Israel targets Tehran’s Evin Prison, symbol of repression

Israeli fighter jets struck the entrance gate of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison on Monday, according to Iranian opposition media and Israeli officials.

Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the operation as part of a broader campaign targeting “governmental repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.”

Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a press briefing that the Israeli Air Force was “intensifying strikes” in the capital area.

The Israeli military described the attack on the prison as “symbolic.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote in an X post that the targeting of the prison came in response to Iran’s ballistic missile fire directed at Israeli civilians, including several barrages aimed at population centers across the country on Monday morning.

“We warned Iran time and again: stop targeting civilians! They continued, including this morning. Our response: Viva la libertad, carajo! [‘Long live freedom, hell yeah!’]” Sa’ar wrote, tagging Argentine President Javier Milei and sharing a picture of the prison before the Israeli strikes, along with video footage of the attack.

According to the opposition outlet Iran International, Israeli airstrikes targeted the administrative, security and judicial areas of the detention facility. The main entrance and office areas were struck, but the prisoner housing blocks were reportedly left unharmed. The attack resulted in the deaths of several prison employees and caused significant damage to administrative and court buildings.

Located in northern Tehran, Evin Prison is operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is infamous for holding political prisoners, journalists, activists and dual nationals, many of whom have faced torture, solitary confinement and other human rights abuses.

Internationally condemned, Evin has long been associated with the silencing of dissent and the enforcement of the Islamic Republic’s strict controls on its population.