Share!
Israel, U.S. Rush to Strengthen Defences After Assassinations of Hezbollah, Hamas Leaders
Security officials in Israel and the U.S. have been working urgently to bolster Israel’s defenses following the recent assassinations of high-ranking leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas. These targeted killings have escalated tensions in the region, prompting concerns of potential retaliation.
On Monday, Iran added fuel to these concerns by stating that stability in the region could only be achieved by “punishing” Israel for its alleged involvement in the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Although a direct attack on Israel by Iran would only be the second of its kind, the situation is seen as part of Tehran’s broader “ring of fire” strategy. This strategy aims to surround Israel with militant forces and engage in ongoing hostilities against the Jewish state.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert and senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), explained the significance of this approach. “The Ring of Fire strategy is not just theoretical. It’s a practical method by which the regime executes its ‘death by a thousand cuts’ strategy against Israel,” he told Fox News Digital.
ISRAELIS REMAIN CALM AND CARRY ON IN FACE OF IRANIAN THREAT
Taleblu pointed to how nearly every militant and terrorist organization in the area surrounding Israel is not only backed by Iran but has access to an array of Iranian armaments, including rockets, mortars, drones, cruise missiles and, in some cases, ballistic missiles.
“What the regime is likely to try to do,” Ben Taleblu continued, “is to go for a 360-degree attack-vector trying to strike Israel from both sides.”
Tehran has long relied on proxy groups in the Middle East to fight its battles without Iranian troops having to get directly involved in lengthy and deadly wars.
Iran has provided funding, training and or weapons to at least 19 terrorist organizations spread out across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, according to open-source findings by the FDD.
Some groups have received vast amounts of support, including Hezbollah, which receives $700 million annually, and Hamas, which receives $100 million each year, along with the tens of millions also sent to the Islamic Jihad, according to figures cited by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“The Iraqi militias, the Syrian militias and the Houthis, within the last decade, have really begun to become a key part of Iranian strategy,” Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the FDD and founding editor of “The Long War Journal,” also told Fox News Digital. “They’re not paying the human cost for their involvement.
“The Iranians, they could play this game all day long,” he added.
ISRAEL CONSIDERS PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON IRAN AS TENSIONS ESCALATE: REPORT
Both security experts pointed out that the U.S. and Israeli strategy has been to respond to Iranian attacks through more sophisticated methods, signaling they can create pains for the Islamic Republic at a much lower cost to them than Tehran is capable of achieving.
But this approach has also led Tehran to believe that neither nation will respond with the same level of force that Iran is willing to throw at Israel in particular.
On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani claimed that “Iran seeks to establish stability in the region, but this will only come with punishing the aggressor and creating deterrence against the adventurism of the Zionist regime.”
mural in Beirut
An arch glorifying Hezbollah features pictures of its chief Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei, in a Beirut suburb, Jan. 16, 2011. (Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli officials have been readying their defensive and offensive capabilities on the ground and in the air as security officials around the globe await Iran’s imminent attack.
“It seems to be… a matter of when, and not if,” Ben Taleblu said.
Iran issued its first direct assault on Israel in April after the IDF hit an Iranian consulate in Syria and killed 13 people, including Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) senior commander, and his deputy, Gen. Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.
BIDEN TO MEET WITH NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM AHEAD OF ANTICIPATED IRANIAN ATTACK AGAINST ISRAEL
In response, Tehran levied some 300 rockets and drones at Israel, causing minor damage, and no Israeli deaths were reported as 99% of the strikes were intercepted.
Taleblu said the April attack was a balancing act as Tehran looked to simultaneously respond with force but without escalating to an all-out regional conflict.
But this time officials believe Iran has something to prove following the assassination of Haniyeh on Iranian soil through a sophisticated bombing scheme, which is believed to have taken months in planning and preparation.
“It highlighted the level of penetrability in Iran’s security services given that this was a pre-placed bomb that was able to be remotely detonated,” Taleblu said. “They’re trying to make up for that embarrassment.”
Israel has not taken responsibility for the killing of Haniyeh, but Iran and Hamas have accused Jerusalem of carrying out the attack and pledged to retaliate.
Officials believe that this time Iran may try to overwhelm Israeli and American defenses in a multipronged attack using not only more advanced IRGC munitions but by relying on a layered approach with its regional proxy forces sitting in wait on Israel’s borders.
“The Iranians have fought a four-plus decade-long shadow war against the Israelis and the Americans,” Taleblu said. “And the trend line indicates that they feel increasingly comfortable coming out of the shadows.”
“That’s a problem for everyone who wants less conflict in the region,” he warned
No related posts.
