this, I think Ten Hag will be sacked in the summer.” Or in the morning?

Both teams know what it feels like to go to penalties at Wembley. United beat Brighton in this fixture last year, while Coventry lost to Luton in the play-offs.

“VAR,” says Robert Speed. “Disallows open-play goals and awards pens. Just what we all wanted when it was brought in.”

FULL TIME!! Coventry 3-3 Man United

And so we go to penalties.

120+3 min United go long and win a corner.

GOAL DISALLOWED! Coventry 3-3 Man United

Torp’s goal has been torpedoed by the VAR.

120+2 min Torp pointed to where he wanted it and then stuck out a toe. But it may be offside…

GOALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! Coventry 4-3 Man United (Torp 120+12)

They’ve done it! Fabulous stuff.

120 min Eriksen’s cross almost finds Hiojlund, but then Coventry attack again…

119 min Maguire goes down the left wing. Hojlund crosses to nobody. Antony hits a volley on the turn, into Row X.

117 min Forson goes close, hitting his shot from the D just over the bar. Replays suggests Onana got a finger to that shot from Simms. It’s all happening, but it’s still 3-3.

Simms hits the bar!

115 min From close range. Anything Fernandes can do …

114 min A poor ball in a good position from Hojliund allows Coventry to counter. Then United come again: Antony’s shot is blocked, Amad’s goes wide.

113 min Just before that, Fernandes went down in the D, thinking he’d won a free kick.

113 min Close! Coventry break again, faster this time, and Wright drills in a left-foot shot that goes just wide of the far post.

111 min Simms finds space down the right, but can’t quite eke out a shot. Dasilva, who’s on for somebody, picks up a yellow as United break. It’s basketball now.

110 min Hojlund has a shot for once. It’s blocked and Coventry break smoothly with Godden, whose shot is blocked in turn by Casemiro.

109 min O’Hare threatens to get away on the corner and Dalot does well to thwart him. There’s a brief VAR check for a penalty to United – usual thing, barely avoidable handball – but it’s not given.

108 min One corner brings two as Eriksen’s shot is deflected.

107 min Maguire comes close! He goes on the longest run seen at Wembley since Ricky Villa, and ends up shooting from a tight angle and winning a corner.

107 min No subs from Erik ten Hag, so no United debuts today.

106 min Coventry sub: Godden for Tavares, who was hobbling.

HALF-TIME IN EXTRA TIME: Coventry 3-3 Man United

United were better in that segment, which isn’t saying a lot. Coventry still full of spirit, but cramp may be setting in.

105 min The excellent Dalot puts in an overlap that frees Forson to have a go. He shoots wide but close enough to win a corner as Collins plays safe, only for the corner to come to nothing.

103 min An enforced change for United as McTominay pulls up lame. With no midfielders left on the bench, they have to bring on a third right-winger. Omari Forsson joins Antony and Amad. Antony was already on the left and Amad is now at No 10, with Fernandes as the 8.

100 min Sheaf’s long shot curls just wide. If Coventry hadn’t started with a back five, they’d be out of sight.

97 min United break with Amad looking busy again, but he loses his way as Coventry do well to get bodies back.

“I spoke too soon,” says Richard Hooker. “Upon reflection, I don’t think MU would make much of an impact in the Championship.”

97 min United pass it around, with Amad again to the fore. He can smell the glory again. Casemiro’s long ball finds Fernandes, who heads wide.

Fernandes hits the bar!

92 min Almost a Geoff Hurst! Fed by Amad, Fernandes hits his shot handsomely, but it bounces back into play, not over the line.

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Brighton vs Manchester City 0-4: Premier League football – as it happened

All our updates as holders Manchester City defeated Brighton 4-0 in the Premier League.

• Defending champions Manchester City defeated Brighton 4-0 in the Premier League on Thursday night.
• The victory at Amex Stadium moves City up to second on the EPL ladder with 76 points from 33 games. Arsenal lead the points table with 77 points after 34 games.
• Brighton is winless from their last five Premier League matches.
• Live updates
• Match stats

It’s a wrap!

