Tag Archives: Iran


IDF raid into Lebanon

IDF begins Lebanon ground operation, Iran launches 180 ballistic missiles at Israel

The Israel Defense (IDF) Forces began a ground operation in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, led by the IDF’s 98th Division. The IDF described the offensive as “localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.” Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, while Hezbollah fired rocket barrages at northern and central Israel.



Hezbollah flag

Analysis: Tehran’s damage control tactics amidst Hezbollah’s setbacks

The Iranian regime’s current strategy seems focused on damage control, as it believes maintaining a foundation allows it to eventually regain influence in southern Lebanon. The Islamic Republic aims to create an image of total warfare through a series of calculated proxy attacks. This approach not only projects strength to its supporters but also bets on the possibility that the United States will pressure Israel to stop its strikes against Iranian militias.


Analysis: The Houthis have challenged the Rules-Based International System and must be defeated

Was the international community culpably naive in failing to give unqualified backing to Yemen’s internationally recognized government (IRG)? And was this largely because of a knee-jerk hostility to the Saudis that is so common in Western progressive circles? If the Houthis genuinely pose a chronic threat to the Rules-Based International System and intend to hold freedom of navigation in the Red Sea hostage to any and every tactical interest they choose to pursue, will it become inevitable to try to revive and empower the Saudi-IRG coalition to suppress them?



Gallant meeting

Israel prepared for Hezbollah response after Beirut strike

On September 19, the IDF asked residents of several northern towns and the city of Safed to adhere to special restrictions due to possible escalation with Hezbollah in Lebanon. On September 20, the IDF lifted the restrictions, even as Israel carried out an airstrike in Beirut that eliminated a Hezbollah leader and key Hezbollah commanders. The IDF Chief of Staff met with the head of the IDF’s Northern Command and IDF Division commanders, while Israel’s Minister of Defense also held key meetings about Israel’s new initiatives against Hezbollah.




Burned area northern Israel

Hezbollah escalates attacks with over 100 rockets fired in a day

Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets targeting Israel on September 4, the largest barrage in almost two weeks. The group has continued its daily attacks against northern Israel amid reports that the Israeli government is in talks with the US about seeking to reduce tensions. In addition, the Italian chief of the defense staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, visited Israel on September 4 for meetings with IDF counterparts.


Analysis: Responding forcefully to the Axis of Resistance

As soon as the Islamic Republic of Iran was established, it effectively declared war on Israel and the West. International appeasement of Iran has failed, and the current crisis in the Middle East has clarified that a more forceful Western policy is required now to forestall a more dangerous confrontation a few years later.


Halevi visit to Jordan Valley

IDF chief of staff visits Jordan Valley amid West Bank terror threats

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited the Jordan Valley on August 27, where he met with officers of the Jordan Valley Brigade and spoke with the heads of local communities. His visit comes after several recent terror attacks in the valley and as threats have increased in the northern West Bank.





Halevi assessment

Hezbollah targets northern Israel with rockets and drones in latest escalation

Hezbollah attacked northern Israel with rockets and drones on August 15, including firing around 20 rockets at the Shamir area. The IDF said a majority of the incoming threats were intercepted. Hezbollah described the attack as an increase in its range inside Israel, and the Iranian-backed terrorist group also continued to threaten broader attacks in retaliation for an IDF airstrike in Beirut in July.


IDF troops southern Gaza

Israel confronts Hamas in southern Gaza amid regional threats

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called on Palestinian civilians to evacuate several neighborhoods in southern Gaza after receiving continued rocket fire and detecting terrorist activity. Hamas attempted to target Tel Aviv with two long-range rockets on August 13. The IDF struck 30 targets in Gaza between August 10 and 11, and the continued fighting in southern Gaza comes amid Iran’s threats to target Israel in a broader attack.


Iran intelligence logos

Analysis: Mass arrests and conflicting narratives following the Haniyeh assassination

Iran’s regime arrested dozens of intelligence officers who may have been responsible for the security breach that led to Haniyeh’s assassination. The IRGC’s sole control over the investigation into the incident and the regime’s contradictory reporting further demonstrate various parties are intentionally crafting differing narratives to deflect blame and avoid being seen as incompetent.


Bloodlust graphic Iran newspaper

Analysis: The Islamic Republic prepares to avenge Ismail Haniyeh

Despite Israel’s precision strike on a radar facility in Isfahan on April 19 and the recent assassination of Hamas Political Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran remains undeterred from picking a fight with conventionally superior and even nuclear-armed states. For a regime that has perfected the art of proxy warfare, the Islamic Republic is increasingly seeing the political utility of overt and attributable conflict in the Middle East.


Nasrallah

Analysis: Hints within Nasrallah’s speech about Hezbollah’s retaliation for Beirut strike

A speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, suggests Hezbollah intends to conduct painful retaliation for Fuad Shukur’s assassination but that the organization is still not interested in escalating to a full-scale conflict with Israel. When it comes, the retaliatory strike will likely aim to remain below the threshold that leads to the outbreak of war.


Israeli troops southern Gaza

Hezbollah fires rocket barrages at northern Israel

Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets targeting the western Galilee on the evening of August 1. Iran and Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The IDF continues to operate in Gaza, targeting Hamas operatives hiding in a school and a man the IDF accused of being a terrorist who used journalism work as a cover.








IDF soldiers in northern Gaza

IDF uncovers 6 tunnels in Gaza’s Shejaiya neighborhood; Hezbollah rockets kill 2 Israelis in the north

Two Israelis were killed in a Hezbollah rocket barrage targeting the Golan Heights on July 9. Hezbollah claimed the attack was in response to the killing of one of its members. Israel faces multi-front threats, including from the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The IDF uncovered six tunnels in the Shejaiya neighborhood in north Gaza and demolished them, the IDF said on July 9.



Israeli troops conduct exercise in northern Israel

IDF trains for war in the north as Iranian proxies threaten attacks from Iraq and Yemen

Israeli IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited northern Israel on June 25 and June 26 as Israel prepares for a possible war with Hezbollah. An Iranian-backed militia in Iraq launched a drone targeting Israel’s southern city of Eilat, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant continued his trip to Washington to shore up support and discuss the Iranian threat.