Israeli forces warned residents living in a portion of the Iranian capital of Tehran to evacuate ahead of an attack.
“Immediate warning to employees as well as all people located in District 18 of Tehran based on the area specified on the attached map,” the IDF wrote on X. “In the coming hours, the Israeli army will take action in this area to attack the Iranian regime’s military infrastructure, just as it has done in recent days around Tehran.”
If civilians stay in the area, their lives would be at risk, the IDF said.
As Israeli airstrikes pounded Tehran this week—including a direct hit on Iran’s state television headquarters—residents in the capital described a city gripped by fear and confusion.
In exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, an independent journalist based in Tehran, who withheld their name for fear of reprisal, said, “I hate the Islamic Republic, but my country is under attack. Our house was shaking from the blasts and missiles an hour ago while I was in the newsroom covering the news. We are in a war zone.”
According to the journalist, the Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) compound hit hard—physically and symbolically.
“The studio that was bombed yesterday is part of the regime’s state broadcaster, a mouthpiece for propaganda that has never represented the people. For years, we imagined the fall of IRIB as the final chapter in the collapse of the Islamic Republic. But yesterday, for a few minutes, we were all in shock,” they said. “Ordinary people don’t watch the regime’s TV, but the attack on it felt strangely symbolic—like the world was shifting.”
Another Tehran resident told Fox News Digital they only learned about the scale of the attacks after briefly regaining internet access. “I was hiding during the bombing. I had no idea what was happening. Has the U.S. intervened? Is this going to continue?” they asked.