Israel bombs Tehran’s Evin prison after U.S had entered Iran war

Israel struck Evin prison in northern Tehran on Monday, June 23, in what officials described as its most intense bombing of the Iranian capital to date, following the United States’ direct entry into the conflict. Evin, known internationally as Iran’s most notorious political prison, has long symbolised the Islamic Republic’s security state. Since the 1979 revolution, it has housed thousands of political detainees, dissidents, and journalists. Video posted on social media showed plumes of smoke rising over Tehran, though Reuters has not independently verified the footage. The Israeli Defense Ministry shared video of Defense Minister Israel Katz in an operations room overseeing the strikes. Katz later said Israeli warplanes hit Revolutionary Guard command centers as well as Evin itself, in retaliation for Iranian missile attacks on Israeli civilians. The strike came one day after the United States entered the war, with U.S. B-2 bombers reportedly dropping 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. Though Iran has continued launching missiles at Israel, it has not yet responded directly against U.S. targets, nor disrupted shipping in the nearby Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of global oil passes. Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Hatami warned the U.S. would face a “decisive response,” while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi travelled to Moscow to seek Russian support. President Vladimir Putin said Russia was working to support the Iranian people. Meanwhile, China called for urgent de-escalation. The conflict began on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes it said were intended to cripple Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Iran maintains its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.