Within the attempted attacks recorded today, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bombed on Monday afternoon the headquarters of Iran’s public television in Tehran, IRIB, as reported by Iranian official media.
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The attack occurred at 6:34 pm, local time, and it could be seen live as one of the network’s presenters, Sahar Emami, interrupted the broadcast to quickly leave the studio while some debris from the ceiling fell and dust rose.
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Some Iranian media outlets are reporting that there are fatalities as a result of the attack, but there is no official confirmation at the moment.
How was the Israeli attack on the Iranian state channel?
In a video circulating on social media, a presenter can be seen giving a news report when a loud noise is heard, the lights go out, and smoke and debris are visible.
The Iranian public television news channel then switched to airing pre-recorded content, but shortly after resumed live broadcasting. IRIB’s deputy director of policy, Hasan Abedini, explained that Emami “is fine and will return to broadcasting in a few minutes.”
This attack comes after Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, directly pointed to Iranian “propaganda”. “Iran’s propaganda and seditious loudspeaker is about to disappear,” Katz stated on social media. “The evacuation of nearby residents has begun,” he added.
The Israeli Armed Forces had specifically urged the evacuation of the so-called District 3 of Tehran, where the headquarters of Iranian public television is located.
“Urgent warning to all individuals present in the area indicated on the attached map in District 3 of Tehran. Dear citizens, for your safety, we ask that you evacuate the mentioned area in District 3 of Tehran immediately,” posted the Arabic spokesperson of the Israeli Army, Avichay Adraee.
This Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also announced that Israel “controls the sky of Tehran” as part of the bombing campaign unleashed on Friday and reiterated that the objective of the Israeli forces is to destroy Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic programs.
According to Netanyahu, this alleged air control over Tehran “represents a change in the entire campaign”. He has highlighted that Israel is “on track” to achieve its goals, as reported by the newspaper The Times of Israel.