Israeli air strike on tehran cuts off iran’s state tv during live bulletin

Israeli air strike on tehran cuts off iran’s state tv during live bulletin

The strike came after a barrage of Iranian missiles killed 11 people in Israel on the fourth day of an escalating air war; Israeli PM, in an interview, suggests that assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would ‘end the conflict.’

Iran’s state broadcaster was briefly knocked off air by an Israeli strike and explosions rang out across Tehran Monday, after a barrage of Iranian missiles killed 11 people in Israel on the fourth day of an escalating air war.

After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on Friday launched a surprise aerial campaign against targets across Iran, saying they aimed to prevent its arch-foe from acquiring atomic weapons — a charge Tehran denies.

The sudden flare-up in hostilities has sparked fears of a wider conflict, with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer saying from a G7 summit in Canada that he believed there was “a consensus for de-escalation” among leaders of the club of wealthy democracies.

Israel’s strikes have so far killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, according to Iranian authorities. Iran has launched several waves of missiles in retaliation.

The live feed of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) was abruptly cut when an Israeli strike hit its building on Monday. A presenter in the midst of lambasting Israel was forced to flee mid-broadcast when a powerful explosion rocked the building, knocking out the monitors behind her and sending debris and dust falling from the ceiling, footage showed.

Issued evacuation

Israel had previously issued an evacuation warning for the part of town where IRIB is located, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying before the strike that Iran’s “propaganda and incitement megaphone is about to disappear”. He later warned that Israel would “strike the Iranian dictator everywhere”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Monday that assassinating Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would “end the conflict” between the two arch-foes.

“It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” Mr. Netanyahu told ABC News in an interview.