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Last Updated:March 04, 2026, 13:21 IST
The goal of the US-Israel attacks targeting Iran’s internal security and military command is to get Iranians to overthrow the Islamic Republic. News18 explains
Smoke billows as Israel and the US launched joint strikes in Tehran on Saturday. (Israeli Air Force via PTI)
Even as Israel and the United States carry out their massive military campaign against Iran, one key aspect of the fight stands out – Israel’s efforts to dismantle Iran’s internal security apparatus.
The stated goal is to degrade the “police state" to a point where a popular revolt can overthrow the Islamic Republic, according to the Wall Street Journal analysis. What does it mean? Explained.
INTERNAL SECURITY, MILITARY COMMAND ATTACKS: JUNE 2025 TO MARCH 2026
From June 2025 to March 2026, Israel and the US carried out several high-intensity operations targeting the core of Iran’s internal security and military command.
JUNE 2025: OPERATION RISING LION
June 13: A massive strike on the IRGC Joint Headquarters in Tehran killed Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami and Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri.
June 14: Israeli jets struck the Ministry of Defense and the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), Iran’s top military R&D hub.
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June 15: Precision strikes targeted the IRGC Intelligence Organization, killing its commander, Mohammad Kazemi, and his deputy.
June 18: Israel reported the total destruction of the Internal Security Headquarters in Tehran following a wave of strikes by approximately 50 fighter jets June 21, 2025: The headquarters of the Iranian Cyber Police (FATA) in Tehran sustained heavy damage from an Israeli airstrike.
June 23: Strikes hit Evin Prison and the Basij Paramilitary Headquarters in Tehran, significantly weakening the regime’s primary tools for domestic suppression.
FEBRUARY–MARCH 2026: OPERATION ROARING LION
February 28: A joint U.S.-Israeli strike destroyed the Pasteur Street Compound, the nerve center of the leadership, resulting in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his inner security circle.
March 1: The IDF leveled the General Staff of the Internal Security Forces and the Thar-Allah Headquarters, which is responsible for the security of Tehran. Airstrikes destroyed the Tehran Revolutionary Court, a key judicial-security institution used to prosecute political dissidents.
March 3: Coordinated strikes hit the Supreme Security Council (SNSC) and the Law Enforcement Command (LEC) headquarters in Marivan.
NON-KINETIC & CYBER ATTACKS
June 2025: The “Predatory Sparrow" hacker group paralyzed Bank Sepah, the financial institution responsible for military and security personnel salaries.
February 2026: A massive cyber offensive reduced Iran’s national internet connectivity to just 4%, effectively blinding the internal security apparatus’s digital communication during the kinetic strikes.
TARGETING THE ‘REPRESSION APPARATUS’
The strikes have expanded from initial military and nuclear targets to focus heavily on the infrastructure used to suppress domestic dissent:
Basij Paramilitary Forces: Dozens of command centers and bases belonging to the Basij—the volunteer militia responsible for cracking down on protesters—have been struck in Tehran and other major cities like Isfahan and Tabriz.
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Law Enforcement Command (LEC): Strikes have specifically targeted LEC headquarters (the first line of defense against protests), particularly in restive regions like Kurdistan Province, where the 2022–2023 Mahsa Amini protests were most intense.
Propaganda & Communications: The Israeli Air Force destroyed the Iranian government’s main communications center (Iranian TV) and Hezbollah-linked media outlets like al-Manar to disrupt the regime’s ability to broadcast propaganda and coordinate its forces.
THE ‘SYSTEMIC DECAPITATION’ DECODED
Israeli officials have shifted from “weakening" Tehran to an explicit push for regime change, according to The Wall Street Journal assessment.
Parallel to the kinetic strikes, a massive cyber operation reduced Iran’s internet connectivity to 4% of normal levels, effectively blinding security forces and preventing them from coordinating a response to either external attacks or potential internal uprisings.
By neutralising missile launchers (over 300 destroyed as of March 3) and internal security bases, the coalition aims to protect Israeli and U.S. interests while signaling to the Iranian public that the regime can no longer protect its own infrastructure, according to international media reports.
Iran has responded with Operation True Promise 4, launching hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel, the UAE, and Qatar. One such strike damaged the U.S. AN/FPS-132 radar in Qatar.
With agency inputs
First Published:
March 04, 2026, 13:11 IST
News explainers Preparing Iranians For Revolt? Hidden Motive Behind US-Israel Strikes On Internal Security Apparatus
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