Thank you for joining us. It’s goodbye from Manasi Pathak, on behalf of Al Jazeera Sport.

More to come from Al Jazeera Sport

That was all from our live coverage of this match between Brighton and Man City.

We will be back on the weekend bringing you live updates from Spurs vs Arsenal and Forest vs Man City, as the Premier League enters its business end.

What’s next for Man City?

Man City will play away to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, the same day as Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby.

Liverpool, who are third in the league standings, will play at West Ham United on Saturday.

Foden’s double helps City beat Brighton

De Bruyne scored the opener with his first-ever header before Foden netted twice and Alvarez added another as City defeated Brighton 4-0 at the Amex Stadium.

The reigning champions climb to second in the league standings with 76 points, with five games remaining in the season.

They are just one point behind leaders Arsenal, who have played a game more.

The Premier League title race is still on, and by the looks of it, City seem set for a fourth straight crown.

30 – Manchester City are now unbeaten in 30 games in all competitions (W24 D6), making them the third English top-flight side to go 30+ matches without defeat, after Nottingham Forest (40 in 1978) and Manchester United (twice – 34 in 1993-94 & 33 in 1998-99). Machine. pic.twitter.com/mkRZmI1MqD — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 25, 2024

Full time: Brighton 0-4 Man City

And that’s it. Brighton suffer a 0-4 defeat at home by reigning champions City.

Steele blocks Doku’s shot

City aren’t sitting back! They want more goals!

Doku is picked in the Brighton box by Alvarez, but his shot is blocked by the legs of Steele.

90+4 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City

Brighton fans leaving stadium

Brighton fans are making their way out of the stadium as they enter the final few minutes of this game.

City have been utterly dominant in this match, while Brighton have been sloppy on many occasions.

In other news, we will have five minutes of added time.

90 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City

Chance for Brighton!

Joao Pedro slips Igor into space down the left and rushes into the box himself. Igor cuts the ball back to Joao Pedro, but the Brighton forward shoots wide from close distance.

What a missed opportunity!

86 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City

Win will take City to second spot

If the score remains this way, City will climb to the second spot in the league standings, replacing Liverpool.

Guardiola’s side will have 76 points from 33 games. Arsenal lead the table with 77 points after 34 games.

80 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City 

Triple change for City

Guardiola makes a triple change as Doku comes on for Silva, Lewis replaces Walker and Gomez comes on for Rodri.

78 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City 

Welbeck shoots wide

Brighton forward Welbeck runs to the edge of the box from the right side after getting past a few City defenders, but he sends his shot over the bar.

That was his last touch of the game as he was immediately substituted off for O’Mahony.

76 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City

City make substitutions as Grealish comes on

Grealish and Nunes have been brought on by City, as Guardiola makes his first set of changes.

They replace goal scorers Foden and De Bruyne.

72 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City

Penalty appeal

Brighton appeal for a penalty against Gvardiol, who brought down an onrushing Joao Pedro in the box.

Joao Pedro rushed inside the box after getting past a bunch of City defenders before Gvardiol made contact.

The VAR check also confirmed there was no penalty. It looked like there wasn’t enough contact made by Gvardiol for Joao Pedro to go down like that.

Brighton fans are unhappy with the call and boo the decision!

71 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City 

There you go. He has done it! Alvarez has scored! City go 4-0 up.

Ederson started the move with a sensational aerial ball for Walker, who made a run from the right side and got into the box. After drawing keeper Steele, he cut the ball back for Alvarez, who scored into an empty net.

That was Alvarez’s first goal since late January.

62 mins: Brighton 0-4 Man City

Another attempt from Alvarez

Looking hungry for a goal, Alvarez tries his luck again! This time, the forward whips a shot just past the top corner.

Can he end his eight-game goal drought?

60 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City

Alvarez hits straight at Steele

Van Hecke loses the ball at the back and Foden wins it. The goal scorer then picks out an onrushing Alvarez, who shoots from a distance, but straight into the hands of Brighton keeper Steele.

59 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City

Brighton make another substitution

Moder off, Igor on. Brighton have made another change.

