Alleged Israeli attack on Iranian city causes no casualties, property damage

China

Alleged Israeli attack on Iranian city causes no casualties, property damage

2024-04-20 10:30 Last Updated At：17:47

The alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian city of Qahjavarestan in Isfahan Province caused no casualties and property damage, sources with the Iranian military said on Friday, adding that a majority of Iranians support their army's actions targeting Israel.

Iran's air defense systems shot down several "flying objects" near the central province of Isfahan on Friday, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

The report comes a few hours after explosions were heard in the city of Qahjavarestan, close to Isfahan's International Airport and an air force base.

According to reports from U.S. news outlets, military sources in the U.S. indicated that Israel carried out strikes on Iranian targets on Friday.

According to the Iranian military, its air defense systems intercepted three small drones in the eastern part of Isfahan Province during the early hours of Friday.

The explosions heard in Qahjavarestan City were the sound of Iran's air defense systems intercepting the Israeli drones, the Iranian military stated, adding that the interception did not cause any casualties or property damage, and that the nuclear facilities in Natanz of Isfahan are also in a secure state.

After Iran launched military attacks against Israel, a China Media Group reporter talked with a number of Iranians, and a majority of them voiced support for Iran's military response targeting Israel.

In addition, many Iranians have held rallies and gatherings in various locations throughout the country to show their opposition towards Israel and express solidarity with the people of Palestine, especially those in Gaza.

Israeli media sources have quoted multiple Israeli security officials as saying that Israel launched drones and long-range missiles against targets in Iran and Syria in the early hours of Friday as its retaliatory attacks.

According to local media reports, on Thursday, Israel notified the U.S. government of its intention to respond to Iran within two days. However, the Israeli army and other Israeli officials have not yet made any confirmation.

As for the attack on Isfahan, another CMG reporter based in Jerusalem reached out to the Israeli army for their response on Friday, yet the Israeli military declined to make any comment.

Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel last Saturday in response to Israel's attack on Iran's Damascus consulate on April 1 which killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guards officers, including two top commanders.

China's film market embraces May Day moviegoing frenzy

2024-05-03 11:30 Last Updated At：12:17

China's movie box office is enjoying a moviegoing frenzy over the May Day holiday, amassing over 900 million yuan in just the first two days of the five-day vacation period.

As of 21:50 Thursday, data from box office tracker Maoyan showed that the holiday, which started on May 1 and will run until May 5, had seen around 913 million yuan (roughly 126.13 million U.S. dollars) in combined revenue from box office sales and presales.

Eight films are featuring on the silver screen during the holiday led by highly anticipated peacekeeping mission-themed film "Formed Police Unit", Hong Kong action crime thriller "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In", and comedy "The Last Frenzy".

"So far, the occupancy rate of the cinema during prime time has reached between 80 percent and 90 percent. Compared with the same period last year, there has been an increase of around 30 percent in the number of moviegoers during the May Day holiday," said Yuan Teng, general manager of a cinema in Yingtan, east China's Jiangxi Province.

Industrial insiders also pointed out that during the holiday, animation films are trending in domestic film industry, fueled by fast-growing demand for family-oriented movies plus a soaring number of young moviegoers.

As of 21:02 Thursday, the animated feature "Spy x Family Code: White", as one of the top-earning films in Japan this year, has earned more than 147.15 million yuan (around 20.33 million U.S. dollars). Meanwhile, "Howl's Moving Castle," a restored version of the 2004 masterpiece by Japanese animation guru Hayao Miyazaki, raked in 76.8 million yuan (about 10.61 million U.S. dollars).