US, Israel targeted journalists as part of their attacks on Iran

Reports indicate that a joint air strike by the US and Israel has targeted the facility housing Channel 2 of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the nation’s state-run media entity.

The building, located on Alvand Street in the capital city of Tehran, was struck on Sunday.

Despite the strike, IRIB issued a statement confirming that broadcasting operations, including those of Channel 2, remain uninterrupted, with no significant disruptions reported in television transmission.

Technical teams conduct damage assessments

According to the Tasnim News Agency, broadcasts continue as normal. Technical teams from the organization are currently conducting inspections to determine the extent of potential damage resulting from the attack.

Follow-up statements from IRIB’s technological development department noted that only a brief interruption occurred, advising viewers that they may need to rescan their receivers to restore access to the channels.

The department emphasized that the television studios sustained no damage and that the networks are continuing their routine operations without further incident.

Iranian journalist Marzieh Hashemi commented in a social media post earlier today: “Just a few hours ago, the Zionist regime and the US again attacked the IRIB headquarters. The first attack occurred in June 2024 during the 12-day imposed war. The second was last night, and this time was just a few hours ago. Yet we remain at IRIB, working to keep all our channels live.”

It has been reported that at least eight waves of retaliatory strikes have been carried out against hostile targets across the region. In June of last year, Israel targeted the IRIB headquarters in Tehran, an attack that resulted in the deaths of three reporters.

Al-Manar television headquarters struck in Beirut

The Israeli military conducted an air strike on the headquarters of Al-Manar television, located in the Dahiyeh district of southern Beirut.

The broadcaster, known for its close ties to Hezbollah, announced that the building in the Haret Hreik neighborhood had been targeted. Powerful explosions were heard throughout the area during the attack.

Lebanon-based MTV reported that Israel had issued an evacuation warning for the building late Monday prior to the strike.

The escalation in tension follows a rocket and drone attack launched by Hezbollah on a military facility in northern Israel on Monday morning.

The Israeli military stated that the strikes in Beirut were directed at Hezbollah command centers and weapons depots.

In the wide-ranging offensive that the US and Israel have been conducting against Iran since Saturday, reports indicate that numerous individuals have been killed, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and high-ranking military officials.

Despite the ceasefire agreement signed at the end of November 2024, it was reported that Israel has continued its violations in Lebanon, with these attacks claiming hundreds of lives.

Since the launch of Israel’s operations in Lebanon in October 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024, more than 4,000 people have been killed and approximately 17,000 have been injured.

US digital blockades against Iranian media outlets

These physical attacks on media organizations recall the digital restrictions previously imposed by the US on Iran-linked news websites.

In 2021, the US government seized dozens of news websites it identified as being linked to Iran, accusing them of “spreading disinformation.”

Access to these sites—including Iran’s state-backed English-language channel, Press TV—was blocked, with notices posted on their domains stating that the sites had been seized.

The US Department of Justice announced it had seized 33 websites used by the Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU), as well as three sites operated by Iraq-based Kata’ib Hezbollah militants, citing violations of sanctions.

The Department alleged that the Iranian government utilized these sites under the “guise of news organizations” to conduct malicious influence operations against the US.

At the time, IRIB accused the US of suppressing freedom of expression. Yemen’s Ansarallah-affiliated Al-Masirah television was subjected to similar restrictions, describing the situation as an “act of piracy with no legal basis.”