Israel Targets Iran’s Internal Security Forces in Bid to Weaken Regime

Key Facts

Published: March 4, 2026 Location: Washington D.C. Source: Wall Street Journal

• Israel and U.S. strikes are increasingly targeting Iran’s internal security forces — including the Basij and IRGC units responsible for suppressing protests.
• The strategy aims to weaken Tehran’s “police state” structure in hopes that popular unrest inside Iran could challenge or topple the regime.
• President Donald Trump urged Iranian military and security personnel to defect, warning they face “certain death” if they continue supporting the regime.

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – Israel and the United States are increasingly targeting Iran’s internal security apparatus as part of their ongoing military campaign, striking organizations responsible for suppressing protests and maintaining the Islamic Republic’s grip on power.

According to a report by the The Wall Street Journal, Israeli airstrikes have focused on elements of Iran’s domestic enforcement network, including the Basij paramilitary force and senior intelligence officials. U.S. forces have also struck facilities tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its headquarters in Tehran.

These security forces were central to the brutal crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year. During demonstrations in January, IRGC units, Basij militants, and police forces opened fire on crowds and carried out mass arrests in what analysts describe as one of the deadliest political crackdowns in decades.

Israeli officials say the strategy is intended to weaken Iran’s “police state” from the air, potentially allowing internal opposition movements to challenge the regime on the ground. Among the targets was the IRGC’s Tharallah headquarters, a command center used to coordinate intelligence, policing, and Basij units during times of unrest.

Israeli aircraft also struck the special-units headquarters of Iran’s police command, known as Faraja, which oversees riot control and the suppression of civil unrest. Iranian authorities later confirmed the death of Faraja intelligence chief Golamreza Rezaian following the strike.

Joint U.S.–Israeli strikes have also targeted security installations in Iran’s Kurdish regions, long considered centers of anti-regime sentiment. In the city of Sanandaj, attacks reportedly hit police stations and detention centers run by Iranian intelligence and the Revolutionary Guard.

President Donald Trump has also called on Iranian security forces to abandon the regime, urging members of the IRGC, military, and police to defect and accept immunity.

Analysts caution, however, that airstrikes alone may not be enough to topple Iran’s government. While widespread unrest has simmered across the country, the regime still maintains tight control over weapons and security forces, leaving the outcome uncertain unless large-scale defections occur.

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