13/03/2026 – 18:07 GMT+1
In a latest development, Israel has been targeting Basij checkpoints in Tehran using citizen videos, aiming to weaken the Islamic Republic’s internal security and embolden anti-regime protesters.
The Israeli military is waging an intense campaign of tracking and destroying checkpoints and other locations manned by the feared Iranian regime’s Basij militia in Tehran, according to the IDF, multiple Israeli media outlets and observations of Euronews’ Persian service of social media activity out of Iran.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The Israeli objective appears to be destroying and demoralising the Basij units — the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s (IRGC) paramilitary militia — and in general to degrade the Iranian regime’s internal security apparatus used for repression.
In a speech to the nation on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is “delivering crushing blows to the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij, and we have only just begun.”
As the regime uses the Basij militia to violently crack down on dissent and protests, the Israeli targeting tactics could create the space for anti-regime protesters to return to the streets.
Netanyahu made this clear in his speech by addressing the Iranian nation directly: “I say to the Iranian people: the moment of freedom is near. We stand with you and we are helping you.”
Last week, Iranian authorities issued direct threats against citizens, warning that security forces were given “shoot to kill” orders against protesters and what they said were “suspected thieves”.
In a striking development, multiple social media accounts observed by Euronews’ Persian team claim that ordinary Iranian citizens film Basij checkpoints or military hideouts, posting the videos on social media as a form of opposition after thousands of Iranian protesters were killed and injured by the Basij militia and other security forces during the violent crackdown on protests preceding the war.
According to insiders in Iran Euronews spoke to at the time, as many as 32,000 people were reportedly killed by mid-January after Tehran responded with violence to growing country-wide unrest originally sparked in December by hyperinflation and the cost of living, but then grew into major anti-regime demonstrations.
Euronews’ Persian service further noted another development: a phrase has been trending, saying that every drone that hits a Basij checkpoint “gladdens the souls of dozens of Javid-nam” in reference to victims of the bloody January crackdown and is suggests that these strikes provide new momentum and renewed hope for the protest movement.
Israel is reportedly gathering and verifying some of the targeting intelligence from these videos, according to the Wall Street Journal.
One of these videos appears to show Basij and security forces members hiding under a bridge in Tehran to avoid Israeli detection and strikes from the air.
Iranian state media reported on Wednesday that several Basij militia and other security forces were killed in Israeli drone strikes on checkpoints and roadblocks in Tehran.
The IDF released aerial cockpit footage showing what it says are the drone strikes on the Basij security checkpoints.
Other social media posts originating from Tehran on Friday claim to show the aftermath of strikes on Basij infrastructure in the Iranian capital over the last few days, including on Friday.
Social media accounts are also reporting that Basij members across Iran are reportedly receiving threatening messages on Telegram, warning them: “You are completely under our surveillance. We know what crimes you committed against the Iranian people. We have identified you and all your associates. Surrender or flee. There will be no second warning.”
As a result, reports emerged that Iranian regime security officers are forced to adapt to new tactics to evade IDF targeting, including disguising themselves as women.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War think tank (ISW) was already observing in the first week of the war that Israel was targeting the Basij bases in Tehran to degrade the regime’s ability to maintain domestic control.
The ISW reported that commercially available satellite imagery showed that at least nine of the 23 Basij regional bases in Tehran had been targeted as of 6 March.
The regime staged a show of strength and defiance on Friday as thousands attended Tehran’s annual Quds Day rally, meant to show the regime’s support for Palestinians.
President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior officials including Ali Larijani gathered at Ferdowsi Square, where crowds chanted anti-US and anti-Israeli slogans.
Israel warned residents to evacuate the area in a Persian-language social media post shortly before an explosion struck the square during the rally. Iranian state-run media reported that one person died.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of Iran’s judiciary, was being interviewed by state television when the blast occurred. Surrounded by security personnel, he said Iran “under this rain and missiles will never withdraw.”
Larijani told Iranian media the strike was a “sign of desperation” by Israel.
The IRGC — an elite military corps numbering some 125,000 units that is responsible solely to the ayatollah — has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the EU, the US, Canada, Australia and other countries.
Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and amid questions over the condition and ability of his son and newly appointed successor Mojtaba Khamenei to rule, the IRGC is believed to be operating in a decentralised manner, following orders issued prior to the war.
