The government of Venezuela, led by President Nicolas Maduro, presented the Simon Bolivar Prize to Iranian news presenter Sahar Emami, days after the Israeli Air Force struck the headquarters of Iran’s state broadcasting agency in Tehran.
The honor, which was received on Emami’s behalf by Iranian ambassador to Venezuela Ali Chegini, was meant to pay tribute to Emami and other staff who were on duty during the Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), part of the country’s main broadcasting authority, IRIB.
Maduro commended Emami and those killed during the attack for their bravery, describing them as heroes in the face of what he labeled an Israeli assault against Iran’s state media. Emami had been on air live at the time and resumed the broadcast soon after the strike, a move that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called an act of heroism.
Video captured from the live broadcast shows Emami visibly distressed, shouting amid the chaos as explosions reverberate and pieces of the ceiling collapse around her.
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged responsibility for the operation, stating that the target was a communications hub used by Iran’s military, hidden within the structure of what appeared to be a civilian news organization. The military indicated that the site played a direct role in enabling Iran’s military operations.
Defense Minister Yisroel Katz stated that the strike was carefully planned using reliable intelligence and aimed at a military installation disguised as a media center. He noted that the IDF worked with the Intelligence Directorate to carry out the mission while taking steps to protect civilians, including issuing phone alerts and written messages in both Arabic and Farsi.
Prior to the operation, people living in the District Three area of northern Tehran—home to government buildings, embassies, and IRIB’s offices—were told to leave. The IDF had designated the neighborhood as a military zone under Iranian regime control.
In a statement on social media, Minister Katz said: “The mouthpiece of Iranian propaganda and incitement is on its way to disappearing. The evacuation of residents in the area has begun.”
At the same time, Israeli forces struck other military assets in western Iran, escalating efforts to degrade the Islamic Republic’s terror capabilities across the region. While Iranian officials sought to elevate Emami as a symbol of defiance, the IDF maintained that the broadcast facility had long served as a strategic component of Iran’s military apparatus.

{Matzav.com}