The Israeli military is asking residents to evacuate ahead of new attacks. At the same time, some media outlets are claiming that Iran is interested in a ceasefire.
Iran is preparing for the largest and most intense missile attack in history on Israeli soil, Iranian state media reported Monday evening.
Shortly afterwards, the Israeli military says it has identified Iranian missiles heading towards Israel.
– Sirens recently sounded in several areas of northern Israel after rockets were identified that had been fired from Iran towards Israel, the Israeli military (IDF) said in a statement.
Residents were asked to seek shelter, but were told about 15 minutes later that they could leave their shelters. It is unclear whether any of the Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli air defenses.
Israel attacks Iranian TV and radio channel
The reports come shortly after Iran's state TV channel IRIB was attacked by Israel earlier Monday evening.
A video circulating on social media purports to show a news anchor having to evacuate during a live broadcast.
Aftenposten has seen the broadcast itself on IRIB's live broadcast. It has now been cut so that the image disappears a few minutes before the attack is said to have taken place. But the broadcast matches the video that is supposed to show the attack. Half an hour later, the news anchor is back on the broadcast, which is still ongoing.
Shortly afterwards, IRIB announces that Iran is preparing for the largest and most intense missile attack in history on Israeli soil, writes Reuters.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned a few minutes earlier that they would attack Iran's state TV and radio stations.
“The Iranian propaganda megaphone is disappearing,” he said in a statement.
Katz also confirmed the attack later Monday afternoon, Reuters writes.
IRIB's headquarters are located in a district of Tehran where Israel has issued an evacuation alert
The warning applies to northern District 3, which also includes four hospitals and several other medical facilities.
Asked Tehran to evacuate
“We are telling the people of Tehran: Evacuate, and we will start,” says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the same time, Iranian media are reporting that the sound of explosions can be heard both east and west of Tehran. Israel is said to have attacked a military base west of Tehran, writes Reuters.
Around 10 million people live in the Tehran area.
According to several media outlets, large crowds of people are trying to flee Iran's capital Tehran for fear of new Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards urged Tel Aviv residents to evacuate as soon as possible, Iranian state media reported on Monday, shortly after Israel issued an evacuation warning for a restricted area in Tehran.
Wall Street Journal: Wants help to pressure Israel into immediate peace
On Monday afternoon, both the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Reuters reported that Iran is interested in a ceasefire. Reuters writes that Iran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to ask Donald Trump to pressure Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
Iran has also reportedly said that they want a resumption of nuclear talks, WSJ reports.
Attack command center
On Monday night, the IDF attacked a missile facility in Iran, part of a three-day escalation in the conflict between the countries.
Israeli forces also intercepted over 100 drones that had been sent from Iran towards Israel.
“The people of Tehran will soon pay the price,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said. He later claimed he was referring to the evacuation of homes near targets linked to the Iranian regime, not that Israel would intentionally harm residents.
Explosions were reported over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. British security firm Ambrey says two hypersonic missiles hit a power plant and sparked a fire near the port of Haifa, Israel.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims that they used a new method in their attacks on Israel, which allegedly caused different parts of Israel's air defense systems to attack each other.
The claim has not been confirmed by other sources.
Since the fighting between the two countries escalated last Friday, at least 224 people have been killed in Iran, according to the country's health ministry. This includes six Iranians in top military positions.
In Israel, at least 19 people have been killed since Friday.
The number of injured in Iran is estimated at around 1,400, while in Israel approximately 500 are said to have been affected.
Iranian President: We did not want war
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the country neither wanted a war nor took the initiative for one. Iran also does not want to develop nuclear weapons, according to the president.
"But we have the right to have nuclear power and to research it," Pezeshkian said at a meeting in the National Assembly on Monday, according to the state-run Iranian news agency Irna.
Israel claims Iran is developing nuclear weapons and has used that as one of the reasons for attacking Iran.
Iranian authorities deny this, claiming that the country's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Israel, for its part, claims that Iran is only months away from developing such weapons.
US President Donald Trump says he hopes Israel and Iran can reach an agreement, but says they may have to fight first.
Trump would not answer questions about whether he had asked Israel to pause its airstrikes on Iran. He also said the United States would continue to support Israel in defending itself, but that he hoped for a deal.
