The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Wednesday that it had initiated the tenth wave of broad-scale strikes targeting Iranian regime assets in Tehran. This marks a significant intensification of operations in the Iranian capital, following the outbreak of the latest conflict on Saturday.

In a formal statement, the IDF described the strikes as precision operations against "terror regime targets," including command centres utilised by Iran's internal security apparatus and the Basij militia. Overnight actions prior to dawn had already inflicted substantial damage, according to military sources.

Eyewitness accounts from northern Tehran paint a grim picture of the night's ferocity. "They hit quite hard last night; it was a bad night," one resident confided to CNN, recounting the thunderous explosions that reverberated through the city. The individual expressed a desperate urge to flee to the surrounding mountains but hesitated, uncertain about the locations of Iranian military installations.

Iranian state media corroborated the widespread impact, reporting explosions across multiple regions early Wednesday morning. Geolocated imagery verified by CNN revealed a massive plume of thick, dark smoke rising near Isfahan, hinting at strikes on strategic infrastructure far beyond the capital.

An electricity utility worker was photographed inspecting the smouldering ruins of a police facility in Tehran, struck during what Iranian outlets term the "US-Israeli military campaign." The image underscores the campaign's reach into civilian-adjacent security sites, fuelling accusations of disproportionate force from Tehran.

This tenth wave follows nine prior barrages since Saturday, each progressively targeting Iran's military hierarchy and proxy networks. IDF spokespersons emphasise that the operations aim to dismantle command-and-control nodes linked to attacks on Israeli interests, including recent missile barrages from Iranian soil.

The conflict's roots trace back to heightened tensions in late 2025, when Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Lebanon escalated rocket fire into northern Israel. Jerusalem responded with pre-emptive strikes, but Tehran's direct involvement—via hypersonic missiles and drone swarms—prompted this full-scale retaliation.

Iran's Basij militia, a paramilitary force numbering over a million volunteers, has long served as the regime's enforcer against domestic dissent and abroad through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Israeli intelligence alleges these latest strikes neutralised key Basij leadership coordinating urban warfare tactics.

Civilian life in Tehran grinds to a halt under the onslaught. Power outages plague northern districts, water supplies falter, and residents stockpile essentials amid fears of a prolonged siege. Social media footage shows families bundling into vehicles, clogging escape routes towards safer rural areas.

In Isfahan, a hub for Iran's nuclear programme and missile production, the smoke plume suggests hits on underground facilities. Analysts speculate involvement of Israel's F-35I Adir stealth fighters, capable of evading Iranian air defences like the Russian-supplied S-400 systems.

Tehran's response has been muted thus far, limited to air raid sirens and vows of "crushing retaliation." Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's office decried the strikes as "Zionist aggression backed by American imperialists," while mobilising reserves along the Persian Gulf.

International reactions pour in. The United States, while denying direct involvement, has repositioned the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group to the Arabian Sea, signalling readiness to intercept Iranian reprisals. Britain urged restraint, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy calling for de-escalation via UN channels.

Russia and China condemned the IDF actions, with Moscow offering S-500 air defence batteries to Tehran as "fraternal support." Beijing, meanwhile, evacuates its citizens from both nations, prioritising Belt and Road investments in Iranian oil fields.

India, watchful from afar, maintains neutrality but boosts surveillance via its GSAT-7A military satellite over the region. New Delhi's concerns centre on disruptions to Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes, vital for 80 per cent of its crude imports.

Oil prices surged 12 per cent overnight to $98 per barrel, as Brent crude futures reflect fears of supply chokeholds. Global markets tremble, with aviation fuel costs spiking and European bourses dipping amid supply chain jitters.

Humanitarian agencies scramble. The Red Crescent reports over 200 casualties in Tehran alone, though figures remain unverified amid communication blackouts. UN Secretary-General António Guterres convenes an emergency Security Council session for Thursday.

As the tenth wave unfolds, questions linger on Israel's endgame. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office hints at regime change aspirations, but military analysts caution that Iran's dispersed command structure and ballistic arsenal—estimated at 3,000 warheads—pose enduring threats.

For Tehran residents, survival trumps strategy. "We just want this to end," the northern resident added, encapsulating a city's fraying resolve under relentless bombardment.

Agencies