Iran Update Morning Special Report, March 9, 2026
The combined force has struck several key Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces sites in Esfahan Province. The IDF struck the Seyyed ol Shohada Operational Base, which oversees IRGC Ground Forces units in three provinces. The combined force struck the IRGC Ground Forces 14th Imam Hossein Division, which operates under the Seyyed ol Shohada Operational Base and was deployed to Syria during the Syrian civil war. The IDF also struck the Saheb ol Zaman Provincial Unit, which has been involved in protest suppression.
Iran has continued to attack Israel and other regional countries since ISW-CTP’s last data cutoff at 3:00 PM ET on March 8. The Turkish Defense Ministry stated on March 9 that a ballistic missile launched from Iran entered Turkish airspace. NATO air defenses intercepted the missile, and some debris from the missile landed in Gaziantep Province, southeastern Turkey. Israeli media separately reported on March 9 that Iranian cluster munitions killed one person and wounded three others at six impact sites in central Israel.
The combined force also continued to strike Law Enforcement Command (LEC) institutions in central and western Iran. The IDF confirmed on March 9 that it struck the Esfahan City LEC Headquarters. The combined force previously struck the Esfahan Province LEC Headquarters.
Hezbollah claimed that its fighters have engaged Israeli forces advancing into Lebanon on three separate axes since ISW-CTP’s last data cutoff on March 8.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-morning-special-report-march-9-2026/
Iran Update Evening Special Report: March 9, 2026
The US-Israeli combined force has severely degraded Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, which has limited Iran’s ability to launch retaliatory attacks in the region.
The combined force has degraded Iran’s internal security apparatus in Tehran and parts of western Iran. The combined force has struck dozens of internal security institutions across central and western Iran since February 28.
The combined force targeted a company in Tehran that is involved in the regime’s censorship and filtering of the internet. The combined force struck the Sahab Pardaz Company, which the United States sanctioned in October 2022 for providing “censorship, surveillance, and espionage tools” to the Iranian regime.
The IDF confirmed that Hezbollah is using long-range projectiles to attack Israel. Senior Israeli officials said that they expect Hezbollah to increase the volume of its rocket and drone attacks against Israel in “the coming days” as part of an effort to “draw Israeli attention away” from Iran.
more + maps : https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-evening-special-report-march-9-2026/
Iran Update Morning Special Report, March 10, 2026
The combined force struck several targets in Tehran overnight on March 9 and 10, including the IRGC “Quds Force headquarters” and an IRGC weapons research and development facility.
The combined force struck multiple sites in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, on March 10, which may have included the Artesh Air Force 9th Tactical Airbase. ISW-CTP has recorded combined force airstrikes targeting 11 out of Iran’s 17 Artesh Air Force tactical airbases since February 28.
Iran launched three missile barrages at Israel between 3:00 PM ET on March 9 and 8:00 AM ET on March 10. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted during a Pentagon briefing on March 10 that Iran had fired its lowest number of missiles since the war began over the last 24 hours. The IDF said on March 10 that Iranian missile barrages in recent days have included only a few missiles at a time, but that around 50 percent of Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel have contained cluster warheads.
Hezbollah has claimed 18 attacks targeting IDF positions and forces in northern Israel and southern Lebanon since ISW-CTP’s last data cutoff at 3:00 PM ET on March 9. The IDF confirmed that Hezbollah is using long-range projectiles to attack Israel, after Hezbollah claimed that it launched “high-quality missiles” targeting the IDF Rehavam Camp in Ramla, Central Israel, on March 9.
The IDF has continued to conduct airstrikes targeting Hezbollah across Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s ability to launch attacks targeting Israeli forces and positions in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. The IDF has reportedly continued to advance into southern Lebanon on three separate axes since ISW-CTP’s last data cutoff on March 9.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-morning-special-report-march-10-2026/
Iran Update Evening Special Report, March 10, 2026
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on March 10 that US forces destroyed 16 Iranian minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian mining efforts are part of a broader Iranian effort to disrupt maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf to try to impose a cost on the Gulf states and the United States. Iranian efforts to mine the Strait of Hormuz will also likely further hinder Iran’s ability to export oil, including shipments to China, the largest importer of Iranian oil.
The Iranian regime is expanding securitization efforts amid the ongoing conflict, which likely reflects the regime’s paranoia about US-Israeli infiltration and signals a shift to prioritization of counterintelligence. The regime similarly prioritized regime security following the June 2025 Iran-Israel War and arrested hundreds of individuals in the days after the conflict as part of a broader effort to strengthen internal control and expand securitization measures.
The combined force targeted Iranian internal security institutions in western and northwestern Iran. Refer to the graphic below to see key Iranian internal security sites that have been struck since the start of the war.
The combined force continues to strike Iranian-backed Iraqi militia targets in Iraq to limit the ability of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias to conduct retaliatory attacks against the United States and Israel.
Hezbollah claimed 29 attacks targeting IDF forces and positions in northern Israel and southern Lebanon between 3:00 PM ET on March 9 and 3:00 PM ET on March 10. Hezbollah’s 29 claimed attacks are the highest number of claimed attacks in a 24-hour period that ISW-CTP has observed since the start of the conflict.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-evening-special-report-march-10-2026/