ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Several powerful explosions were heard across the Iranian capital Tehran late Wednesday as drone attacks reportedly targeted security positions linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to Iranian media and officials.
The blasts were reported mainly in eastern neighborhoods of Tehran, though authorities have yet to disclose the exact locations that were struck.
State-affiliated media attributed the explosions to a large number of drones attacking the city since Wednesday evening, adding that Iranian air defenses had shot down two Israeli drones.
According to circulating information, the primary targets were IRGC and police bases and checkpoints inside Tehran.
Fars News Agency, close to the IRGC, quoted a source saying that drone strikes hit several Basij checkpoints in Districts 1, 14, 15, and 16 of Tehran, adding that more than ten Basij members were killed.
Of note, the Basij is a large volunteer paramilitary group in Iran that serves as one of the five branches of the IRGC. Some members of the Basij are armed, and since the start of the Iran-Israel-US war in late February, they have been responsible for security and monitoring in Tehran.
In addition to the drone attacks, aircraft and missile strikes on Tehran continued on Wednesday, targeting neighborhoods north and west of the capital, including Jannat Abad, Qolhak, Moein, and Niavaran. The Imam Hossein Military University northeast of Tehran, which has been repeatedly bombarded since the start of the war, was also struck again.