Israel has launched an airstrike on the headquarters of Iran’s state-run television (IRIB) in Tehran’s Third District, during a live news program.
The attack caused a loud explosion and smoke billowing from the studio, with journalist Sahar Emami on the air. She fled the scene after the explosion, shouting “Allahu Akbar.”
The attack came hours after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to “destroy” the IRIB news agency, describing it as an organization that spreads hatred and propaganda. The Iranian government has called the attack a war crime against international law.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused Israel of “killing journalists and the media,” and called on the United Nations Security Council to intervene immediately to address Israel’s aggression.
Israel has been particularly targeting the Middle East media, and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says 178 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, making it the deadliest war on the press in history. CPJ says Israel’s lack of impunity has emboldened it to continue killing Palestinian journalists, and is now targeting Iranian media outlets.
The Israeli attack on the IRIB media center is part of a broader campaign to cripple Iran’s economy, power, politics, and media. Iran has responded to Israeli aggression with missiles and drones.
Israel has also carried out a series of airstrikes in recent years in Gaza, the West Bank, and the Lebanese border, aiming to disrupt media and communications networks it deems a threat. Security experts warn that the two countries are heading for a direct war, which poses a serious threat to stability in the Middle East.
The war between Israel and Iran has caused a huge loss of life and property. Iran has confirmed the deaths of senior members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who were killed in Israeli airstrikes inside Iran. Intelligence centers and military bases were also attacked, resulting in the deaths and injuries of a number of soldiers and officers and 220 civilians.
For Israel, although it suppressed official data on casualties, the Iranian missiles that hit key targets caused widespread destruction and the death toll has now reached 20 people according to Israeli claims, while Iranian media reported that Israel suffered heavy losses in these attacks.
Israel has been accused of plotting political assassinations against Iran’s top leadership, with President Donald Trump reportedly rejecting an Israeli plot to target Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Such a plot reflects the depth of the political and strategic animosity between the two countries. The Israeli regime sees Khomeini as the mastermind behind the region’s support for militant groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, making him a key figure in the Middle East. Iran has called the assassination attempt a political assassination that threatens international peace, and has said it is fully prepared to respond to any attack on its leadership.
