Unprecedented airstrikes attributed to US and Israeli forces have heavily targeted Iranian military bases and government centers across multiple cities, while residents utilize the chaotic nighttime conditions to stage anti-regime protests.
Between March 9 and March 12, 2026, an extensive campaign of airstrikes targeted Iranian military and government infrastructure across the country. Opposition-aligned network Iran International broadcasted a massive influx of citizen-recorded videos documenting severe explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Kerman, and Bonab. According to the network, US and Israeli forces attacked military positions in Qods City on Monday, March 9, resulting in a massive, mushroom-shaped explosion.
Widespread Destruction of State and Military Targets The strikes systematically hit a variety of high-value military and law enforcement targets. On Tuesday, March 10, Iran International reported that fighter jets bombarded the army airbase in Bandar Abbas, leaving a massive column of smoke visible in the sky. Further inland, sequential explosions struck the police headquarters in Isfahan, according to citizen footage. In Bonab, East Azerbaijan, a video narrator stated that highway police checkpoints were targeted before the local courthouse was bombed. Additional explosions hit military bases in Bushehr and police command centers near the Kerman airport. The exiled citizen-journalist channel Vahid Online published footage capturing the roar of fighter jets and an explosion in Isfahan at 00:24 on Thursday. Chaos and Blackouts in the Capital Tehran experienced intense nighttime activity and severe disruption. Early Tuesday morning, fierce strikes caused immediate power outages in parts of Tehran and Karaj, noted Iran International. By Wednesday night, Israeli drones were reportedly heard flying over Tehran, prompting the Islamic Republic's anti-aircraft defenses to fire aimlessly into the sky. In one video, a citizen mocked the defensive barrage, calling it "our Chaharshanbe Suri fireworks." In response to the strikes, the regime heavily severed internet and communication lines to block the free flow of information in what the network described as war conditions, according to Iran International. Public Reaction and Nightly Protests Amidst the bombardment, anti-government sentiment flared into open protest. Footage submitted to Iran International showed citizens in northern Tehran shouting "Death to the Dictator" from windows and rooftops over the sound of drones and anti-aircraft fire. The channel framed this civil unrest as a direct response to exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's recent calls for citizens to continue their nightly chants from home while awaiting a final call for action against the Islamic Republic.The source material consists entirely of opposition-aligned media (Iran International) and exiled citizen-activist accounts (Vahid Online). Consequently, the reporting heavily emphasizes the destruction of Iranian government military targets, the perceived incompetence of state defenses, and the popular anti-regime sentiment of the populace. State media or official Iranian government perspectives are notably absent from this dataset. The background context regarding the Afghan currency market was omitted from the digest; drawing a causal connection between regional currency fluctuations and the military strikes in Iran without explicit source attribution would violate the strict anti-speculation directive.