Iranian officers abandon posts, conscripted troops amid US and Israeli strikes - report

Amid the ongoing Israeli and US strikes against the Iranian regime, some officers in the Islamic regime’s armed forces have abandoned their barracks, leaving behind the soldiers under their command to remain on guard duty, a number of conscripts told Iranian opposition outlet Iran International.

The soldiers who spoke with the outlet reported that since the killing of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, confusion has erupted within the Iranian military.

Several soldiers stationed at a military base in Lorestan province told Iran International that they were uncertain about the command structure and were uneasy about the deteriorating security situation.

One soldier told the outlet that many commanders had, fearing strikes, abandoned their posts, leaving conscripted soldiers behind without support.i

Some soldiers, also fearing American and Israeli strikes, have been spending nights in open areas outside of the base for fear of being hit in an airstrike, the soldier said, adding that leadership was not paying adequate attention to the needs of the regular troops.

The Iran International report comes as the US and Israel have vowed an escalation in the campaign against Iran’s regime.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would intensify its attacks against Iran in the coming days. On Friday, the Israel Air Force launched its 15th wave of strikes on Iranian targets in Tehran and Isfahan.

During its strikes in the country, the IDF said it had hit over 400 targets, including a “senior Iranian terror regime commander in Tehran.”

US President Donald Trump has also said on Friday that he would only accept unconditional surrender from the Islamic Republic after saying on Thursday that “We want to fight now more than they do.”