The Israeli military’s latest wave of airstrikes in Iran has dealt a major blow to the country’s ruthless domestic security apparatus, opening the door to a possible uprising.
During the attacks, Israel “dropped dozens of munitions on the Basij and internal security command centers subject to the Iranian terror regime,” the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Wednesday. “The targeted command centers were used by the Iranian regime to maintain control over all of Iran and maintain the regime’s situational assessments.”
Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, the US has hit nearly 2,000 targets as it wages a sweeping military campaign aimed at dismantling the regime’s security apparatus and neutralizing threats. Admiral Brad Cooper of US Central Command confirmed the number of targets hit in a video message.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia, Iran’s volunteer paramilitary force, were behind the violent crackdown on protesters in January. During the bloody crackdown, regime actors shot into crowds and carried out mass arrests of Iranian protesters. Some saw the protests as a sign that regime change in Iran was approaching, although it did not occur.
Smoke rises from central Tehran after reported US and Israeli attacks on the Iranian capital, March 3, 2026. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Israeli and US officials have hinted at the possibility of regime change in Iran as both countries target Tehran’s military and security locations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message announcing the launch of Operation Epic Fury, which Israel calls Operation Rising Lion, that it is time for the Iranians “to rid themselves of the yoke of tyranny.” Likewise, President Donald Trump said in a message to the Iranian people on February 28 that “the hour of your freedom is near.”
“When we’re done, take over your government. It’s up to you to take over. This will probably be your only chance for generations,” Trump said.
Plumes of smoke rise after reported explosions in Tehran on March 3, 2026, after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint US and Israeli strikes on February 28, 2026. (Images Negar/Middle East/AFP via Getty Images)
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“America stands with you with overwhelming strength and destructive power. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close to your reach. Now is the time for action. Don’t let it pass you by,” the president added.
Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, said The Wall Street Journal that the path to regime change through foreign air strikes and popular uprisings on the ground is “a gamble based on no clear historical model.” Vaez also warned that the idea “ignores the resilience of deeply entrenched authoritarian systems like the Islamic Republic.”
The IDF said on Monday that Israel had hit headquarters, bases and regional command centers belonging to the regime’s internal security apparatus.
“These bodies were responsible, among other things, for suppressing protests against the regime through violent measures and civilian arrests,” the IDF said.
A group of men inspect the ruins of a police station hit during the US-Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
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It is unclear who will lead Iran after the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated on the first day of the operation. Since then, Israel and the US have made it clear that regime leaders seeking to replace him would be targets. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Wednesday that anyone chosen to replace Khamenei would be considered “a target for elimination” if he continued to threaten Israel, the US and regional allies.
Killing key leaders may not be enough to spark an uprising as the regime has an arms monopoly in most of Iran, the WSJ reported, adding that Basij militants still patrol the streets.
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