A war beyond the bombs

A man surveying the administrative offices for Evin prison that were destroyed by Israeli missiles in Teheran in June. Israel’s airstrikes on the notorious prison, including the hospital ward, have turned it from a hated symbol of oppression into a new rallying cry against Israel, even among the Iranian regime’s domestic critics. — Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times

IN the hours before Israeli forces bombed Iran’s Evin prison on June 23, social media posts in Persian foreshadowed the strike and urged Iranians to free the inmates.

Moments after the bombs fell, a video surfaced on X and Telegram, appearing to show a blast at the notorious facility, long known for holding political prisoners.