JERUSALEM, March 12 (Reuters) – The Israeli military struck checkpoints in Tehran operated by the Basij, it said on Thursday, as part of an effort to weaken the rule of Iran’s clerical leaders.
The Basij militia is a part-time paramilitary force under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that is often used to quell protests inside Iran.
The Israeli military said in a written statement that it had recently identified new Basij roadblocks in Tehran.
“After identifying the deployment, over the past day, the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF (Israel Defense Forces) intelligence, has targeted the Basij roadblocks and operatives,” the military said.
“These forces led the regime’s primary efforts to suppress internal protests, particularly in recent months, employing severe violence, mass arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators,” the military said.
Israel and the United States launched a bombing campaign in Iran on February 28, with an opening strike that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Both allies have called on Iranians to rise up and topple their clerical rulers. Many Iranians want change and some openly celebrated the death of Khamenei, after his forces had killed thousands of anti-government protesters in January.
But there has been no sign of organised dissent while the country is under attack, and no sign of Iran’s rulers relinquishing power.
(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Toby Chopra)
