The ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran entered its fourth day on Monday, marked by heightened violence and fresh air strikes over Tehran. The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for parts of the Iranian capital, while claiming full operational control of Iranian airspace.
According to reports, Israel has warned residents in sections of Tehran, including District 3, to evacuate as it prepares for further air operations. The area includes the headquarters of Iran’s state-run broadcaster, IRIB.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz declared, “The Iranian propaganda and incitement megaphone is about to disappear,” indicating that air strikes may target state media facilities. Following which the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, part of Iran’s state TV broadcaster, says it has been attacked by Israel, according to news agencies.
According to the BBC, debris was seen falling into the studio during live broadcast.
Two American warships, the USS The Sullivans and the USS Arleigh Burke, were used to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles over the weekend, according to AP.
The Sullivans and the USS Thomas Hudner are currently in the Mediterranean, while the Arleigh Burke has moved away from the area. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations.
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is in the Arabian Sea with the four warships in its strike group. They are not participating in the defense of Israel.
The USS Nimitz has been long scheduled to take over for the Carl Vinson and is heading west from the Indo-Pacific region. The official said it is slated to arrive in the region by the end of the month, and the two carriers would likely overlap in the Middle East at least for a short time before the Vinson heads home to San Diego.
On the ground, the toll continues to rise. Iran launched a new barrage of missile attacks early Monday, killing at least five people in Israel. In response, Israeli forces carried out continued air raids over Tehran and claimed to be flying over the Iranian capital without significant resistance.
The Israeli military stated that Iran has fired more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones since the conflict began, killing 24 people and injuring over 500 on Israeli soil. Meanwhile, Iran’s Health Ministry reported 224 deaths since Friday—without specifying how many were civilians or military personnel. Iranian spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour, posting on social media, claimed over 90% of the 1,277 people hospitalised were civilians.
The fresh wave of violence comes days after Iran announced plans to activate a third nuclear enrichment facility. The statement followed a recent censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which accused Tehran of violating nuclear nonproliferation obligations.
Israel responded on Friday by launching initial strikes aimed at crippling Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure. Although Israel has never formally acknowledged its nuclear arsenal, it is widely regarded as the only country in the Middle East possessing atomic weapons.
As the crisis unfolds, both sides appear locked in a rapid escalation, with regional and global implications yet to be seen.