Iran’s multi-front strategy faces its greatest test - analysis

Iran’s multi-front strategy against Israel is facing its biggest challenge so far in the war it launched on October 7. Hamas’s attack was the first major act in Iran’s plan for a wider regional assault on Israel. While Hamas was massacring Israelis, Iran put into action the rest of the multi-front operation, pushing Hezbollah to begin its attacks from the north.

What is important to understand is that the war that Israel is now fighting with Hezbollah began because of Iran’s multi-front war on Israel. Hezbollah launched medium- and long-range rockets at Israel on Sunday, but it is worth recalling that the terrorist group began its war on Israel on October 8. Days later, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria began attacking US forces, and shortly after, Iraqi militias primed drones for use against Israel.

Iran’s goal has been to “unite the arenas.” This means that it has been working with the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and militias in Iraq and Syria to coordinate attacks on Israel.

It paved the way for the October war by facilitating meetings between Hamas, Hezbollah, and PIJ in Lebanon, assisting the Houthis in acquiring long-range drones and ballistic missiles, and enhancing the arsenals of both Hamas and Hezbollah. After October 7, Iran’s initial plan was that Hamas would push Israel into a war of attrition, and then Hamas and PIJ would increase their attacks in the West Bank. READ MORE