For the first time since the outbreak of hostilities, the Iranian street did not respond with state-mandated mourning on Wednesday. Instead, thousands poured into the squares of Tehran and other Iranian cities, celebrating not only the traditional Iranian Chaharshanbe Suri, the “Festival of Fire,” but also the systematic dismantling of the forces that have long held them captive.
The celebrations were fueled by news of the elimination of Iran’s top security chief, Ali Larijani, and the head of the Basij repression unit, Gholamreza Soleiman, figures widely regarded as the architects of the brutal crackdown on protesters last January.
“The celebrations we are seeing in the streets are not just for Chaharshanbe Suri,” said Tamar Eilam Gindin, an Iran expert at the Ezri Center of the University of Haifa. “The people are celebrating the killing of the two. To the Iranian public, Larijani was the face of the January massacre.”
In an address to the Iranian people on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a direct message: “Celebrate, and a happy Nowruz,” he said. “We are watching from above.”
“Our aircraft are hitting the terror operatives on the ground – in the intersections, in the city squares. This is meant to enable the brave people of Iran to celebrate the Festival of Fire without fear.”
The prime minister’s promise follows three weeks of intensive kinetic activity against the Islamic Republic’s police and security forces, which are cracking down on opposition to the regime.
Israeli drones have reportedly begun targeting hundreds of Basij checkpoints across the country. In each strike, between two and four security personnel are typically killed. Crucially, much of the intelligence for these strikes is reportedly coming from the Iranians themselves.
“The damage to these street checkpoints is highly significant,” Eilam Gindin explained. “They are being hit based on GPS coordinates sent by Iranian citizens via social media. This is helping to prepare the ground for future mass demonstrations. These checkpoints were the regime’s last way to maintain control over the street.”
Strikes target internal security network
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, the scale of the operation is unprecedented. Out of roughly 10,000 targeted searches and strikes hitting thousands of regime assets, over 2,200 were directed specifically at the Basij and internal security forces.
One of the most massive strikes on security forces was at a gathering in the Azadi Stadium in Tehran. Hundreds of security personnel had reportedly gathered there for safety, only for the facility to become what local reports called a “death trap,” leading to hundreds of security forces being killed.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir confirmed that the military pressure was designed to cripple the regime’s ability to govern by force.
“This crushing campaign has intensified the damage to the regime’s foundations and its military capabilities,” he said. “We have further surprising moves in our hands that I do not intend to reveal at this time.”
While the kinetic strikes have been devastating, the psychological warfare may be proving even more effective.
The WSJ reported that Mossad agents had placed personal phone calls to Iranian commanders, warning them that their time was up.
In one call, published by the news outlet, a Mossad agent is heard telling a security official, “We know everything about you. You are on our blacklist. I called to warn you in advance that you must stand with your people, or your fate will be that of your leader.”
The commander’s response was telling: “Brother, I swear... I am not your enemy. I am already a dead man. Just please, come help us.”
Nati Tobian, a prominent researcher and commentator on Iranian affairs, noted that these recordings are a powerful tool in dismantling the regime’s morale.
“I don’t know if this alone can deter everyone, but the publication of such calls is a form of psychological warfare,” Tobian said. “It works particularly well among the lower ranks. As you go higher, the officials are more ideological, but they also realize that if their hands are stained with the blood of citizens, they will have nowhere to run.”
Signs of strain within the Basij
The Basij, originally envisioned by Ruhollah Khomeini as an “army of 20 million,” is showing signs of internal rot.
Tobian argued that the volunteer force was always built on a fragile foundation of coercion and bribery. “Most Basij volunteers aren’t there out of ideology.”
Eilam Gindin added that “Many join because it’s a condition for getting a government job or to ensure they are the last ones fired during an economic crisis. It’s about the Kart-e Basij – the Basij card that gives you discounts in shops and a bit of peace of mind at checkpoints.”
The strikes led the security forces personnel to sleep inside their cars, buses, mosques, and other locations – just not at home.
Tobian noted that as the strikes deepen, the “zero-sum game” of security is shifting. “As the Basij members feel unsafe, the citizens feel safer. There are countless videos online now of Basij members fleeing just at the sound of a drone’s hum.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that while Israel is providing the opening, the final act of the drama belongs to the Iranians.
“Only the Iranian people can put an end to this,” Katz said. “Through a determined struggle to topple the terror regime and save Iran.”
As the Festival of Fire concludes, the message from Jerusalem is clear: the barrier of fear has been lifted. The coming weeks will determine whether the Iranian people are ready to walk through the door that the IDF and Mossad have pried open.