Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged residents of Tehran to evacuate the city, as the Israeli military issued an “urgent warning” to a large district in the Iranian capital to leave immediately.
Speaking during a visit to an Israeli airbase on Monday, Netanyahu declared: “We are on the way to achieving our two goals: the elimination of the nuclear threat and the elimination of the missile threat.”
He added that if Israel controls the airspace over Tehran, it would strike strategic regime targets, accusing Iran of launching attacks on Israeli civilians.
“We say to the citizens of Tehran: ‘Get out of the area!’ – and we will take action,” Netanyahu warned.
Eyewitnesses in Tehran reported explosions in the western part of the city on Monday, while media outlets also indicated that airstrikes had taken place in the eastern section.
The Israeli army called on residents of a 30-square-kilometre area in the capital to leave the zone urgently. The district, home to an estimated 300,000 people, includes diplomatic missions, shopping centres, and some of Tehran’s most exclusive residential neighbourhoods.
The Israeli military has previously issued similar evacuation calls during its operations in Gaza, drawing controversy.
(NAN)