IRAN and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war for decades now, spanning across land, sea, air and technological fronts. Israel has covertly targeted military and nuclear facilities inside Iran, killing commanders and scientists since 2010. In response, Iran has built a web of armed partners over four decades, such as Hezbollah and the Houthis, which serve to strengthen its influence in the Middle East. It has a formidable proxy war network which allows it an ambit of counter strategies.

It is not just Israel but the entire Middle East is vary of Iran’s web of armed partners and has mastered the art of proxy wars. Fabian Hinz an expert on Iran’s military at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Berlin categorically says that “the level of support and types of system Iran has provided to its proxies is really unprecedented in terms of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. They can be viewed as a part of Iran’s regular military capacity which is among the largest in the Middle East. It has also built a large fleet of speed boats and some small submarines that are capable of disrupting shipping traffic and global energy supplies that pass through the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz”. If the conflict escalates they can use this to disrupt global energy flows and supply chain networks.

Supposedly the network has also allowed Iran to protect itself and keep active war away from its land. Rightly stated by Dr. Afshon........

© Pakistan Observer