In a desperate move, Iranian leaders have reportedly been using their own people as human shields, according to sources within the country speaking to the Daily Mail. Leaked footage has surfaced showing an attack on a residential area.
A family from Tehran recounted their narrow escape from a deadly Israeli airstrike that claimed the life of Ali Larijani, a high-ranking security official in Iran, on Tuesday night.
Just days before his death, Larijani had been seen openly mocking former U.S. President Donald Trump on the streets of Tehran. He was killed in a targeted strike that shattered the balcony doors of a neighboring apartment, leaving them as mere frames of metal and glass.
“Larijani was hiding in a building right next to us last night,” the family’s son shared with the Daily Mail through a series of urgent messages. “My entire family was used as his human shield. He was hiding among civilians.”
This assassination occurred shortly after Larijani had boldly appeared with other regime officials during the annual Quds Day march. The Pardis district, where he sought refuge, now lies heavily damaged.
As the conflict stretches into its third week, the Islamic Republic has enforced a complete internet blackout, leaving worried families unable to contact each other. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians are left to wonder which regime leader might be hiding in their midst next.
Despite the blackout, a chilling video has emerged showing a massive, dark plume of smoke billowing behind residential blocks.
‘From my friend in Tehran: Last night at three in the morning, we woke up with a lot of noise and tremors and saw that they hit Saadabad Revolutionary Guards barracks and this is the video,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
A harrowing photograph sent to the Daily Mail shows the aftermath of a nearby strike on a Pardis apartment: balcony doors blown out, reduced to a jagged skeleton of metal and glass
A chilling video has emerged showing a massive, dark plume of smoke billowing behind residential blocks
The strikes are hitting the heart of the IRGC power structure, but for the civilians caught in the crossfire, the psychological toll is reaching breaking point.
Families are now abandoning their bedrooms, reportedly sleeping in hallways to avoid being shredded by flying glass.
Another source told us: ‘I got an update from my family. Apparently, there were lots of explosions and it was massive in Tehran… the real struggle is that when there’s no Internet, there’s no satellite and with all the explosions, they cannot sleep, they cannot do anything.’
Communication with the outside world has been reduced to desperate, two-minute windows before lines are cut. For some, even those minutes are filled with silence.
One woman said her mother can no longer even hear her voice over the phone.
‘This is where all my family members are residing,’ the son of the family explained in a series of frantic messages. ‘Last night Larijani was hiding in a building right next to them. All my family members were his human shield. He was hiding among the people’
‘From my friend in Tehran: Last night at three in the morning, we woke up with a lot of noise and tremors and saw that they hit Saadabad Revolutionary Guards barracks and this is the video,’ a source confirmed
Communication with the outside world has been reduced to desperate, two–minute windows before lines are cut. For some, even those minutes are filled with silence
‘[My mother] can’t hear anything. Her ears are already messed up from the previous wars and explosions,’ she explained.
Another Iranian managed a brief connection with their family: ‘Mom called me for a brief two minute call… she also said there are a lot places around her house that [were] bombed but they all are government facilities not residential.’
The facade of the Iranian military is reportedly fracturing on the ground.
Reports of ‘patrolling military’ units on the streets of Tehran suggest a force gripped by paranoia.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani participates in the traditional Quds Day rally in the capital Tehran, on Friday on March 13 before he was killed
![Another managed a brief connection with their family: 'Mom called me for a brief two minute call... she also said there are a lot places around her house that [were] bombed but they all are government facilities not residential'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2026/03/18/20/107241927-15657807-Another_managed_a_brief_connection_with_their_family_Mom_called_-a-8_1773867478331.jpg)
Another managed a brief connection with their family: ‘Mom called me for a brief two minute call… she also said there are a lot places around her house that [were] bombed but they all are government facilities not residential’
Messages with Iranians detailing quick desperate phone calls with family members
One witness described a confrontation after their car was stopped by a patrol: ‘After keeping the car, we started shouting that you stopped us and you made us a human shield. Then one with a gun came and told the other to go to the parking lot and confiscated the driver’s property. Put the handcuffs on, then we started shouting again’
Families are now abandoning their bedrooms, reportedly sleeping in hallways to avoid being shredded by flying glass
One witness described a confrontation after their car was stopped by a patrol.
They got into an argument and the soldier told them: ‘We know you don’t like us nor the leader, but I myself haven’t been home for several days.’
The witness concluded that there is a split within the military ranks under the extreme stress, with some soldiers becoming aggressive and erratic, while others seem downtrodden and defeated.
The people of Tehran remain in the dark as the smoke clears over the Saadabad barracks, waiting for the next blast and hoping that this time the ‘job’ finally gets finished.
