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On Tuesday, Israel confirmed that it bombed the central headquarters of the Iranian regime's leadership in the heart of Tehran, in an offensive that now targets not only military objectives but also directly aims at the political structure that upholds power in the Islamic Republic.
The attack reached the offices of the Presidency and the building of the Supreme National Security Council, in what the Israeli army itself described as a strike to "dismantle facilities within the regime's command complex."
“The Israeli Air Force attacked and dismantled facilities within the complex of the Iranian terrorist regime's leadership in the heart of Tehran,” stated a military communiqué.
According to that version, numerous rounds of ammunition were fired at the presidential offices and at the headquarters of the Supreme National Security Council, one of the key bodies in the country's strategic decision-making.
The bombing occurs simultaneously with another high-impact political attack confirmed by Israel: the one directed at the building of the Assembly of Experts in the city of Qom, the constitutional body responsible for choosing the successor of the supreme leader Alí Jamenei, who died on Saturday at the beginning of the joint offensive launched with the United States.
Israeli sources cited by local media stated that the aim of the attack was to prevent the election of a new supreme leader. "We wanted to stop them from choosing a new supreme leader," an Israeli official said.
Iranian media reported that the building was "razed," although they provided conflicting accounts regarding whether it was in use at that time by the clerics who occupy it, as well as the possible existence of casualties among them.
In parallel, Israel also announced that it had struck and "dismantled" the headquarters of the Iranian public broadcasting service. However, the state channel claimed that it was continuing to broadcast its programming.
Additionally, explosions were reported in various locations in Tehran, as well as in Karaj and Isfahan, reflecting the geographical scope of the offensive.
The escalation occurs at an extremely delicate institutional moment for Iran. Following the death of Jamenei, power was temporarily assumed by an Interim Governing Council composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the Judiciary, Gholamhossein Ejei, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a member of the Guardian Council.
This triumvirate performs the functions of the supreme leader until the Assembly of Experts —composed of 88 clerics— officially names a successor.
The attack on the presidential headquarters and the Supreme National Security Council represents a direct blow to that provisional power structure and sends a clear message that Israel aims to weaken the regime's capacity for political reorganization.
Meanwhile, the war is spreading beyond Iranian borders. Tehran claimed to have launched drones and missiles against Israeli targets and the U.S. airbase at Al Udeid in Qatar. The Revolutionary Guard also stated that it attacked a base in Bahrain.
In response to the rising tension, the United States ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel in several Gulf countries and temporarily closed diplomatic facilities in the region.
In Lebanon, Israel confirmed simultaneous attacks in Beirut targeting sites linked to Iran and the Shiite movement Hezbollah. The UN estimates that at least 30,000 people have been displaced in the country since the onset of the offensive.
According to the Iranian Red Crescent, 787 people have died across the country since Saturday, and more than 500 facilities have been targeted in over 1,000 attacks.
Iran's threat to block the Strait of Hormuz—a key route for global energy trade—has increased international pressure and caused oil prices to soar, which are now around 81 dollars per barrel.
With the attacks on the Assembly of Experts and now on the presidential complex in Tehran, Israel has shifted from targeting military infrastructures to attacking the political and strategic core of the Iranian regime, in an escalation that redefines the scope of the conflict in the Middle East.
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