ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 17 military bases and installations belonging to Iranian forces were struck in the Kurdish‑majority provinces of western Iran (Rojhelat) on Wednesday, with most of the strikes concentrated in the capital of Kurdistan province, Sanandaj. This comes amid reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces have evacuated several border bases in the provinces of Kermanshah and Kurdistan.
Kurdistan province
Iranian military and security bases were on Wednesday targeted by airstrikes in the cities of Baneh, Divandarreh, Mariwan, Qorveh, Sanandaj, and Saqqez in Kurdistan province.
In the provincial capital, Sanandaj, the IRGC’s Imam Ali barracks in the Doshan area was struck. Of note, since the start of the Iran-Israel-US war on February 28, these barracks have been repeatedly targeted.
Gharib Sajjadi, the governor of Sanandaj, announced on Wednesday that 17 locations within the city have been struck so far. According to the governor, in addition to security and military installations, around 2,000 residential units have sustained damage.
For his part, Pouya Talebnia, director general of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage in Sanandaj province, added that the attacks also damaged several historical buildings, including the Asif and Khosrauabad structures.
Moreover, police station No. 12 in Saqqez, as well as IRGC bases in the towns and villages of Hassan Salaran, Kasnazan, Sahib, and Sunnata in Saqqez, were also hit.
The border guard command near Newroz Square in Mariwan, an IRGC and Basij base in the village of Bikara, and an IRGC base in Kani Dinar, Mariwan, were additionally bombarded.
Of note, the Basij is a large volunteer paramilitary group in Iran that serves as one of the five branches of the IRGC.
In the city of Baneh, strikes targeted the main bases of the IRGC, the army, and the border guard, as well as a police station in the village of Rasha Qala.
Similarly, in Divandarreh, the main IRGC headquarters and a Basij base were also targeted. According to published videos, the IRGC headquarters was leveled to the ground.
In Qorveh, the IRGC command center was targeted. Morteza Javanmardi, the city’s mayor, reported that six people sustained minor injuries in the attack.
Ilam province
Meanwhile, in the predominantly Kurdish Ilam province in southwest Iran, two IRGC air defense system bases were bombarded on Wednesday in the heights surrounding the cities of Ilam and Abdanan, in the northern and southern parts of the province, respectively.
Amid ongoing attacks and the deployment of Iranian forces at non-military sites in Ilam, some residents have reportedly evacuated their homes and moved to nearby villages or other cities. However, Ahmad Karami, the governor of Ilam, on Wednesday denied reports that the city had been fully evacuated.
Checkpoints expanded
In several cities across Rojhelat, IRGC and police forces have significantly increased the number of checkpoints, with temporary posts established in Kermanshah province, as well as in Sanandaj in Kurdistan and Urmia in West Azerbaijan province.
According to a report by the France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRH), IRGC forces have also established new posts in Kamyaran and Sawlawa in Kurdistan, and Ravansar in Kermanshah.
The organization also reported that IRGC forces have evacuated several bases in the Shaho Mountains, which stretch between Paveh and Ravansar in Kermanshah and Kamyaran in Kurdistan, relocating personnel to mosques in villages at the foot of the mountains.
Lorestan province
In the Luri-majority Lorestan Province in western Iran, operations by US and Israeli forces against Iranian security and military installations have struck dozens of locations as of Wednesday, including the cities of Aligudarz, Aleshtar, Azna, Borujerd, Chegeni, Dorud, Khorramabad, Kuhdasht, Nurabad, and Poldokhtar. The vast majority of the targeted sites are military and security bases belonging to Iranian forces.
Said Shahrokhi, the governor of Lorestan, announced on the same day that US and Israeli forces have carried out 71 attacks in the province so far, striking ten cities and towns and hitting 112 locations. According to Shahrokhi, the attacks have destroyed approximately 2,500 buildings, including homes and commercial units.
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