Israel has carried out what it claims are the most intense attacks on Tehran to date, targeting the notorious Evin prison in the Iranian capital.
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Defense Minister Israel Katz confirms early Monday afternoon that they are attacking targets linked to the authorities in Tehran, including Evin Prison.
Iran responded to the attacks with new rocket attacks on Israel in the morning hours. There have been no reports of casualties from these attacks.
"The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front," the Israeli Defense Ministry said.
Damage to Evin Prison
The gates of Evin Prison in northern Tehran were hit in an Israeli attack, Iranian state TV reports.
The TV channel showed black-and-white surveillance footage purportedly from the attack. The Iranian judiciary news agency Mizan also confirmed the attack, saying parts of the prison were damaged but that the situation was under control.
Katz reported earlier Monday that the attacks on targets in Tehran are unprecedented in their intensity.
Several state goals
The Israeli military (IDF) also says it is attacking the headquarters and several command centers of the Revolutionary Guard.
They have also attacked the Fordo nuclear facility, which was among the main targets of the US attack this weekend. They claim it is to prevent access to the facility.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) demanded on Monday that its inspectors be allowed access to Iran's nuclear facilities again.
The Israeli attacks reportedly hit parts of Tehran's power infrastructure, causing power outages in some areas, according to the Fars news agency. The Haaretz newspaper reports that around 8,000 households have lost power, according to the energy minister.
Iranian counterattacks
Iran has responded to the attacks. Within two hours on Monday morning, they sent at least three waves of missiles or drones. Alarms went off in several places in Israel, and people had to flee to safety.
Israeli media have reported strikes in the coastal city of Ashdod, about 30 kilometers south of Tel Aviv. The attacks also reportedly caused power outages due to damage to infrastructure. Power was quickly restored.
Prison for political prisoners
Evin Prison in northern Tehran houses political prisoners, opposition figures and human rights activists. Among the inmates are also several with foreign citizenship. Narges Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was imprisoned here for several years until December last year.
Western human rights groups have long raised the alarm about conditions in the sprawling Evin prison, and in 2018 the US government concluded that serious human rights abuses were taking place there.
Evin has housed political prisoners since the early 1970s, before Iran's authoritarian Shah was overthrown in a broad popular uprising that ended with Ruhollah Khomeini and his followers establishing the Islamic clerical regime.
Published: June 23, 2025 1:23 PM
