Dramatic footage emerged from Tehran Monday evening as Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, abruptly cut a live segment amid what it described as Israeli airstrikes. During the broadcast, the visibly shaken anchor was speaking on-air when a loud explosion was heard. Moments later, debris—apparently chunks of concrete—appeared to fall from the ceiling, prompting the anchor to leap from her seat and flee the studio.
The bombing of the Iranian television network came just hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz sent a strong hint about the IDF's intention to attack the state media in Tehran. In a statement he issued, the minister wrote: "The mouthpiece of Iranian propaganda and incitement is on its way to disappearing. The evacuation of residents of the area is beginning."
The moment of the attack on Iranian television, as broadcast live
Earlier, the IDF Persian spokesperson, Reserve Master Sergeant Kamal Pinhasi, issued a warning to citizens of the capital, Tehran, to evacuate according to a map he published. In his message, he stated: "Urgent warning to workers and those staying in District 3 in Tehran. In the coming hours, the IDF will operate in the area, as it has operated in recent days throughout Tehran, to strike military infrastructure of the Iranian regime. Dear citizens, for your security and well-being, we ask you to evacuate immediately from the marked area in District 3, according to the map. Your presence in this area endangers your lives."
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Minutes later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also issued a statement calling on Tel Aviv residents to evacuate as soon as possible. This is a statement similar to the cynical statement Iran issued Sunday night, in which it presented itself as not trying to harm civilian targets. In that statement, it called on Israeli residents to evacuate and not allow their “brutal regime” to use them as human shields – an adoption of Israeli terminology for the use of civilians by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.
After the attack on the Tehran Broadcasting Corporation building, regime supporters operating propaganda pages posted a threat to employees of Channels 12 and 14 in Israel, calling on them to evacuate the channel buildings and maintain a distance of 500 meters from them. However, these are not official Iranian regime pages.