TEHRAN — Iranian state television was jolted off the air Monday afternoon when a thunderous explosion tore through its primary broadcast studio in northern Tehran, sending anchor Sahar Emami fleeing live on camera as smoke filled the room and debris rained down around her. Moments later, the screen went black.
The crazy moment, captured and widely circulated online before the signal cut, underscored the widening scope of Israel’s military campaign inside Iran. Israeli officials later confirmed that the strike was aimed at what they described as “strategic communications infrastructure” used by the regime to spread disinformation.
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The airstrike on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) facility marked a stark escalation in Israel’s bombardment of Iranian targets, which had previously been limited to suspected nuclear and missile sites. The assault came hours after Israel issued rare evacuation warnings for several dense districts of Tehran, including the neighborhood where the IRIB complex is located.
While the Israeli government maintains that its campaign is aimed squarely at military and command targets, the strike’s impact on one of the regime’s most visible civilian institutions triggered alarm across diplomatic channels.
“We will not allow Iran’s war machine — military or propaganda — to continue operating with impunity,” said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who shortly before the strike declared Iran’s “propaganda mouthpiece” would be silenced. He later clarified that civilians were not targets and that evacuations were being advised to limit collateral harm.
The Iranian Health Ministry said the total death toll from Israeli airstrikes since Friday has risen to approximately 250, while Israeli officials confirmed that Iran’s missile counterstrikes have killed 24 people in Israel. Among the Iranian strikes, a missile hit Israel’s key oil refinery in Haifa on Monday, igniting a large fire that took several hours to control.
The Israeli military now claims full control over Tehran’s airspace, following targeted strikes on Iran’s surface-to-air missile defenses. Israeli officials privately acknowledged that over the weekend they had an operational opportunity to assassinate Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but that President Donald J. Trump declined to authorize American participation in the mission.
Mr. Trump, who has thus far limited U.S. involvement to defending Israeli territory and assets, reiterated through aides that while the United States supports Israel’s right to self-defense, it will only enter the conflict if American personnel or interests are directly attacked.
The strike on the IRIB building, described by Israeli intelligence as a central node for regime coordination, reflects growing pressure within Israel’s war cabinet to dismantle not just Iran’s weapons capabilities but the broader machinery supporting its influence operations.
Despite the blast, IRIB resumed broadcasting from a secondary studio roughly 30 minutes later. Emami, visibly shaken but uninjured, returned to the air hours later and recounted the explosion live, saying, “We will not be silenced. The truth will continue.”
The unfolding air war between Israel and Iran is expected to dominate the agenda at the upcoming G7 summit in the Canadian Rockies, where President Trump is scheduled to meet with global leaders. “They had 60 days to act,” Mr. Trump said Monday, referring to stalled diplomacy with Tehran. “Now, Iran must choose peace or face consequences.”
As strikes continue and evacuation orders expand, humanitarian groups have warned that mass civilian displacement could follow. The United Nations issued a brief statement expressing “deep concern over the risks to non-combatants in urban centers.”
But for now, Tehran remains tense and defiant. While Israeli jets patrol the skies above, its broadcasters are back on air — and the city is bracing for what may come next.
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