Iran issues evacuation warning to Israeli news outlets after broadcast service attack

Iran has issued evacuation warnings for Israeli news channels after its state broadcaster’s building was hit by Israeli airstrikes.

“Iran has issued an evacuation warning for the N12 and N14 channels of Israel. This order comes in response to the hostile attack of Zionist enemy against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s broadcasting service,” state TV said.

The moment Israel’s strike hit the Iranian state television studio was captured in a live broadcast that showed Sahar Emami, an anchor at the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, hurrying off camera to safety.

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The station later said that the building was hit by four bombs. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The Iranian regime’s propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority was attacked by the IDF after a widespread evacuation of the area’s residents,” Katz said in a statement. “We will strike the Iranian dictator everywhere.”

Videos circulating on social media show that the IRINN building, known as “the glass building,” is still burning. There has been no official report on casualties from the incident. An anchor said on air that a few colleagues had been injured, but that their families should not be worried.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his country’s military actions in Iran are “changing the face” of West Asia as both countries traded heavy strikes for a fourth day.

Israel’s strikes have killed at least 224 people, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, according to Iranian authorities.

Netanyahu told a press conference Monday evening that Israel was eliminating Iran’s security leadership “one after the other”.

“We are changing the face of the Middle East, and that can lead to radical changes inside Iran itself,” he said.

With inputs from agencies