Iran building up Iraqi forces for war with Israel – report

After Hezbollah’s defeat, Iran building up Iraqi forces for war with Israel – report

World Israel News Staff

Iran is working to build up its proxies in anticipation of a new possible confrontation with Israel, Israel’s national broadcaster reported, with the hopes of replacing Hezbollah as a major counterbalance to the Jewish state.

Prior to October 7, 2023, Iran’s Israel policy relied heavily on Hezbollah’s presence on Israel’s northern border.

With over 100,000 projectiles and tens of thousands of armed terrorists, Hezbollah presented a formidable threat not only to the IDF but also to Israeli communities as far south as Netanya.

Bolstered by Iran-backed militias in Syria, Hezbollah was viewed by both Israel and Tehran as a powerful deterrent to direct military action by Israel against Iran.

That changed, however, following the dismantling of Hezbollah’s senior leadership and the devastating losses to its officer corps since 2023.

The fall of the Assad regime last December marked the loss of another front against Israel, with pro-Iranian militias largely driven out of southern Syria.

Now, however, Iran is working to massively upgrade the offensive capabilities of its allies in Iraq, including Shi’ite militia groups.

According to a report Tuesday by Kan Reshet Bet, which cited Israeli officials, Iran is undertaking a major strategic shift by preparing new proxy forces capable of confronting Israel, effectively replacing Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militias in Syria.

The report also cited Iraqi sources who confirmed that Tehran has redirected its efforts to Shi’ite militias in Iraq in order to create viable proxies in place of Hamas, Hezbollah, and pro-Iranian forces in Syria.

While no immediate confrontation with Israel is planned, the sources said, Tehran wants to be prepared for a new round of hostilities with the Jewish state.

Some drone and missile attacks by pro-Iranian militias in Iraq have been carried out over the past two years, including several attacks launched during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

However, due to the limited capabilities of the Iraqi militias, the attacks were very limited both qualitatively and quantitatively.