Israel Strikes at the Heart of Iran’s Repression Machine
Israel has shifted tactics in its campaign against the Iranian regime, moving beyond nuclear sites and missile bases to target the very forces that enforce domestic control. Recent drone strikes hit IRGC and Basij checkpoints inside Tehran, directly striking the street-level enforcers who have long suppressed uprisings and sealed off neighborhoods during protests.
This marks a calculated effort to dismantle the regime’s internal coercion network—the apparatus that keeps Iran’s 90 million people under tight control. Reports confirm multiple waves of attacks, with Israeli forces claiming significant degradation of Basij bases and internal security infrastructure across Tehran and western provinces like Ilam, where most key assets were reportedly destroyed.
Iranian state media acknowledged casualties, including at least 10 deaths in the latest strikes on checkpoints, while witnesses described explosions and air defenses engaging drones over the capital. The moves come amid broader US-Israeli operations that have already crippled much of Iran’s drone and missile launch capabilities.
By hitting these enforcers, Israel aims to erode the fear that sustains the regime far more effectively than strikes on distant military hardware alone. The battlefield has moved inward, challenging the Islamic Republic where it is most vulnerable: at home.