That’s probably going to change their shape, with the team likely to go back to a three-man defence.

57 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City

Joao Pedro’s attempt

Joao Pedro forced his way into the City box, getting past four of their defenders, as he took a shot. But Ederson raced off his line to block his attempt.

53 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City 

Brighton make a penalty appeal against Rodri who pulled the arm of Gross inside the box, but the referee wasn’t interested. The home crowd is not going to like this.

47 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City

Second half begins

We are back for the second half at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton have made two changes, bringing on Adingra for Lallana and Offiah for Veltman.

46 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City 

Half time: Brighton 0-3 Man City

Two goals from Foden and another by De Bruyne – all in 17 minutes – keep City in a three-goal lead at the break.

Guardiola’s side are in a commanding position in this match and look set for a victory.

Foden and De Bruyne causing trouble for Brighton

Goal scorers Foden and De Bruyne try to scare the Brighton defence again as they combine beautifully in the midfield.

Foden picks out De Bruyne with a pass near the box and the Belgian makes his way inside, only for his shot to be cleared away for a corner.

In other news, we will have three minutes of added time.

45 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City

Relentless City

City are in total control of this match, showing off their tricks, flicks, excellent pressing and finishes.

With three goals in this game, they have netted 16 league goals in April.

They scored a total of 12 in February and March combined!

42 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City

Foden makes it 3-0 for City!

England midfielder Foden tries to press Brighton’s players, who were trying to play out from the back.

After playing around at least 10 passes inside the box, Brighton’s players lose the ball to Silva off Barco. He passes it to Foden, who finds the bottom corner with his sweeping shot!

34 mins: Brighton 0-3 Man City

First-ever EPL header from De Bruyne!

The first goal scored by De Bruyne was the first time the Belgian scored a header.

He has 68 goals in the Premier League!

😁 @KevinDeBruyne 😁 🔵 0-1 🩵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/Cx71E6drnw — Manchester City (@ManCity) April 25, 2024

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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Champions League Coverage As It Happened - Man City 5-2 CSKA Moscow, Manchester United 0-0 Real Sociedad, Juventus 2-2 Real Madrid

Real Sociedad 0-0 Manchester United

Manchester City 5-2 CSKA Moscow

Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen

FC Copenhagen 1-0 Galatasaray

Juventus 2-2 Real Madrid

Olympiakos 1-0 Benfica

Paris Saint Germain 1-1 RSC Anderlecht

Viktoria Plzen 0-1 Bayern Munich

21:45: That's all for tonight. Thanks for reading and join us again on Wednesday as Chelsea, Arsenal and Celtic look to push on in their quests to reach the knock out stages of the Champions League.

21:39: And that's it for another evening. Zero goals in Group A as Manchester United play out a tame stalemate in San Sebastian against Real Sociedad. Javier Hernandez missed a sitter and Robin van Persie struck the post from the penalty spot after another laughable dive from Ashley Young, but United will feel as though they should have taken all three points on an evening where Marouane Fellaini saw red late on.

A hat-trick from Alvaro Negredo and and a brace for Sergio Aguero ensured another goal-laden performance for Manchester City, while Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo showed more of what is to come from their mouth-watering partnership as they both scored to take a valuable away draw at Juventus.

Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich both enjoyed relatively quiet evenings although the defending champions did manage to sneak a 1-0 win over Plzen, with the Parisians labouring to a home draw against Anderlecht.

Full Time Scores:

21:36: Negredo rounds off another excellent evening for City by sealing his hat trick in the dying minutes. James Milner brilliantly beats his man on the wing and swings in an inviting ball for Negredo, who outjumps his man at the back posts and nods in his third. Old school.

Goal! Manchester City 5-2 CSKA Moscow (Alvaro Negredo, 90)

Full Time - Real Sociedad 0-0 Manchester United

21:30: Fellaini's tale of woe continues as he's shown a second yellow card in the dying minutes of the game. In the last of a string of clumsy challenges, the Belgian catches Zurutuza on the half way line with an outstretched leg. There has been enough of challenges like that over the course of the evening to justify the red.

