As military operations actively target the Iranian regime's war apparatus, the risk to civilians is evolving.

The focus of these precision strikes remains strictly on degrading the capabilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliates.

However, the IRGC's deliberate strategy of hiding its military operations in plain sight presents a severe and immediate danger to the Iranian public.

To ensure your safety, you must be aware of the hidden threats in your communities and distance yourselves from them immediately.

The covert militarization of civilian infrastructure

For years, the IRGC has systematically infiltrated Iran's civilian economy.

They do not merely operate out of traditional, clearly marked military bases; they actively exploit ordinary-looking factories, warehouses and civilian infrastructure for their military programs.

What appears to be a standard commercial manufacturing plant or an industrial warehouse may actually be a covert facility secretly producing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components, assembling missile guidance systems, or stockpiling explosive materials.

The danger of "dual-use" facilities

In the current environment, any facility contributing to the regime's kinetic and asymmetric warfare capabilities is a potential target.

If a seemingly civilian factory is co-opted by the IRGC to supply its weapons programs, it is categorized as a military objective.

The danger to civilians near these sites is extreme.

While precision-guided munitions are designed to minimize collateral damage, the sheer force required to neutralize a covert weapons assembly line is immense.

Furthermore, if the IRGC is secretly storing volatile chemicals or munitions inside a "civilian" warehouse, a strike will trigger massive, unpredictable secondary explosions that can devastate the surrounding area.

The human shield strategy

By embedding their military production lines and storage depots within civilian industrial parks and residential infrastructure, the IRGC is intentionally using the Iranian people as human shields.

They cowardly exploit civilian infrastructure to camouflage their operations, demonstrating a complete disregard for the safety of the workers and neighboring residents.

They are putting your lives on the line to protect their weapons.

How to protect yourself

Your physical safety and the protection of your family must be your absolute priority.

You must treat suspicious or heavily guarded industrial sites with the same extreme caution as a known military base.

Take the following proactive measures:

• Identify suspicious activity: Be highly vigilant of your surroundings.

If an ordinary factory, warehouse or civilian facility in your area is suddenly taken over by IRGC personnel, heavily fortified or surrounded by unusual security and military vehicles, stay away from it.

• Avoid commuting near danger zones: Alter your daily routes to avoid passing near industrial zones or infrastructure that the regime is known to exploit for its military programs.

• Do not approach blast sites: If a nearby industrial or infrastructure site is struck, do not approach the area out of curiosity or to help.

Covert weapons depots routinely trigger delayed secondary explosions that are far more lethal than the initial strike.

Stay indoors and seek interior shelter.

Conclusion

The US's conflict is with the regime's machinery of war, not with the Iranian people.

However, because the IRGC hides its weapons among you, you must remain vigilant.

Distance yourselves from any facility -- whether an official military base or a seemingly civilian factory -- that the regime has co-opted for its destructive agenda. Protect yourselves and your families.