(Investigative Project on Terrorism) Yaakov Lappin - Iran's scheme for hegemony in the Middle East includes surrounding Israel with missile bases and heavily armed proxies, as well as earmarking territories further away, such as Iraq and Yemen, as future bases of attack. Hizbullah, Iran's flagship in Lebanon, is armed with more surface-to-surface firepower than most NATO armies. Reports have emerged over the past two years of Iran moving missiles to Iraq, from where it can target Israel. In January, the IDF moved an Iron Dome air defense battery to Eilat amid threats that Houthis in Yemen could target the city with long-range cruise missiles or drones on Iranian orders. Newsweek reported in January that Iran deployed Shahed-136 suicide drones to Yemen. They have a range of 2,200 km. (1,370 miles), placing Israel in range. It is clear that Iran intends to gain the ability to strike sensitive strategic targets in Sunni Arab states and Israel, and to do so from as many areas in the Middle East as possible. Iran would like to one day extend a nuclear umbrella over its proxies, a development that would likely set off a nuclear arms race with Sunni powers threatened by Iran. Israel is engaged in a long-standing shadow war against Iranian weapons smuggling and attempts to build military attack bases in the region, with a special focus on Syria. This campaign includes action in multiple arenas and is part of Israel's daily effort to defend its vital security interests without crossing the threshold of war. The writer is a research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University.
2021-03-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive