Israel bombs Iranian state TV during live broadcast

Defence affairs - iranian state tv

Iranian state television was broadcasting live on Monday when a massive explosion rocked the studio, with the anchor fleeing her desk amid smoke and rubble. The broadcast then went dark.

The big picture: Israel's strike on the IRIB state media building signaled a broadening of its bombing campaign in Iran.

Driving the news: The Israeli military had claimed it was only striking targets connected to Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

But Israel has now issued several evacuation orders for civilians in Tehran, in areas where hundreds of thousands of people live. One of those evacuation orders focused on the neighborhood where Iran's state TV is located.

It's not clear how many civilians have managed to evacuate, or whether such a mass exodus is even possible on such a short timetable.

Israel's strikes have killed around 250 Iranians since Friday, according to the health ministry. Iran's missile strikes on Israel have killed 24 Israelis, according to the Israeli emergency service. Iranian missiles hit Israel's oil refinery in Haifa on Monday.

State of play:The Israeli military says it has full control of the airspace over Tehran after knocking out Iran's air defense systems.