In a deadly escalation of hostilities, an Israeli airstrike struck the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in Tehran, resulting in the martyrdom of Masoumeh Azimi, a staff member at the IRIB secretariat. The attack, which occurred during a live transmission, targeted the building housing the broadcaster’s news and political affairs department.
Azimi succumbed to injuries caused by the powerful shockwave from the blast, as at least four projectiles hit the facility. The strike caused significant damage, injuries to several journalists, and briefly disrupted IRIB’s live broadcast.
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In a moment that has since gone viral, anchor Sahar Emami remained on air despite the building shaking under the impact. Her continued broadcast, during which she proclaimed “Allahu Akbar,” has been hailed as a symbol of journalistic defiance amid conflict.
Shortly after the strike, IRIB’s news director Hassan Abedini condemned the incident as a “diabolic terrorist crime,” appearing live to underscore the attack’s severity. Iran’s foreign ministry called the strike a “war crime” and urged the United Nations to take action against Israel for targeting media personnel and infrastructure.
The Israeli Ministry of Military Affairs has confirmed responsibility for the airstrike, which forms part of a wider military offensive launched last Friday. Since the conflict escalated in October 2023, Israel has faced international criticism for repeated attacks on journalists, with over 250 media workers reportedly killed in Gaza alone.
