Iran allegedly mobilizes militant allies for coordinated strikes against Israel
Shafaq News/ The longstanding shadow conflict between Iran and Israel is reportedly entering an uncertain and potentially volatile phase, as Iran's high-ranking military commander has initiated efforts to assemble allies from across the Middle East in order to execute a renewed series of attacks on Israeli targets.
Sources with knowledge of the matter disclosed to the WSJ that Esmail Qaani, who presides over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' distinguished Quds Force, has convened multiple covert meetings with militant leaders throughout the region in recent weeks. These meetings have purportedly involved individuals active in conflict zones such as Syria and Iraq.
The paramilitary Quds Force handles activities abroad for the IRGC, including unconventional warfare and intelligence gathering.
Qaani was in Lebanon last week as well, where he met with the leaders of Gaza's Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Lebanon's Hezbollah movements at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, the sources told WSJ.
While specifics surrounding the purported alliance remain nebulous, the potential for escalated hostilities between Iran and Israel has heightened concerns among international observers. The escalating situation could exacerbate existing tensions and further destabilize a region already grappling with myriad challenges.
Albeit not confirmed to be connected, militants in southern Lebanon fired a barrage of rockets at Israel around the same time as his visit. The sources said the details of the rocket attack were finalized in Qaani's meetings in Beirut, though.
Rockets were also fired at Israeli sites from Gaza and Syria, prompting Israel to respond with retaliatory airstrikes targeting what it said were militants in all three bordering territories. The Israeli military subsequently boosted its security presence in Jerusalem and reinforced its Iron Dome air defense system nationwide, amid intelligence reports of potential Iranian plots to attack Israel.
The alleged collaboration between Iran and its militant partners underscores the complexities of the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East and raises questions about the extent to which these alliances may catalyze a new wave of confrontations in the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Earlier on Friday, Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah marked the Iranian-sponsored anti-Israel Quds Day with a speech in which he warned that "Israel should be scared, deterred, and worried".
