Iran Update Morning Special Report, March 9, 2026

Data Cutoff: 08:00 AM ET

The Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) are publishing two updates daily to provide analysis on the war with Iran. The morning update will focus on US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the Axis of Resistance’s response to the strikes. The evening update will be more comprehensive, covering events over the past 24-hour period and refining items discussed in the morning update.

Key Takeaways:

• 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 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 CTP-ISW’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 CTP-ISW's last data cutoff on March 8.

Toplines

The combined force has struck several key Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces sites in Esfahan Province.[i] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck the IRGC Ground Forces Seyyed ol Shohada Operational Base in Esfahan on March 8.[ii] This base oversees IRGC Ground Forces units in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Esfahan, and Yazd provinces in central Iran.[iii] The combined force struck the IRGC Ground Forces 14th Imam Hossein Division in Esfahan on March 8, which is one of the divisions that operates under the Seyyed ol Shohada Operational Base.[iv] Commercially available satellite imagery indicates that the combined force destroyed buildings in the northern and central parts of the division’s complex. The Imam Hossein Division deployed to Syria to fight for the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war.[v] Commercially available satellite imagery from March 9 also shows damage to the IRGC Ground Forces 8th Najaf-e Ashraf Armored Division in Najafabad, west of Esfahan City. This division also operates under the Seyyed ol Shohada Operational Base.[vi] The IDF also struck the IRGC Ground Forces Saheb ol Zaman Provincial Unit in Esfahan on March 9.[vii] The Saheb ol Zaman Provincial Unit has played a role in suppressing protests in Esfahan, including during the Dey protests in 2017-2018.[viii]

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.[ix] The combined force previously struck the Esfahan Province LEC Headquarters, as CTP-ISW reported in its March 8 Morning Update. An Iranian source also posted footage showing destruction to an LEC station in Aleshtar, Lorestan Province, on March 8.[x] The combined force has recently struck several LEC headquarters and stations in western Iran, including in Borujerd and Kuhdasht, Lorestan Province, Eslamabad-e Gharb, Kermanshah Province, and Abdanan, Ilam Province.[xi]

Iran has continued to attack Israel and other regional countries since CTP-ISW’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.[xii] NATO air defenses intercepted the missile, and some debris from the missile landed in Gaziantep Province, southeastern Turkey.[xiii] NATO air defenses previously intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile that entered Turkish airspace on March 4.[xiv] 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.[xv] Iran also conducted a drone attack targeting Sitra Island, Bahrain, on March 9, injuring 32 people and causing a fire at the country’s only oil refinery.[xvi]  

The Emirati Defense Ministry reported that Iran launched 15 ballistic missiles and 18 drones at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 9.[xvii] This marks a significant decrease in the number of drones that Iran has launched at the UAE since March 8 (see graphic below). 

Hezbollah has continued to attack Israel since CTP-ISW's last data cutoff on March 8. The group claimed that it launched a barrage of missiles or rockets targeting an IDF air defense base in Haifa.[xviii] Hezbollah also claimed drone and rocket or missile attacks targeting Israeli towns and IDF units along the Israel-Lebanon border in the Galilee Panhandle.[xix]

Hezbollah claimed that its fighters have engaged Israeli forces advancing into Lebanon on three separate axes since CTP-ISW's last data cutoff on March 8. Hezbollah claimed that it fired rockets, mortars, and small arms targeting advancing Israeli forces and vehicles near Odaisseh, which is across the Lebanese border from the Israeli town of Misgav Am.[xx] Hezbollah also claimed that it mortared Israeli forces advancing toward al Jadida from Mays al Jabal.[xxi] The group also claimed at least two mortar attacks targeting Israeli forces advancing toward Aitaroun.[xxii] A Hezbollah attack on an IDF unit near Manara killed two Israeli soldiers on March 8, marking the first time that Hezbollah has killed IDF soldiers since the Fall 2024 conflict.[xxiii]