Security officials in Israel and the U.S. have been working tirelessly to reinforce the defenses of the Jewish state following the recent assassinations of leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas.
Iran expressed its security concerns on Monday, asserting that stability in the region can only be achieved by “punishing” Israel for the supposed assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
While an assault on Israel would mark only the second instance of Iran directly attacking it, the provocative actions align with Tehran’s longstanding “Ring of Fire” strategy meant to encircle Israel with militant forces and provoke hostilities.
“The Ring of Fire strategy… is not merely theoretical. It’s how the regime executes its ‘death by a thousand cuts’ strategy against Israel,” noted Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert and senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), during an interview with Fox News Digital.
Pro-government supporters gather at Palestine Square in Tehran on April 14, 2024, to celebrate Iran’s missile and drone attack against Israel. (Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
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Taleblu emphasized that nearly every militant and terrorist group surrounding Israel is not only backed by Iran but has access to a range of Iranian weaponry, including rockets, mortars, drones, cruise missiles, and potentially ballistic missiles.
“The regime is likely to attempt a comprehensive attack strategy, aiming to strike Israel from multiple directions,” he added.
Tehran has historically depended on proxy groups in the Middle East to carry out its retaliatory actions without deploying Iranian ground troops into prolonged and fatal conflicts.
According to public findings by the FDD, Iran has provided resources, training, and weaponry support to at least 19 terrorist organizations across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
Iran launches a missile from an undisclosed location, captured in an image dated August 20, 2020. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
Hezbollah has reportedly received substantial funding, nearly $700 million annually, while Hamas is granted approximately $100 million a year, in addition to the significant support received by other groups such as Islamic Jihad, as cited by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“The Iraqi militias, Syrian militias, and Houthis have increasingly become a crucial component of Iranian strategy over the last decade,” stated Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the FDD and founding editor of “The Long War Journal,” in an interview with Fox News Digital. “They incur no human costs for their participation.”
“The Iranians can continue this engagement indefinitely,” he concluded.
Houthi militants operate heavy firearms mounted on vehicles during a rally supporting Palestinians in Gaza. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
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Experts observed that the U.S. and Israeli strategies aim to counter Iranian provocations with more sophisticated tactics, demonstrating that they can impose costs on the Islamic Republic far lower than those suffered by Tehran.
This strategy has led to the perception in Tehran that neither country would retaliate with the same intensity that Iran is prepared to exert on Israel.
On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani insisted that “Iran aims to foster stability in the region, but this can only be achieved through punishing the aggressor and establishing deterrence against the provocations of the Zionist regime.”
An arch in Beirut glorifying Hezbollah displays images of its leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, Jan. 16, 2011. (Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli officials are enhancing their ground and air defenses while global security forces brace for a potential imminent attack from Iran.
“It appears to be a question of when, not if,” Ben Taleblu remarked.
In April, Iran executed its first direct strike on Israel after the IDF targeted an Iranian consulate in Syria, resulting in the deaths of 13 individuals, including Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a prominent Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander, and his deputy, Gen. Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.
Palestinian militants are positioned during a standoff with the Israeli army in Jenin on July 3, 2023. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
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In retaliation, Tehran launched approximately 300 rockets and drones at Israel, resulting in minor damage but no reported Israeli casualties thanks to the interception of 99% of the strikes.
Taleblu described the April assault as a balancing strategy, allowing Tehran to exhibit force without escalating tensions into a full-blown regional conflict.
However, this time authorities speculate that Iran will seek to make a pronounced statement in light of the assassination of Haniyeh on Iranian territory through a meticulously planned bombing operation that reportedly took months of preparation.
“It showcased the level of vulnerability inherent in Iran’s security forces, as the pre-positioned bomb could be detonated remotely,” Taleblu explained. “They’re attempting to recover from that setback.”
While Israel hasn’t claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death, both Iran and Hamas have attributed the attack to Jerusalem and have vowed to retaliate.
Iranians light a representation of the Israeli flag during the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on August 1, 2024. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
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Officials suspect that this time Iran may seek to overwhelm Israeli and American defenses through a coordinated assault employing not only advanced IRGC weaponry but also leveraging its network of regional proxy forces poised on Israel’s borders.
“The Iranians have engaged in a decades-long covert conflict against Israelis and Americans,” Taleblu remarked. “Current trends suggest they feel increasingly emboldened to emerge from the shadows.”
“This situation poses a significant challenge for those seeking to minimize conflict in the region,” he cautioned.
