Israel suggests Iran's state broadcaster will be its next target

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if Israeli attacks persist, the Islamic Republic will respond with much harsher measures, during a phone call with the Sultan of Oman on Monday, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency.

“If the United States does not restrain the Zionist regime, Iran will be forced to deliver more painful responses,” IRNA quoted Pezeshkian as saying during the call.

“If aggression continues, much harsher responses await them,” he added.

Eight members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij forces were killed in the early hours of Monday in Khondab, Markazi province, amid what authorities described as “attacks and insecurity caused by the Zionist regime,” according to a statement published by ISNA and other state-affiliated media.

The group included six IRGC members and two Basij volunteers, reportedly killed while on a mission to “defend the Islamic Republic.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Israeli forces targeted Farabi Hospital in the western city of Kermanshah, calling the attack a “grave violation of international law” and a war crime.

“Attacking hospitals and residential areas, reportedly directed by their Defense Minister, is a grave violation of international law,” Baghaei wrote on X. “History will judge; eternal shame awaits the regime’s backers and apologists.”

The Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, however, said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had turned buildings near the hospital into weapons depots, making the area a military target and accusing the IRGC of using civilians as “human shields.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday the Israeli Air Force has established control over the skies above Tehran.

He said Israel is moving toward achieving its two primary goals: neutralizing Iran’s nuclear capabilities and dismantling its missile arsenal.

Netanyahu also said that citizens in Tehran have been urged to evacuate, as Israel continues its military operations.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett posted a video message on social media Monday addressing the Iranian people, calling on them to oppose the clerical establishment amid Israeli strikes.

“This is your chance to get rid of this terrible regime,” Bennett said. “The people of Iran are not Israel’s enemy. Your only enemy is this corrupt, brutal, and oppressive regime.”