Red Card - Marouane Fellaini, Manchester United (88)

21:27: We are now entering the final few minutes of normal time in games across Europe.

21:22: Inigo Martinez meets a Sociedad corner with a powerful header but it sails over the bar. Moments later, Ashley Young loses his marbles in the centre of midfield and plays a simply horrible ball straight out for a throw in, presumably intended for a teammate, despite Kagawa being well placed four yards away.

21:18: Sociedad looking dangerous now, substitute Xabi Prieto takes aim, fires in a shot which Carlos Vela gets in the way of and chests over the bar. David de Gea had no chance.The Spanish 'keeper has to be quick to get to a spilled effort moments later, just beating Vela to the ball.

21:15: A flurry of goals across Europe. Doumbia gets his second of the night from the penalty spot against Manchester City, just as Zlatan Ibrahimovic levels for PSG following an unlikely goal for Anderlecht gave the Belgians a lead. Just before that, Mario Manzukic gave Bayern Munich a slightly less surprising lead over Plzen.

Goal! Manchester City 4-2 CSKA Moscow (Seydou Doumbia, 72)

21:12: Van Persie hits the post! The same one he struck from open play just minutes ago, it's an equally venemous effort that hits the woodwork again, Bravo may have got a touch on it as it came back out.

21:11: Young plays a neat one two with Kagawa but the England winger goes down, and it looks like another blatant dive.

21:10: Llorente gets Juventus straight back into it! The former Athletic Bilbao striker edges ahead of Varane to nod past Iker Casillas.

Penalty - Manchester United

Juventus 2-2 Real Madrid (Fernando Llorente, 67)

21:06: Robin van Persie is on and hits the post with what appears to be his first touch. Kagawa slides through Young who whips in an inviting ball from the left. From a tight angle, the striker is unlucky to hit the woodwork. With Rooney and Hernandez also off, Kagawa is now operating in his favoured number 10 role behind the Dutchman with Young and Valencia occupying more traditional roles on the wing.

21:04: Moments after Xabi Alonso cracks the bar with a sublime effort from 35 yards, Bale gives Real Madrid the lead! Ronaldo supplies the Welshman who steps past his man with ease and directs a low, hard effort past Gigi Buffon. Simple goal, but devastatingly effective.

Goal! Juventus 1-2 Real Madrid (Gareth Bale, 60)

21:00: Chris Smalling is lucky not to be booked after lunging in with a late challenge with his studs up.

20:58: Ronaldo is at it again as he levels Real in Turin. Juventus surrender possession and are quickly punished by Karim Benzema who finds the Portuguese international, who calmly lifts the ball into the roof of the net.

20:56: Business resumes as usual in Manchester as Samir Nasri expertly beats the offside trap before laying the ball off for Negredo. The Spaniard stabs home his second of the evening.

Goal! Juventus 1-1 Real Madrid (Cristiano Ronaldo, 55)

Goal! Manchester City 4-1 CSKA Moscow (Alvaro Negredo, 53)

20:51: Wow, that's a shocking miss from Hernandez. Valencia floats a ball across that is picked up by Kagawa just inside the left of the penalty box. The playmaker drops a shoulder seemingly heading for the byline but plays a cute ball through the legs of a defender and across the box where Hernandez has positioned himself perfectly. The ball does bounce up a bit, but the Mexican really has to bury that.

20:48: Better from Sociedad in the second half's first few minutes. An inviting ball is floated over for Carlos Vela but Evra is across to making an important intervention.

20:46: And we are back underway across Europe.

20:38: Three first half goals have seen City storm to a 3-1 lead in Manchester, while United are labouring to take advantage of a tepid performance from Real Sociedad in Spain.

Juventus have taken the lead in Turin thanks to a penalty from Arturo Vidal and may be thanking Copenhagen by the end of the evening with the Danes leading Galatasaray, a result that could prove pivotal in qualification for the knock out stages.

Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain can both quality with wins this evening but so far they have failed to break down Viktoria Plzen and Anderlecht. It's a similar story elsewhere in Europe tonight with the only other goal coming in Greece where Olympiakos lead Benfica 1-0.

