Why Did Israel Issue an Evacuation Warning to Tehran Residents?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Israel urges evacuation of Tehran's District C.
- Airstrikes aimed at Iranian military infrastructure.
- Netanyahu asserts Israeli Air Force control over Tehran's skies.
- Iran condemns Israeli aggression, warns of regional escalation.
- District C houses key government and military facilities.
Jerusalem, June 16 (NationPress) - On Monday, Israel announced an evacuation warning for a municipal district in Tehran, urging its residents to leave immediately in anticipation of Israeli airstrikes.
In a message shared in Persian and Arabic on the social media platform X, Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israeli military, called upon the inhabitants of District C, situated in the northeastern section of the city, to evacuate.
Adraee stated, "In the forthcoming hours, the Israeli army will conduct operations in this area, as it has done in other regions of Tehran in recent days, targeting military infrastructure associated with the Iranian regime."
"Your presence in this region poses a threat to your safety," he emphasized. "For your security, we strongly advise you to evacuate immediately."
District C houses numerous key state institutions, government offices, and semi-governmental organizations, along with communication and intelligence facilities, according to a report from Xinhua news agency. The Israeli military disclosed that since early morning, its warplanes have attacked trucks transporting weapons and surface-to-air missile launchers progressing from western Iran toward Tehran.
In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz visited the Tel Nof airbase in southern Israel. During their visit, Netanyahu asserted that the Israeli Air Force “dominates the skies over Tehran.” He claimed, “We are advancing toward our primary objectives: neutralizing the nuclear threat and dismantling the missile threat.”
In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei remarked on Monday that Israel aims to escalate the conflict to other nations in the West Asia region.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, he condemned the ongoing Israeli “aggression” against Iran, which has been ongoing since early Friday.
Baghaei stated, “We have no doubt that Israel aims to intensify the conflict and extend its impact to other nations and players in the region,” adding that Israel had targeted residential buildings and a children’s hospital in Tehran.
He stressed that Iran's nuclear program serves merely as a pretext for Israeli actions, stating that there is no evidence indicating any deviation from the “peaceful path” of Iran's nuclear agenda.