Israeli aircraft have struck the headquarters of Iran’s state broadcaster in Tehran, after the Israeli military told residents of the area of the capital where it is located to evacuate.
A live broadcast on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting’s TV channel was briefly interrupted after blasts were heard and the studio lights went out. Iranian media reported that at least one staff member was killed.
The Israeli military said it targeted a “communications centre of the Iranian regime”. Iran’s foreign ministry said the strike was a “war crime”.
Residents of Tehran meanwhile appeared to be fleeing in large numbers, with pictures showing traffic jams on one highway heading north.
Earlier, the Israeli military declared that it had achieved “full air superiority” over the city and had destroyed a third of Iran’s missile launchers.
It came after Iranian missiles struck four different areas in the northern and central Israel overnight, killing at least eight civilians, according to the military.
Iran’s health ministry said at least 224 people had been killed and more than 1,200 injured in Israeli air strikes since Friday, when Israel launched a large-scale air campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear programme and ballistic missiles.
Iranian missile strikes have killed at least 24 people and injured 592 others in Israel over the same period, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office
On Monday afternoon, the Israeli military’s Persian-language spokesperson called on residents of western Tehran’s District 3 to evacuate immediately, saying it planned to target military infrastructure and that their lives were at risk.
Hours later, the Israeli strike on the building housing Iran’s state broadcaster was broadcast live on its TV network, IRINN.
Following the sound of several explosions, newsreader Sahar Emami said: “What you noticed is the sound of a clear aggression by the Zionist regime on IRIB.”
Another, much louder explosion then shook the studio, forcing Emami to leave.
The broadcast was cut off and replaced with news bulletins, before resuming minutes later.
Later, the head of IRIB, Peyman Jebelli, appeared on TV showing a blood-stained paper. He said the channel and its employees were “standing until the end”.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported that Masoumeh Azimi, an employee of the IRIB Secretariat, was killed in the attack.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baqai, condemned the strike, saying it was a “wicked act” and a “war crime”.
The Israeli military’s spokesman, Brig Gen Effie Defrin, said it targeted “a communications centre of the Iranian regime, which served Iran’s armed forces”.
“According to our intelligence, the centre was used by military forces to advance operational activity under the cover of civilian assets and infrastructure,” he alleged.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called IRIB the “propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority of the Iranian regime”.
The Iranian Red Crescent also said three of its first responders were killed when an ambulance was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran’s Shahid Bagheri district on Monday.
“This incident is not only a crime against international humanitarian law but also a blatant attack on humanity and morality,” a statement added.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, but Deffrin said aircraft had struck trucks carrying weapons, surface-to-air missile launchers, other military infrastructure, and also eliminated “operatives” attempting to flee Tehran.
“Many have left Tehran. And I noticed that some local shops are also closed,” they wrote. “The bakeries are packed, though, and those out and about you see them panic buying.”
They added: “Panic and fear are the words to describe the mood in Tehran right now. [But] I don’t want to leave.”
A second Tehran resident told Persian that their family had gathered their documents and jewellery and fled northwards early on Saturday.
“I cleaned and tidied the house completely, said goodbye to it, and cried for 15 minutes. Then we left Tehran,” they said.
A third person with two young children said she had decided to stay.
“I’m too exhausted to even think of leaving and coming back to find my life destroyed,” they explained. “I’ve struggled to get here. If everything is going to be ruined, then I’d rather my kids and I go with our home.”
Iran’s foreign ministry also accused the Israeli military of targeting a hospital during a series of air strikes in the western city of Kermanshah on Monday.
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