Half Time Scores

Manchester City 3-1 CSKA Moscow

Juventus 1-0 Real Madrid

Paris Saint Germain 0-0 RSC Anderlecht

Viktoria Plzen 0-0 Bayern Munich

20:35: CSKA pull back a goal, and after looking fairly vunerable down the middle away in Russia two weeks ago, the hosts have been punished in a similar fashion tonight. A simple pass through the middle opens them up too easily andDoumbiabeats Pantilimon tonight.

Goal! Man City 3-1 CSKA Moscow - (Seydou Doumbia, 45)

20:32: Half time in San Sebastian with a fairly tepid first half all to show for. United in control, but a poor final ball has rarely seen them fashion a clear chance to open the scoring. Real Sociedad not showing much more either with improvement from both sides desperately needed.

20:30: David De Gea given a late scare when De la Bella's effort from 20-yards out bobbles just inches wide of his left post. Half time.

20:27: Paul Pogba wins a penalty after going down following a challenge from compatriot Raphael Varane. Chile midfielder Vidal slams it into the top of the net to give the Bianconeri a 1-0 lead.

Goal! Juventus 1-0 Real Madrid (Arturo Vidal, 42)

20:25: Kagawa whips in a dangerous cross with Javier Hernandez lurking but it's defended excellently by Inigo Martinez, who diverts the ball out for a corner.

20:23: Smalling showing his limitations at right back this evening. Beats his man with an excellent flick but his following pass - that looked to be meant for Fellaini - was poor. Minutes later Valencia finds the defender down the right with an impressive ball but again the cross is woeful.

20:21: Tame stuff so far in the Basque country. United have been controlling without opening the opposition up to any great degree, while the hosts have rarely threatened to spark into life with Greizmann in particular enduring a fairly quiet evening.

20:18: Easy for City, 3-0. This time it's Negredo, easy tapping in from a Sergio Aguero cross. Too early for talk of a repeat of Saturday?

Goal! Manchester City 3-0 CSKA Moscow (Alvaro Negredo, 30)

20:14: Real Sociedad fashion their first effort of the evening coming down the right hand side of the pitch. The ball is played across to Agirretxe in the box but the bouncing cross is miss-hit harmlessly out of play.

20:11: Rooney maybe lucky not to be booked after a careless swipe at Inigo Martinez. Rather hilariously, the referee opts to lecture the felled Spaniard as the England striker walks away.

20:08: Sergio Aguero doubles his and City's tally for the evening with a superbly taken goal. The Argentine flicks flicks the ball past his marker with his back to goal before turning the stranded defender and slotting the ball past Akinfeev. Four goals against the Russians for the striker now.

Goal! Manchester 2-0 CSKA Moscow (Sergio Aguero, 20)

20:06: Kagawa lets fly with a decent effort from 18 yards after a clever run from Evra pulled defenders out of his path, but Raul Bravo comfortably deals with it. Back in Manchester Silva fires an effort into the side netting.

20:03: The words 'Marouane Fellaini' and 'it hasn't happened yet' have been used to together incessantly it seems today, but the Belgian midfielder has a real opportunity to throw his name into the hat for Sunday's clash with Arsenal this evening. Neat and tidy so far tonight.

20:01: After their game was allowed to go ahead in farcical conditions a fortnight ago ,Olympiakos again take a lead over Benfica through Monolas who nods home from a corner kick.

19:58: Manchester City nearly allow CSKA back into the game after their early opener. Gael Clichy gets the ball at the back post but can't decide what to do with it, allowing Seydou Doumbia in to lash an effort on goal, but it sails harmlessly over the bar.

19:55: Good football from United. Evra menacingly tears into the box who plays a smart ball to Rooney who cleverly plays it first time to Kagawa. The Japan international can't sort his feet out in time and hits an awkward effort that deflects wide. Sociedad deal with the resulting corner.

19:53: City take an early lead in Manchester after David Silva is felled in the penalty area. The referee points to spot and Aguero slams it past Akinfeev from 12 yards. Elsewhere in Europe, Copenhagen have also taken the lead over Galatasaray.

