Israel has struck the headquarters of Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, disrupting a live broadcast with an explosion in what marks a new escalation in its conflict with Tehran.
The attack mirrors previous Israeli strikes on media outlets in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Lebanon.
During the broadcast, anchor Sahar Emami condemned the “aggression against the homeland” and the assault on “truth” before a blast filled the studio with smoke and debris. Footage captured her fleeing as someone shouted, “God is greatest.” The strike followed Israeli military threats directed at Tehran’s District Three, where IRIB is based. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared the broadcaster “on its way to disappear.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denounced the strike as a “war crime” and branded Israel the top “killer of journalists and media people.”
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According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 178 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 2023—making it the deadliest conflict ever recorded for media workers.
Baghaei called on the UN Security Council to act immediately to “stop the genocidal aggressor.” The CPJ expressed outrage, stating that impunity for journalist killings in Palestine has “emboldened” Israel to target media abroad. “This bloodshed must end now,” the group posted on X.
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