Israel launched an attack on Monday targeting the headquarters of the Iranian state television network IRNA. The strike disrupted a live broadcast, causing debris and dust to fill the studio during a newscast.
“The Iranian regime’s propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority was attacked by the IDF after a widespread evacuation of residents in the area,” stated Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz. “We will defeat the Iranian dictator everywhere.”
During the live broadcast, IRNA anchor Sahar Emami was speaking when a loud explosion occurred.
“This sound you heard, it is the sound of aggression against the homeland, the sound of aggression against truth and righteousness,” she declared, just before the screen behind her went blank. Emami was then seen leaving the set as the airstrike impacted.
The , which houses IRNA’s headquarters in Tehran’s District 3, had received an notice several hours prior.
A senior official from the state broadcaster responded by saying, “The regime [Israel] was unaware of the fact that the voice of the Islamic revolution and the great Iran will not be silenced with a military operation.”
The bombing represents an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, now in its fourth day.
Earlier on Monday, Iranian missile strikes resulted in fatalities in Israel, according to authorities, bringing the country’s total death toll to . Meanwhile, Iranian officials have reported that have died since the start of hostilities.
Israeli military officials have claimed that their forces have achieved “full aerial control above Tehran” and have destroyed of Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launchers.
In response, Iranian state media has asserted that the country is preparing for “the largest and most intense missile attack in history on Israeli soil.”
At the G7 summit in Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to engage in dialogue.
“Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately before it’s too late,” .