Israel carried out a missile attack on Iranian state radio and TV on Monday while a female news anchor was live on air.
As a loud explosion was suddenly heard, debris fell and smoke filled the TV studio set as the journalist ran for cover. The Israeli Defense Force, according to The Times of Israel, in a statement confirmed it had attacked the building housing Iran’s state broadcaster in Tehran.
The IDF said it had issued an evacuation order for the neighborhood before the missile attack. “This center was used by the armed forces to advance military operations under civilian cover, using its own means and assets,” the Israeli military claimed.
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“The strike was also carried out in a targeted manner to minimize harm to uninvolved [civilians] as much as possible,” the IDF added. The latest escalation in the Israel-Iran war came amid rolling international media coverage of the deepening Middle East conflict.
Last week, Israel launched the first missile strikes on military targets in Iran, which was followed by Iran’s own retaliatory missile attacks on major centers in Israel. The continuing conflict has led to death and injuries in both Israel and Iran as both countries deal with the fallout from the escalating war and attacks and the broader security threat to the Middle East.
Israel claims its sneak attack on Iran represents a preemptive strike aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities before the country acquires an atomic bomb. Iran counters the Israeli attacks were unprovoked and that its atomic energy program is solely for peaceful purposes.