By all accounts, it was U.S. forces that carried out a strike on January 2 that killed the top commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF) Qasem Soleimani, who has over the past two decades built up Iran’s wide network of allies and proxies that Tehran uses to project power and defend its allies| The Soufan Center
Since 2015, Iran and Russia have been strategic partners in the Middle East, as the two countries teamed up to defend Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime against a 2011 nationwide armed rebellion that nearly toppled his government.| The Soufan Center
Iran’s April 14 direct attack on Israeli territory, involving approximately more than 170 armed drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles, appeared intended to demonstrate Iran’s military technology advances and establish a measure of deterrence against Tehran’s main regional adversary.| The Soufan Center
During a press briefing last week, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated: “The United States has confirmed reports that Iran has transferred shipments of Fath 360 close-range ballistic missiles to Russia, which we assess could employ them within weeks against Ukraine, leading to the deaths of even more Ukrainian civilians.” He […]| The Soufan Center
On Monday, Iran retaliated for the U.S. strike on three key nuclear sites by launching a missile assault on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which normally hosts nearly 10,000 U.S. and allied forces that enable the U.S. to project power and secure the Gulf region. The base houses the forward headquarters for U.S. […]| The Soufan Center
On at least three occasions since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Zaidi Shia Houthi movement in Yemen has launched volleys of Iran-supplied land attack cruise missiles and armed drones toward Israel, which is over 1,000 miles from Yemen.| The Soufan Center
Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza is now underway, with reports yesterday that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks and soldiers were pressing ahead toward Gaza City, meeting fierce resistance along the way.| The Soufan Center
Tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon remain high, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Lebanese Hezbollah have continued to exchange fire on a regular basis since the conflict kicked off between Israel and Hamas in early October.| The Soufan Center
With one week left in office, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the designation of the Ansarallah movement, dominated by Yemen’s Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)| The Soufan Center
In early May, Israel launched a covert cyberattack against an Iranian port in the Strait of Hormuz, causing issues for Iranian shipping operations| The Soufan Center
Iran’s role in the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, a close ally of Tehran, continues to be contested, but there is no dispute that Iran set the stage for the Hamas attack by arming, training, and advising the group over several decades.| The Soufan Center
The Trump administration continues to impose a steady stream of new U.S. sanctions and sanctions designations on Iran as part of its ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on that country| The Soufan Center
In the year since the October 7 Hamas attack, Israel and Iran have moved beyond their decade-long “shadow war” of tit-for-tat intelligence operations against each other’s interests to direct conflict bordering on sustained, all-out war. As a consequence, Iranian and Israeli leaders are each searching for “escalation dominance” against the other. Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin […]| The Soufan Center
