Day before ceasefire, Israel strikes ‘Destruction of Israel’ clock in Iran. What was it?

Israel struck several government sites in Iran while targeting Tehran’s military infrastructure on Monday.

One of the places hit was the ‘Destruction of Israel’ countdown clock in Tehran’s Palestine Square.

Read Israel-Iran conflict latest updates  here.

The clock showed a countdown to the year 2040, the year Iran claims Israel will be destroyed.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Evin Prison was also among the targets. The prison is known for holding political prisoners, dissidents, and foreign nationals.

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But what is the ‘Destruction of Israel’ countdown clock? And what does it stand for?

Let’s get you the answers to these questions and more:

Explained: What does the ‘Destruction of Israel’ clock signify?

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its fighter jets hit the headquarters and other buildings linked to Iran’s internal security forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran.

Israeli Defence Minister Katz said the strikes on “regime targets and governmental repression bodies” also hit the ‘Destruction of Israel’ clock in Tehran’s Palestine Square.

The clock was installed in 2017 and counts down to the year 2040, the year Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted that Israel would no longer exist.

Its message, displayed in Persian, Arabic and English, was meant to reinforce Iran’s position as a central player in anti-Israel activities.

When it was first revealed, the digital clock showed that Israel had 8,411 days left.

After Israel claimed to have destroyed the countdown display, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency shared a video it said showed the clock still running.

There is no way to confirm if the video is authentic or when it was recorded.

In the video, the clock showed 5,569 days remaining.

For Iran’s hardliners, the clock stood as a constant reminder of their goal, the eventual destruction of Israel. For Israel, it was a provocation and a symbol of Iran’s threat.

Among the sites targeted by Israel, the most notable was Evin Prison, which holds political prisoners, journalists, academics, human rights workers, and others seen as critics of the Iranian government. The strike is said to have hit the prison’s entrance, possibly to allow prisoners to escape.

Israel also attacked Fordo, according to reports from the military and Iranian media. The strike came a day after US “bunker buster” bombs hit the underground nuclear site located south of Tehran.

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Iran-Israel ceasefire: Is the war over?

US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had come into effect on Tuesday, marking the twelfth day of fighting between the two long-time rivals.

“THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!” he posted on his Truth Social platform.

His statement came even as Iran launched fresh strikes on Israel. Rescue teams in Jerusalem said that four people were killed in the attack.

Notably, Israel has formally accepted the ceasefire proposal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement, saying the country had achieved its goal of ending the threat from Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

The Israeli government also warned that it would “respond forcefully” to any breach of the truce.

“Israel has removed a dual immediate existential threat – both in the nuclear and ballistic missile fields,” the official statement said.

On the Iranian side, an initial rejection of a ceasefire was followed by a cryptic message from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, hinting at a possible halt to active fighting.

He posted on X, “The military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4am. Together with all Iranians, I thank our brave Armed Forces who remain ready to defend our dear country until their last drop of blood, and who responded to any attack by the enemy until the very last minute.”

Earlier, Araghchi had made Iran’s position clear: “As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around. As of now, there is NO agreement on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations. However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.”

Meanwhile, Iranian state-run media reported that a ceasefire had started , following what it described as “four waves of Iranian attacks on Israeli-occupied territories.”

With inputs from agencies