A live news broadcast on Iranian state television was cut short on Monday when a powerful explosion struck the studio, forcing the anchor to flee mid-sentence. The blast happened as the presenter was criticizing Israel live on air. Seconds later, dust filled the room, and the screen behind her shattered, prompting her to run off-camera. The broadcast was abruptly switched to recorded footage, and videos of the moment quickly spread online.
Iran blamed the explosion on an Israeli strike, calling it a “war crime.” Just an hour earlier, Israel had warned residents to evacuate the area of Tehran that houses the national TV station. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the station was a propaganda tool and hinted it was about to be destroyed.
Reports confirmed that Iran had launched a wave of missile attacks on Israel earlier that day, killing at least eight people. In response, Israel issued a mass evacuation alert affecting around 330,000 people in central Tehran. This region includes the national police headquarters, three hospitals—one run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard—and the state broadcaster.
According to Israeli military spokesperson General Effie Defrin, Israeli forces had gained complete aerial control over Tehran’s skies. He said their operations had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers, which he described as nearly a third of Iran’s arsenal. He also stated that ten command centers linked to the Quds Force, Iran’s elite military wing, had been hit. Israel claimed the strikes were part of a broader effort to cripple Iran’s military capabilities.
