Israel’s Defense Minister, Yisroel Katz, responded Monday to a series of missile attacks launched toward Israel by announcing that the Israeli Air Force had initiated major strikes on high-level targets within Tehran.
“The IDF is now striking with unprecedented force at regime and suppression entities deep in Tehran,” Katz stated. “At the command center, I watched the impressive performance of the Air Force closely, along with the Chief of Staff. Soon, images will be released illustrating the depth of the damage.”
He went on to stress that any attack on Israeli civilians would come at a steep cost for Iran’s leadership. “For every missile fired at the Israeli home front, the Iranian dictator will be severely punished, and the strikes will continue with full force. We will keep working to protect the home front and defeat the enemy until we achieve all our war objectives,” he said.
One of the locations reportedly hit during the strikes was the front entrance of Evin Prison, a notorious penitentiary in Tehran known for imprisoning political dissidents, academics, dual nationals, and members of the press. The facility has long been a symbol of the regime’s repressive tactics and has drawn international condemnation for its treatment of detainees.
According to reports from Iran International, a dissident media outlet, the objective of the strike might have been to damage the prison’s perimeter and potentially enable prisoners to escape. Both the United States and the European Union have sanctioned the facility for its involvement in widespread human rights abuses.
In a broader campaign to establish air dominance over Iran, the IDF also launched overnight strikes on six separate airports located in the western, eastern, and central regions of the country.
These coordinated attacks led to the destruction of key infrastructure, including airport runways, underground hangars, a refueling aircraft, and multiple warplanes—specifically F-14s, F-5s, and AH-1s—that were operated by the Iranian regime.
According to intelligence briefings, these aircraft had been designated for countering Israeli incursions. The Air Force’s offensive reportedly crippled Iran’s ability to launch aircraft from those bases, significantly impairing the country’s military response capabilities.
