Leaked IRGC Audio Exposes Regime Forces Hiding in Schools and Mosques Amid Drone Threat
A leaked recording of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander briefing personnel reveals deep concern over Israeli Heron TP surveillance drones operating over Tehran. The audio, which surfaced amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets, shows the regime’s forces scrambling to evade detection by turning off mobile phones and dispersing from checkpoints.
The commander warns that the expensive Heron TP drone, capable of loitering for up to 16 hours, is collecting signals intelligence (SIGINT) from areas with high mobile phone activity.
He states: “It hovers over schools and headquarters where many mobile phones are turned on, collects signals to later target them.”
He instructs personnel to act immediately upon hearing the drone: “Once you hear its sound, you must turn the phones fully off and not just on flight mode — especially those who are in large numbers in mosques and schools.”
Further advice includes abandoning positions: “Turn off the phones and do not send the signal in checkpoints. And you heard the sound, turn the phones off and flee the location. Leave the barriers and vehicles in place, and move to nearby streets.”
The commander acknowledges low morale: “Don’t be afraid in the checkpoints today throughout the city, the personnel are afraid and they looked above.”
He reassures them the threat is limited to overhead surveillance, not ground forces, and urges control of fear: “Control your fear and be aware of what’s happening. Don’t be afraid, it’s nothing.”
The recording highlights the regime’s use of civilian sites like schools and mosques as hideouts or gathering points, while admitting prior strikes have left checkpoint forces shaken and their target lists depleted. This leak comes as Iran claims successes in downing Heron drones, yet internal admissions paint a picture of vulnerability and desperation in the face of persistent aerial threats.