Israel attacks Iranian TV station as it claims 'aerial superiority'

Israel attacked a TV station in Tehran on Monday as it proclaimed "aerial superiority" over Iran.

Warplanes struck Iran for a fourth day as Israel said it was going "launcher by launcher" to destroy Iran's missile strength. Iran fired hundreds of missiles back, hitting a power plant in Haifa and destroying buildings in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military said residents of a northern district of Tehran should leave "immediately", echoing eviction orders that have typically preceded strikes on Gaza and Lebanon.

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An attack followed on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting station, and the Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the "Iranian propaganda and incitement megaphone is about to disappear". Footage showed a newsreader hurrying out of a studio during a broadcast lambasting Israel. The broadcast resumed shortly afterwards.

Iranian government media agency Fars News said an employee at the broadcaster was killed.

Mr Katz said residents of Tehran would "pay the price" for Iranian strikes that killed at least eight people in Israel in the night from Sunday to Monday. He later walked that back, saying the "price" was having to evacuate and that Israel had "no intention to physically harm the residents of Tehran".

Iran condemned the attack on the broadcaster as a "wicked act" and a war crime, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei. Israel claimed Iran's army was using the TV station

Israel separately said it had hit Iranian F-14 jets at an airport in Tehran, while Iranian media said targets for retaliation could include Israeli military and intelligence centres including the Ramat David air base near Haifa are on Iran's list of targets for airstrikes

Iran hinted it had yet to deploy its full arsenal in response to Israeli attacks. Brig Gen Yadollah Javani said Iranian Arash drones were being launched as well as long-range ballistic missiles, aiming to catch Israel by surprise.

"We are still acting with restraint and have not used all our strength. But if necessary, we will enter the next stages," Iranian media quoted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official Mohsen Rezaei as saying. In Yemen, the chairman of the Houthi-run Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al Mashat, declared the rebels' support for Iran.

Israel said it was "pushing eastward" and would carry out more strikes as part of what it calls Operation Rising Lion, which aims to set back Iran's nuclear activities and stop it from developing an atomic bomb. A surprise attack began on Friday and killed several of Iran's most senior military figures.

The Israeli army on Monday announced the killings of more Iranian targets, including IRGC intelligence chief Mohammed Kazemi and a deputy. Israel's attacks have also killed scientists and other figures allegedly linked to nuclear weapons development.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran has "no intention of obtaining these weapons at all" but had the "right to benefit from nuclear energy". A UN watchdog holding an emergency meeting on Monday has accused Iran of stockpiling uranium at near weapons-grade levels.

Calls for calm

The latest escalation came despite urgent calls for calm from world leaders, including members of the G7 holding a summit in Canada. The powerful group of nations share a "consensus for de-escalation" but were still discussing "how it is to be brought about", said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was in contact with Iran and Israel, although European figures were quick to reject the idea of Moscow being a mediator. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he too was ready to assist with peace talks.

The UN nuclear watchdog warned of a radiation and chemical leak at the Natanz nuclear facility, which Israel said it had destroyed. Israeli army spokesman Effie Defrin said about 120 Iranian missile launchers had also been destroyed, amounting to about a third of Iran's stockpile.

"At this time, we can say that we have achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran’s skies," said Brig Gen Defrin. The army said it had struck several lorries carrying weapons and surface-to-air missile launchers that were driving from western Iran towards Tehran.

As tensions soared, Iran said it had hanged an alleged Israeli spy arrested in 2023 on charges of working for Mossad. Iranian police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said several more alleged spies had been detained.

Neighbouring countries watched warily as missile strikes lit up the sky. “With each passing day, this conflict inches us closer to our worst nightmare: being dragged into this,” an Iraqi diplomat told The National.

He said Iraq had "made it clear to the Iranians" that any attacks on US troops would only complicate the situation. One Tehran-backed faction in Iraq, known as the True Promise Corps, meanwhile said on Monday that it would launch attacks against Israel.

Pakistan announced the indefinite closure of all border crossings with Iran. The president of Germany's central bank, Joachim Nagel, said a prolonged conflict "could cause a sharp rise in oil prices" and "upset our forecasts" for inflation and growth.

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