The situation in Tehran remains tense as Israeli airstrikes on the Iranian capital continued through Wednesday, with a series of powerful explosions heard across the city from the afternoon into late evening following a televised address by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In his televised address, Khamenei said that Iran remains steadfast in its conflict with Israel and will not surrender to pressure.
The strikes primarily targeted the northeastern and eastern districts of the city, according to Hossein Neamatzadeh, a China Media Group (CMG) correspondent in Tehran.
"After supreme leader's message, we heard a heavy explosion in Tehran in the northeast. It is almost near us. It was in the northeast or east of Tehran. You can listen, another explosion. Another explosion hit Tehran right now. A new explosion just happened. The air defense systems are trying to intercept the hostile objects here. As you hear the sounds, the number of explosions are getting increased. And you see the heavy smokes are coming up from the crashed site. The location of explosions is getting near and near to the northeast of Tehran and this one is closer to us," said the correspondent.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that its air force struck Iranian military targets in Tehran that day. The Israeli military also bombed an air base in Iran's Kermanshah Province, destroying three AH-1 helicopters.
An IDF spokesperson said on Wednesday evening that Israeli forces carried out three separate rounds of attacks over the past 24 hours. The first wave hit approximately 40 targets in the Greater Tehran area, including centrifuge factories and sites producing anti-tank missiles. The second round targeted Iran's missile production and security installations, while the third wave targeted missile launch pads and storage locations in western Iran. Israel also reported strikes on facilities linked to Iran's nuclear weapons program and centrifuge research.
Since the latest escalation began, Iran has launched over 400 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 drones toward Israel, according to the Times of Israel, citing the IDF sources, noting that more than 20 of the ballistic missiles struck urban areas in Israel. At least 24 people in Israel have been killed and more than 500 injured.
In retaliation, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday announced the 12th phase of Operation True Promise III, launching surface-to-surface ballistic missiles with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers targeting the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate and the Mossad, Israel's intelligence and special operations agency.
Air raid sirens were activated across Israel, and the IDF reported intercepting four missiles targeting Tel Aviv.
Iran also launched dozens of drones toward Israel Wednesday to strike predetermined military targets, according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency.
Israel intensifies airstrikes on Tehran
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
