Israel bombs Iran state media buildings in Tehran

A newsreader was forced to run for cover as the live broadcast captured the impact of an Israeli bombing raid | WATCH

This image from footage broadcast by Iran's IRINN news shows a TV presenter seconds before a loud explosion. Picture: AFP

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Israel struck buildings belonging to an Iranian state-owned media company in Tehran during what appeared to be a live broadcast, after the Israeli military said residents and workers in that part of the capital should leave.

Israel struck buildings in Tehran belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, or IRIB, Iran’s state-owned media company, with the blasts seemingly heard live on television.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF was “acting against regime targets …. It’s not a broadcast channel. It’s not a news channel. It’s a tool of a totalitarian regime that hides the true reality from the citizens of Tehran and Iran”.

“It’s constructive to block this propaganda channel and to enable Iranians to get true information.”

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had targeted “the Iranian regime’s propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority.”

Iran issued evacuation warnings for Israeli news channels after the attacks, Iranian state TV reported on Monday.

“Iran has issued an evacuation warning for the N12 and N14 channels of Israel. This order comes in response to the hostile attack of Zionist enemy against the Islamic republic of Iran’s broadcasting service,” state TV said.

Smoke rises after a strike on a building used by Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, part of Iran's state TV broadcaster, in Tehran. Picture: Getty Images

Israel earlier said it killed four senior Iranian intelligence officials in a strike on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ headquarters.

The attacks came as Iran signalled through Arab intermediaries that it is seeking an end to the hostilities and a resumption of talks over its nuclear program, prompting a rally in U.S. stocks and a pullback in oil prices.

Israel’s days-long assault on Iran’s nuclear program, senior leadership and infrastructure has left Tehran battered and given Israel air superiority over parts of the country.

Agencies