Israel’s extension of the war mobilizes all groups supported by Iran

In the shadow of the Israeli offensive in Lebanon and the blows landed on Hezbollah, armed groups in the region allied with the Lebanese party-militia and backed by Iran have intensified their attacks on Israel in recent weeks in an apparent attempt to force it to divert some of its attention and resources to other fronts. The increase in their activity, which to a lesser extent has also been directed against U.S. positions in the area, comes after these same groups have deepened their cooperation and coordination in recent months in response to the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The main groups that make up the so-called Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iraqi factions, already had a joint operations room to coordinate their regional actions, mainly directed against the United States and Israel, before the war in Gaza. But it is in the wake of this conflict that they have strengthened their ties, including during high-level meetings held recently in Tehran and Baghdad.

One area where the greatest effort appears to have been invested is in developing the capabilities of Iraqi fighters in the use of missiles and drones, which are the main means at their disposal to attack Israel. In July, a Houthi commander with drone expertise was killed in a U.S. strike on a base near Baghdad, according to Iranian media. And a month earlier, the Houthis and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of guerrillas backed by Iran, for the first time claimed a joint drone attack against Israel.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has increased the number of attacks on Israel more than any other group in recent days, although it sometimes claims responsibility for actions when it is unclear whether or not they have actually taken place. On Monday, in line with its recent pace of activity, it declared that it had hit four targets in Israel with missiles and drones, including two in Haifa. But despite dozens of attacks, the Iraqi militias have not been able to present Israel with a threat similar to that of the Houthis or Hezbollah.

Members of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have also recently threatened to resume their attacks against U.S. positions in Iraq. Between October 2023 and January, more than 170 attacks were recorded against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria over Washington’s support for Israel, and in an attempt to force its withdrawal from the area. These actions were largely suspended following an attack on a military base in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers, but they resumed in mid-July and now threaten to accelerate. Since the expansion of the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, Iraqi fighters have also declared their willingness to send assistance and troops to Hezbollah.

Some of these Iraqi groups also appear to be behind recent attacks on U.S. positions in Syria, including at least two attributed to them by Syrian media in the second half of September. In parallel, Syrian opposition media on Saturday reported several unclaimed aerial bombings against positions and targets of Iranian-backed guerrillas in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. And in the past two weeks, Israel, which has been bombing targets in Syria for years, has admitted to carrying out an airstrike near Damascus in which it killed a leading member of an Iraqi militia. The Israeli military has also recently bombed points on the Syrian-Lebanese border under the pretext of wanting to cut off Hezbollah supply lines.

From Yemen, the Houthis claimed three attacks on Israel over the weekend, including one on Tel Aviv and nearby Ben-Gurion International Airport, and a fourth on three U.S. warships in the Red Sea. All were intercepted. On Sunday, Israel bombed Yemen, killing at least four people, according to the local health ministry. A similar exchange of blows in July left one dead in Israel and at least 14 in Yemen.

As part of their declared campaign to pressure Israel and its allies to end the war in Gaza, the Houthis have been attacking merchant vessels and warships in the Red Sea, one of the world’s main trade arteries, since last November. As a result of these actions, maritime traffic on this route had fallen by almost 70% compared to the previous year, according to data from the Portwatch platform, managed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Oxford University.

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