Updated June 16, 2025 at 4:42 PM MDT
An Israeli airstrike hit Iran's state TV headquarters during a live broadcast on Monday — plunging the set into darkness, sending debris flying and setting much of the building on fire. The attack was part of a series of deadly strikes traded by Israel and Iran on the fourth day of the conflict between the two countries, raising concerns that the region could be headed toward a wider Middle East conflict.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, called the strike on the Iranian TV studio a "direct assault on press freedom" and accused Israel of being the "foremost enemy of truth."
According to Iravani, more than 220 civilians in Iran have been killed since the start of Israel's offensive, including 20 children. He added that more than 1,000 people have been injured.
At least 24 people have been killed by Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel, and nearly 600 injured, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit which promotes press freedom around the world, also spoke out against the attack. "CPJ is appalled by Israel's bombing of Iran's state TV channel while live on air" said Sara Qudah, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa regional director, in a post on X.
The Israeli military said the TV station building was "used by the Iranian Armed Forces under the guise of civilian activity, covering up the military use of the center's infrastructure and assets."
At a news briefing on Monday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that the television station was not a legitimate news outlet but a tool of a totalitarian regime.
He added that Israel's strikes have set back Iran's nuclear program by a "very long time," but emphasized that more targets remain. When asked if Israel plans to keep fighting until the Iranian government falls, Netanyahu said the main goal is to dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities — but also added that the "regime is very weak."
The Israeli military also said it had "precisely struck" another target earlier on Monday: command centers belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite military and intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In a post on X, the military said the strike happened overnight, killing four officials, including the head of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization.
If confirmed, the strike would mark the latest blow in a string of hits to Iran's military power since Israel launched its surprise attack last week targeting the country's nuclear capabilities. Israel considers Iran's nuclear program to be a direct threat to its national security.
President Trump said Monday that Iran has sent messages through intermediaries that it wants to de-escalate the conflict with Israel.
"They'd like to talk, but they should have done that before," Trump told reporters after a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the G7 summit in Canada. "They have to make a deal. And it's painful for both parties, but I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk and they should talk immediately before it's too late."
But Israel's ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, told reporters on Monday that Israel will not stop until Iran's nuclear program is eliminated.
"It's not, you know, a short operation," he said. "It's not similar to what we did in the eighties in Iraq when we had to attack one reactor or in 2005 when we took care of the reactor in Syria. It is much more challenging operation and it takes time."
Both sides have sent out warnings as they continue targeting key installations and communities. Each country has ordered evacuations in the other as fighting intensifies.
The latest strikes hit Israel early Monday, when Iranian missiles and drones struck Tel Aviv and Haifa, killing at least eight people and injuring nearly 100 others, according to the Israeli prime minister's office.
In Petah Tikvah, near Tel Aviv, four people were killed after an Iranian missile hit a residential building. The dead included two men and two women, all in their 70s. Israel's emergency services, Magen David Adom, shared images of babies being rescued from the rubble.
One missile hit the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, causing minor damage to its facade, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in a post on X, adding the consulate would remain closed on Monday.
On Monday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned more rounds of strikes against Israel would be "more forceful, severe, precise and destructive than previous ones."
NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben contributed to this report from Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. NPR's Jackie Northam and Michele Kelemen also contributed.
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