TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) 鈥� Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate the middle of Iran's capital as Israel鈥檚 air campaign on Tehran appeared to broaden on the fourth day of an intensifying conflict.
An Iranian television anchor fled her studio during a live broadcast as bombs fell on the headquarters of the country's state-run TV station.
U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous message on his social media site later Monday calling for the immediate evacuation of Tehran.
鈥淚RAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,鈥� Trump wrote, adding that 鈥淓veryone should immediately evacuate Tehran!鈥�
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media shortly after Trump鈥檚 post that he was returning from the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the intensifying conflict between.
Israel says strikes have set back nuclear program
said the Israeli strikes have set back a 鈥渧ery, very long time," and told reporters he is in daily touch with Trump.
鈥淭he regime is very weak,鈥� he added.
Israel says its sweeping assault on Iran鈥檚 top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists, is necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to . The strikes have since Friday.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has that the country has enough enriched uranium should it choose to do so.
Iran has retaliated by at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured.
The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, , into even greater upheaval.
Israel's military issues evacuation warning affecting up to 330,000 people
Earlier Monday, Israel鈥檚 military issued an evacuation warning to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that houses the country鈥檚 state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The city, one of the region's largest, is home to around 9.5 million people.
Israel's military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes.
State-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after the station was hit, according to Iran鈥檚 state-run news agency. While on the air, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after 鈥渢he sound of aggression against the homeland.鈥� Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera.
The broadcast quickly switched to prerecorded programs. The station later said its building was hit by four bombs.
An anchor said on air that a few colleagues had been hurt, but their families should not be worried. The network said its live programs were transferred to another studio.
Israel claims 鈥榝ull aerial superiority鈥� over Tehran
Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that his country's forces had "achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran鈥檚 skies.鈥�
The military said it destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran鈥檚 total, as well as two F-14 planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft and multiple launchers just before they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel.
Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran鈥檚 Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran.
The Israeli strikes 鈥渁mount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat,鈥� Defrin said.
One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured.
Explosions rock Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva and Haifa oil refinery
Powerful explosions rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn Monday, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky over the coastal city.
Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva said Iranian missiles hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, shattering windows and ripping the walls off multiple apartments.
Iranian missiles also hit an oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa for the second night in a row. The early morning strike killed three workers, ignited a significant fire and damaged a building, Israel鈥檚 fire and rescue services said. The workers were sheltering in the building鈥檚 safe room when the impact caused a stairwell to collapse, trapping them inside.
Firefighters rushed to extinguish the fire and rescue them, but the three died before rescuers could reach them.
No sign of conflict letting up
Iran鈥檚 foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to make a veiled outreach Monday for the U.S. to step in and negotiate an end to hostilities between Israel and Iran.
In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is "genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential.鈥�
鈥淚t takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu,鈥� Iran鈥檚 top diplomat wrote. 鈥淭hat may pave the way for a return to diplomacy.鈥�
The message to Washington was sent as the latest talks between the U.S. and Iran were canceled over the weekend after Israel targeted key military and political officials in Tehran.
On Sunday, Araghchi said that Iran will stop its strikes if Israel does the same.
The conflict has also forced most countries in the Middle East to . Dozens of airports have stopped all flights or severely reduced operations, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded and others unable to flee the conflict or travel home.
Health authorities reported that 1,277 people were wounded in Iran. Iranians also reported fuel rationing.
Rights groups such as the Washington-based Iranian advocacy group Human Rights Activists have suggested that the Iranian government鈥檚 death toll is a significant undercount. The group says it has documented more than 400 people killed, among them 197 civilians.
Ahead of Israel's initial attack, its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran. Since then, Iran has reportedly detained several people and hanged one on suspicion of espionage.
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Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv; Isaac Scharf and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Farnoush Amiri in New York; Darlene Superville in Washington and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Ami Bentov And Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press
