Strikes on Iran Reverberate Through the Media

Yesterday, Sahar Emami, an anchor on Iran’s state broadcaster, was on air in a studio covering Israeli strikes on the country—the fourth day of missiles flying back and forth between the two powers since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran’s nuclear program. “Listen, what you hear is the sound of the aggressor,” Emami said. “You hear the sound of the aggressor attacking the truth.” Suddenly, an almighty sound could be heard on the broadcast; Emami quickly stood up and walked off-set as the studio shook, fragments of debris fluttered down, and a whirl of smoke passed across the camera. Israel, it transpired, had struck the building. The country’s military later claimed that it was targeting a communications center that its Iranian counterpart was using under the guise of “civilian activity,” but this hasn’t been independently verified, and Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, had said beforehand that “the mouthpiece of Iranian propaganda and incitement is about to disappear.” (Israel also called for the surrounding part of Tehran to be evacuated.)