Israel blows gates off Iran's notorious Evin Prison

Telegraph

6 hours ago

Israeli forces blew up the gates of Iran's notorious Evin Prison and struck government buildings across Tehran on Monday in the most direct assault on Iran's capital since the war began.
Projectiles hit the prison, which houses Iran's political prisoners, causing damage to parts of it and raising the possibility that dissidents may have been able to escape.
The gates were destroyed in the strike, although Iranian officials said the situation was 'currently under control.'
The strike targeted one of the Islamic Republic's most symbolically important detention facilities, where prominent activists, foreigners, journalists and dissidents have been held for decades.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian dual citizen, was held there for four years on bogus espionage charges.
Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, wrote on X that the military 'is carrying out strikes of unprecedented force against regime targets and agencies of government repression in the heart of Tehran' as the Iran-Israel war raged for an 11th day.
These included Evin, 'which holds political prisoners and regime opponents', as well as the command centres of the domestic Basij militia and the powerful Revolutionary Guards, he added.
Israel began its military campaign against Iran on June 13 with strikes on the country's nuclear and missile facilities, which Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has described as an 'existential' threat to his country.
But the list of targets has widened since then, encompassing state television and the Iranian domestic security forces, raising speculation that Israel is seeking to topple Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.
Donald Trump, the US president, hinted at a desire to overthrow Iran's government despite several of his administration officials earlier stressing that US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning did not have that goal.
'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
However, family members of people inside the prison said the strike put their loved ones 'in mortal danger.'
Noemie Kohler, the sister of French national Cecile Kohler, who is jailed there, told AFP: 'This strike is completely irresponsible. Cecile, Jacques and all the prisoners are in mortal danger. This is really the worst thing that could have happened. We have no news, we don't know if they are still alive, we're panicking.'
She urged the French authorities to 'condemn these extremely dangerous strikes' and secure the release of the French prisoners, expressing concern about the risk of chaos and riots.
The attack came as eight prominent political prisoners inside the facility had written to Iran's judiciary chief calling for temporary release during the ongoing war.
In their letter to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the prisoners warned that the country's prisons lacked basic safety measures to protect inmates from missile and drone strikes.
Prominent human rights activists including Reza Khandan, Taher Naghavi, and Nasrollah Amirloo signed the letter.
'It is unclear when the current war will end, and Evin Prison, like many other prisons across the country, does not have the facilities to protect prisoners' lives from missile and drone attacks or bombings by Israeli fighter jets,' the letter said.
Videos from Tehran showed smoke rising from the Vanak Square area following the air strikes. Power infrastructure in north Tehran was damaged by 'explosion waves from the Zionist regime's attack,' according to the Tasnim news agency.
Electricity to customers in Tehran's districts two and three was cut, although officials said there was no widespread blackout across north Tehran. Emergency crews were dispatched to restore power.
Israeli forces also struck the Sayyid al-Shuhada Corps, a Revolutionary Guards unit. Additional strikes targeted the headquarters of Iran's internal security forces' information security unit.
The Tehran strikes were part of attacks across Iran. At around 9am on Monday, air defence systems were activated at three points around Tabriz as Israeli aircraft approached.
Majid Farshi, the director-general of East Azerbaijan's crisis management, said air defences successfully intercepted hostile targets with no explosions in residential areas.
However, the attacks have killed 52 people in East Azerbaijan province since the conflict began, Iranian officials said.
In western Kermanshah, air defence systems engaged Israeli targets around 7.45 am.
Military bases in Karaj and Shahr-e-Rey, near Tehran, were hit by projectiles, though Iran has not released detailed damage assessments. Local sources reported extensive air defence activity in both areas.
The Fordow nuclear facility, one of Iran's key uranium enrichment centres, was struck by Israeli forces after the US bombed it on Sunday, local officials said. Morteza Heidari, a spokesman for Qom province's crisis management headquarters, said the attack posed no threat to citizens and the situation remained controlled.