Goal! Manchester City 1-0 CSKA Moscow (Sergio Aguero, 3)

19:49: Ryan Giggs floats in a fairly innocent looking free kick but Raul Bravo in the Sociedad net comes out flapping, but is impeded by Chris Smalling.

19:46: Moments in and Javier Hernandez lands Martinez with a solid, but accidental elbow to the chops. The Mexican had his back turned on the Sociedad defender as he chased down a hopeful ball.

19:44: Moments away from kick offs around Europe now.

19:38: You wouldn't believe it judging from the reactions of some after the first month of the season, but a win for Manchester United and David Moyes will be their fifth on the trot. Since their win over Real Sociedad a fortnight ago, the Premier League champions have picked up the pace at the start of games and were once again quick out of the traps at the weekend. Can they do the same in San Sebastian tonight?

19:31: Since cracking the post with a magnificent free kick effort in the corresponding fixture two weeks ago, Real Sociedad's Antoine Griezmann has been unable to stop scoring. The Frenchman has scored five goals in his last three league games as the Basque club have got their domestic season back on track and will be one of the host's most dangerous outlets again this evening.

19:27: Elsewhere in Europe, Antonio Conte has opted to play both Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez in a Real Madrid XI featuring both Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Sociedad Bravo; Carlos Martinez, Gonzalez, Inigo Martinez, de la Bella; Pardo, Markel Bergara, Zurutuza; Vela, Agirretxe, Griezmann.

Substitutes: Zubikarai, Elustondo, Seferovic, Xabi Prieto, Ansotegi, Castro, Cadamuro.

Manchester United De Gea; Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Fellaini, Giggs; Valencia, Rooney, Kagawa; Hernandez. Substitutes: Lindegaard, Jones. Anderson, Nani, Young, van Persie, Buttner.

Man City: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Nastasic, Clichy, Nasri, Fernandinho, Toure, Silva, Aguero, Negredo

Substitutes: Hart, Richards, Lescott, Milner, Dzeko, Kolarov, Jesus Navas.

CSKA Moscow: Akinfeev, Nababkin, Alexei Berezutsky, Ignashevich, Shchennikov, Milanov, Wernbloom, Musa, Honda, Tosic, Doumbia.

Substitutes: Chepchugov, Vasin, Zuber, Elm, Rahimic, Vitinho, Bazelyuk.

19:15: In the UEFA Youth League today there were differing fortunes for the two Manchester clubs with Nicky Butt's United side taking a 2-0 win away to Real Sociedad while City succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at home to an impressive U19 CSKA side.

Team News - Manchester City starting XI v CSKA Moscow

Team News - Manchester United starting XI vs Real Sociedad

Man Utd: De Gea; Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Fellaini, Giggs, Kagawa; Rooney, Hernandez.

19:05: Real Sociedad may have only lost 1-0 on their visit to Old Trafford a fortnight ago but were perhaps lucky to leave Manchester having conceded just once. A home clash in the Basque country will be an entirely different contest however, and the hosts will be boosted after crusing to a 5-0 win over Osasuna at the weekend.

19:03: In Turin, Gareth Bale is handed the opportunity to continue his rich vein of form that has seen him score two and supply four in his last two outings for Real Madrid having been named in the starting XI for Los Blancos' clash with Juventus.

19:02: Manchester United have travelled to San Sebastian with David Moyes making six changes to the side that cruised to a 3-1 win over Fulham on Saturday. Shinji Kagawa is handed another start while Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney lead the attack.

19:01: Costel Pantilimon will make his European debut with Joe Hart's stint on the bench continuing for another game. In fact, Manuel Pellegrini has opted to keep the same XI that thrashed Norwich City 7-0 at the weekend.

19:00: Good evening and welcome to IB Times UK's LIVE minute by minute coverage of Tuesday's Champions League action. Manchester United can reach that coveted 10 point tally with a win away to Real Sociedad this evening, while Manchester City can put real daylight between themselves and tonight's opponents CSKA Moscow should they pick up all three points against the Russians at the Etihad Stadium.

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