As retaliatory strikes between Iran and Israel continued into their fourth consecutive day, Israel was able to strike Iranian state media. According to Iran state TV, “a number” of its staff have been killed in an Israeli strike on its headquarters in Tehran.
Israel’s attack temporarily halted broadcasts on Iran’s state television, though transmissions have since resumed.
The strike targeted the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) headquarters in the capital, Tehran, disrupting state TV broadcasts.
A reporter for the state broadcaster says that they were “working until the very last moment before the attack”.
Peyman Jebeli, head of the broadcasting, has just appeared on state TV showing a blood-stained paper. He says that the state TV and its employees are “standing until the end”.
Thousands work in something of a mini village that the state TV is based in. Israel had previously published a map showing a part of Tehran’s District 3 telling citizens to evacuate before the attack – and state TV was also included there.
Hassan Abedini, a senior IRIB official, stated, “The enemy of the Iranian people—the Zionist regime—has just attacked the Islamic Republic’s news network.” He added, “This (Israeli) regime should know that a military strike cannot silence the voice of the Islamic Revolution or the great nation of Iran.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the air force targeted a “communication centre that was being used for military purposes by the Iranian Armed Forces”.
It goes on to say the building was being used “under the guise of civilian activity” and that is strike “directly harmed the military capabilities of the Iranian Armed Forces“.
“Prior to the strike, the IDF provided an effective advanced warning to the civilian population, including phone calls, and conducted the strike in a precise manner in order to mitigate harm to civilians as far as feasible.”
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has confirmed the attack on Iran’s state broadcaster, stating that the attack occurred after a “large-scale evacuation of local residents”, and that Israel will “strike the Iranian dictator wherever he is”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned residents of Tel Aviv to evacuate, with Iranian state media reporting: “For their own safety, citizens of Tel Aviv must leave the area immediately.”
Earlier, Israeli forces had issued an evacuation alert for residents in a large area of Tehran. IDF Spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X, “In the coming hours, we will carry out operations in this area of Tehran, just as we have struck different parts of the capital in recent days.”