Israel Strikes Iranian State TV HQ, Anchor Takes Cover Mid-Broadcast.
Amid escalating hostilities, Israel on Monday bombed the headquarters of Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, in Tehran, forcing a news anchor to take cover during a live broadcast. The strike is part of Israel’s intensifying military campaign against Iranian targets, following days of missile exchanges.
Footage from Iranian state media showed the IRIB complex engulfed in black smoke, with debris scattered across the premises. Earlier, Israeli forces also hit a military base in western Tehran. Loud explosions were heard across the capital, according to Iran’s Far News Agency.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted military infrastructure in the Iranian capital and issued an evacuation advisory in Farsi to Tehran residents. “Israeli civilians don’t get warnings before running to shelters,” the IDF said, referencing frequent rocket attacks on its own cities.
Iran responded by warning of a major counterstrike. State media reported Tehran is preparing the “largest and most intense missile attack in history” on Israeli soil. Earlier on Monday, Iranian missiles targeted multiple Israeli cities, killing at least eight people as the conflict entered its fourth day.
Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on June 13, citing intelligence that Iran was nearing nuclear weapon capability. The strikes have focused on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure. In retaliation, Iran fired around 200 missiles and drones at Israel in four waves. Israeli defense systems, aided by the U.S., intercepted most of them.
Amid the military escalation, Iran’s parliament is reportedly drafting a bill to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), even as Tehran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, recently confirmed that Iran is in violation of its NPT commitments.
Israel is believed to possess a nuclear arsenal but has neither confirmed nor denied it. It remains the only country in the Middle East not to sign the NPT.
As tensions soar, G7 leaders have called for immediate de-escalation. A draft statement urges both sides to avoid further conflict, reaffirming support for Israel’s right to self-defense while insisting Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons.
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