The headquarters of Iran's state-run television was bombed by Israeli forces on Monday (June 16), during a live news broadcast. The strike hit the building while a presenter was on air.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the attack, which had first been reported by Iranian media. Earlier in the day, Israel’s military issued an evacuation warning to residents of the Tehran district where the IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) headquarters is located.
The Iranian government condemned the strike, calling it a war crime.
Footage circulating on social media shows the moment an Israeli missile hits the building. The presenter, visibly alarmed, is seen abandoning the studio as smoke begins to fill the room.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also confirmed the strike, claiming the TV station was being used as civilian cover for covert military operations.
"The Israeli Air Force, guided by military intelligence, targeted the regime’s propaganda media center, which was being utilized by the Iranian armed forces for military purposes," the IDF stated.
"This building was operating under civilian guise while conducting secret military operations with state-owned assets and equipment."
Iran’s state broadcaster confirmed that the attack disrupted transmission, but that broadcasting has since resumed. The channel accused Israel of trying to “silence the voice of Iran” through the attack.
Footage shared by locals on social media shows what is believed to be the IRIB building surrounded by debris.
According to Iranian outlets Press TV and Tasnim News, there are reports of IRIB staff killed or injured, though officials in Tehran had yet to confirm casualties at the time of publication.
Earlier that day, Israel also bombed a military base in Tehran, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency.