Jump to content

Iran–Israel proxy conflict

Extended-protected article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by SoaringLL (talk | contribs) at 06:02, 6 July 2021 (→2018). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Iran–Israel proxy conflict

Israel (orange) and Iran (green) shown within the Middle East
Date16 February 1985[42] – ongoing
(39 years, 8 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Western Asia
Status

Ongoing:

Belligerents

 Iran

Proxies:
Supporting Iranian Proxies:
Supported by:

 Israel

Proxies:
Supported by:
Commanders and leaders

Iran Ali Khamenei
(Supreme Leader of Iran)
Iran Hassan Rouhani
(President of Iran)
Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(2005–2013)
Hassan Nasrallah
(Secretary-General of Hezbollah)
Ismail Haniyeh
(Hamas leader)[45]
Khaled Meshaal
(Hamas leader; 2006-2011)
Ahmad Sa'adat
(PFLP Leader)

File:Flag of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.svg Ziyad al-Nakhalah
(PIJ Leader)		 Israel Naftali Bennett
(Prime Minister of Israel)
Israel Ehud Olmert (2006–2009)
Israel Benjamin Netanyahu (2009–2021)
Maryam Rajavi
(MEK and NCRI leader)
Mustafa Hijri
(KDPI leader)
Muhammad Dhahir Baluch
(Jondalla leader)

The Iran–Israel proxy conflict,[46] also known as the Iran–Israel proxy war[47] or Iran–Israel Cold War,[48] is an ongoing proxy war between Iran and Israel. The conflict involves threats and hostility by Iran's leaders against Israel, and their declared objective to dissolve the Jewish state.[49] Iran has provided funding, weapons and training to groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah,[50] Hamas[51] and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) both in the Gaza Strip, which have vowed and carried out attacks on Israel, and which have been designated terrorist organisations by many countries. Because of Iran’s hostility to Israel, Israel is also concerned by Iran's nuclear weapons program and missile program, and is seeking to downgrade Iran's allies and proxies, as well as preventing Iranian entrenchment in Syria, another sworn enemy of Israel.

Iran's hostility towards Israel followed the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and expanded into covert Iranian support of Hezbollah during the South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) and by 2005 developed into a proxy regional conflict. In 2006, Iran was actively involved in supporting Hezbollah during the 2006 Lebanon War and in parallel began supporting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), especially in the Gaza Strip. Israel, on the other hand, initiated a campaign to harm the Iranian nuclear program, utilizing several anti-regime militias within Iran. Upon the onset of the Syrian Civil War, the conflict escalated and by 2018 turned into direct Iranian-Israeli warfare.

Israel in turn supports anti-Iranian rebel groups, such as the People's Mujahedin of Iran,[52] opposes Iran's nuclear program, and maintains ties with other rivals of Iran such as Saudi Arabia and the United States. The involvement of both countries in the Syrian Civil War creates possibilities for direct conflict between the two countries.[53] Israel has supported and conducted assassinations and attacks against Iranian targets directly.[54][55] Israel has also conducted cyber warfare against Iran, and has publicly advocated for international military action against Iran.[56]

Israel has accused Iran of attempting to form a continuous land transport route from Iran via Iraq and Syria into Lebanon,[57][58][59] which Israel views as a significant strategic threat.[60]

Iranian leaders have described Israel as an illegitimate "Zionist regime" and have accused Israel of being an American client state hostile to Muslims.[61]

Background

Main articles: Iran–Israel relations and South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000)

Ruhollah Khomeini was critical of Israel before he became Iran's Supreme Leader in 1979. He criticized the Pahlavi dynasty Iran's ties with Israel, viewing Israel as a supporter of the Pahlavi regime.[62] Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Khomeini's new government adopted a policy of hostility towards Israel. Iran withdrew recognition of Israel as a state, and severed all diplomatic, commercial and other ties with Israel,[63] referring to its government as the "Zionist regime"[64] and Israel as "occupied Palestine".

The 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon resulted in the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) departure from Lebanon. The following creation of Security Zone in South Lebanon has benefited Israeli allies in Lebanon and civilian Israeli population, as Galilee suffered less violent attacks by Hezbollah, than previously by PLO in the 1970s (hundreds of Israeli civilian casualties). Despite this Israeli success in eradicating PLO bases and partial withdraw in 1985, the Israeli invasion had actually increased the severity of conflict with local Lebanese militias and resulted in the consolidation of several local Shia Muslim movements in Lebanon, including Hezbollah and Amal, from a previously unorganized guerrilla movement in the south. Over the years, military casualties of both sides grew higher, as both parties used more modern weaponry, and Hezbollah progressed in its tactics.

Iran supplied the militant organization Hezbollah with substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid while persuading Hezbollah to take an action against Israel.[65][66][67] Hezbollah's 1985 manifesto listed its four main goals as "Israel's final departure from Lebanon as a prelude to its final obliteration"[68] According to reports released in February 2010, Hezbollah received $400 million from Iran.[66] By the early 1990s, Hezbollah, with support from Syria and Iran, emerged as the leading group and military power, monopolizing the directorship of the guerrilla activity in South Lebanon.

In January 2014, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran's nuclear program would only be set back six weeks as a result of its interim agreement with the international community.[69] In one of the region's oddest pairings, Israel and the Gulf Arab states led by Saudi Arabia increasingly are finding common ground — and a common political language — on their mutual dismay over the prospect of a nuclear deal in Geneva that could curb Tehran's atomic program but leave the main elements intact, such as uranium enrichment.[70] In June 2017, former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon stated that "We and the Arabs, the same Arabs who organized in a coalition in the Six-Day War to try to destroy the Jewish state, today find themselves in the same boat with us … The Sunni Arab countries, apart from Qatar, are largely in the same boat with us since we all see a nuclear Iran as the number one threat against all of us,".[71]

History

2000s

With the election of Iranian hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005, relations between Iran and Israel became increasingly tense as the countries engaged in a series of proxy conflicts and covert operations against each other.

An RPG missile launcher with a symbol of Iran displayed by Israel as "found in Lebanon during the 2006 Lebanon War".

During the 2006 Lebanon War, Iranian Revolutionary Guards were believed to have directly assisted Hezbollah fighters in their attacks on Israel. Multiple sources suggested that hundreds of Revolutionary Guard operatives participated in the firing of rockets into Israel during the war, and secured Hezbollah's long-range missiles. Revolutionary Guard operatives were allegedly seen operating openly at Hezbollah outposts during the war. In addition, Revolutionary Guard operatives were alleged to have supervised Hezbollah's attack on the INS Hanit with a C-802 anti-ship missile. The attack severely damaged the warship and killed four crewmen. It is alleged that between six and nine Revolutionary Guard operatives were killed by the Israeli military during the war According to the Israeli media their bodies were transferred to Syria and from there, flown to Tehran.[72] On 6 September 2007, the Israeli Air Force destroyed a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria, with ten North Koreans reportedly killed.[73]

During and immediately after the Gaza War, the Israeli Air Force, with the assistance of Israeli commandos, was reported to have allegedly carried out three airstrikes against Iranian arms being smuggled to Hamas through Sudan, as Iran launched an intensive effort to supply Hamas with weapons and ammunition. Israel hinted that it was behind the attacks. Two truck convoys were destroyed, and an arms-laden ship was sunk in the Red Sea.[19][74]

On 4 November 2009, Israel captured a ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and its cargo of hundreds of tons of weapons allegedly bound from Iran to Hezbollah.

2010

In 2010, a wave of assassinations targeting Iranian nuclear scientists began. The assassinations were widely believed to be the work of Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service. According to Iran and global media sources, the methods used to kill the scientists is reminiscent of the way Mossad had previously assassinated targets. The assassinations were alleged to be an attempt to stop Iran's nuclear program, or to ensure that it cannot recover following a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.[54] In the first attack, particle physicist Masoud Alimohammadi was killed on 12 January 2010 when a booby-trapped motorcycle parked near his car exploded. On 12 October 2010, an explosion occurred at an IRGC military base near the city of Khorramabad, killing 18 soldiers.[75] On 29 November 2010, two senior Iranian nuclear scientists, Majid Shahriari and Fereydoon Abbasi, were targeted by hitmen on motorcycles, who attached bombs to their cars and detonated them from a distance. Shahriari was killed, while Abbasi was severely wounded. On 23 July 2011, Darioush Rezaeinejad was shot dead in eastern Tehran. On 11 January 2012, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan and his driver were killed by a bomb attached to their car from a motorcycle.[76]

In June 2010 Stuxnet, an advanced computer worm was discovered. It is believed that it had been developed by US and Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.[77] In a study conducted by ISIS it is estimated that Stuxnet might have damaged as many as 1,000 centrifuges (10% of all installed) in the Natanz enrichment plant.[78] Other computer viruses and malware, including Duqu and Flame, were reportedly related to Stuxnet.[79][80] Iran claims that its adversaries regularly engineer sales of faulty equipment and attacks by computer viruses to sabotage its nuclear program.[81][82][83]

2011

On 15 March 2011, Israel seized a ship from Syria bringing Iranian weapons to Gaza.[84] In addition, the Mossad was also suspected of being responsible for an explosion that reportedly damaged the nuclear facility at Isfahan. Iran denied that any explosion had occurred, but The Times reported damage to the nuclear plant based on satellite images, and quoted Israeli intelligence sources as saying that the blast indeed targeted a nuclear site, and was "no accident".[85] Hours after the blast took place, Hezbollah fired two rockets into northern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces reacted by firing four artillery shells at the area from where the launch originated. It was speculated that the attack was ordered by Iran and Syria as a warning to Israel.[86] The Israeli attack was reported to have killed 7 people, including foreign nationals.[87] Another 12 people were injured, of whom 7 later died in hospital.[87][88]

The Mossad was suspected of being behind an explosion at a Revolutionary Guard missile base in November 2011. The blast killed 17 Revolutionary Guard operatives, including General Hassan Moqaddam, described as a key figure in Iran's missile program.[89] Israeli journalist Ron Ben-Yishai wrote that several lower-ranked Iranian missile experts had probably been previously killed in several explosions at various sites.[54]

In response to Israeli covert operations, Iranian agents reportedly began trying to hit Israeli and Jewish targets; potential targets were then placed on high alert. Yoram Cohen, the head of Shin Bet, claimed that three planned attacks in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Thailand were thwarted at the last minute.[90] On 11 October 2011, the United States claimed to have foiled an alleged Iranian plot that included bombing the Israeli and Saudi embassies in Washington DC and Buenos Aires.[91]

2012

On 13 February 2012, Israeli embassy staff in Georgia and India were targeted. In Georgia, a car bomb failed to explode near the embassy and was safely detonated by Georgian police. In India, the car bomb exploded, injuring four people. Amongst the wounded was the wife of an Israeli Defense Ministry employee.[92] Israel accused Iran of being behind the attacks.[93][94] The following day, three alleged Iranian agents were uncovered in Bangkok, Thailand, thought to have been planning to kill Israeli diplomatic officials, including the ambassador, by attaching bombs to embassy cars. The cell was uncovered when one of their bombs exploded. Police responded, and the Iranian agent present at the house threw an explosive device at officers that tore his legs off, and was subsequently taken into custody. A second suspect was arrested as he tried to catch a flight out of the country, and the third escaped to Malaysia, where he was arrested by Royal Malaysian Police.[95] Thai police subsequently arrested two people suspected of involvement.[96][97] Indian police arrested a Delhi-based journalist in connection with February's car bomb, which injured four Israelis including the wife of an Israeli diplomat. Syed Mohammed Kazmi the journalist was arrested on 6 March 2012, he is said to have been in contact with a suspect police believe might have stuck a magnetic bomb to the diplomat's car. It is said Kazmi was an Indian citizen who worked for an Iranian publication.[98]

In late February 2012, WikiLeaks published confidential emails from Stratfor, a US-based private intelligence company, which were stolen by the hacking group Anonymous. Among the information released was a claim that Israeli commandos, in collaboration with Kurdish fighters, destroyed several underground Iranian facilities used for nuclear and defense research projects.[99]

On 18 July 2012, a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria was destroyed in a bombing attack that killed five Israeli tourists and the driver, and injured 32 people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran and Hezbollah for the attack.[100] In July 2012, a senior Israeli defense official stated that since May 2011, more than 20 terrorist attacks planned by Iranians or suspected Hezbollah agents against Israeli targets worldwide had been foiled, including in South Africa, Azerbaijan, Kenya, Turkey, Thailand, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Nepal, Nigeria, and Peru, and that Iranian and Hezbollah operatives were incarcerated in jails throughout the world.[101][102][103][104][105]

On 6 October 2012, Israeli airplanes shot down a small UAV as it flew over northern Negev.[106] Hezbollah confirmed it sent the drone and Nasrallah said in a televised speech that the drone's parts were manufactured in Iran.[107]

On 24 October 2012, Sudan claimed that Israel had bombed a munitions factory, allegedly belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, south of Khartoum.[17][18][108]

In November 2012, Israel reported that an Iranian ship was being loaded with rockets to be exported to countries within range of Israel and that Israel "will attack and destroy any shipment of arms".[109]

2013

In January 2013, rumors were released that the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant had been hit by an explosion. Further reports by IAEA concluded that there had been no such incident.[110]

On 25 April 2013, Israeli aircraft shot down a drone off the coast of Haifa, allegedly belonging to Hezbollah.[111]

On 7 May 2013, residents of Tehran reported hearing three blasts in an area where Iran maintains its missile research and depots. Later, an Iranian website said the blasts occurred at a privately owned chemical factory.[112]

On 10 December, Hamas announced that they have resumed ties with Iran after a brief cut off over the Syrian conflict [113]

2014

A court in Jerusalem has sentenced an Israeli man, Yitzhak Bergel to four-and-a-half years in prison for offering to spy for Iran. Bergel belongs to the anti-Zionist Neturei Karta, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect which is vehemently opposed to the State of Israel's existence.[114]

On 5 March 2014, the Israeli navy intercepted the Klos-C cargo ship. Israel stated Iran was using the vessel to smuggle dozens of long-range rockets to Gaza, including Syrian-manufactured M-302 rockets. The operation, named Full Disclosure and carried out by Shayetet 13 special forces, took place in the Red Sea, 1,500 kilometers away from Israel and some 160 kilometers from Port Sudan.[115]

Iranian state media reported that on 24 August 2014, IRGC had shot down an Israeli drone near Natanz fuel enrichment plant. Israeli military did not comment on the reports.[116]

Two workers were killed in an explosion that took place at a military explosives factory southeast of Tehran, near the suspected nuclear reactor in Parchin.[117] In what seemed to be a response ordered by Iran,[118] Hezbollah set off an explosive device on the border between Lebanon and the Israeli-controlled side of the Shebaa farms, wounding two Israeli soldiers. Israel responded with artillery fire toward two Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.[119]

2018

In January 2018 the Mossad is reported to have stolen nuclear secrets from a secure warehouse in Tehran. According to reports, the agents came in a truck semitrailer at midnight, cut into dozens of safes with "high intensity torches", and carted out "50,000 pages and 163 compact discs of memos, videos and plans" before leaving in time to make their escape when the guards came for the morning shift at 7 am.[120][121] According to the Israelis, the documents and files (which it shared with European countries and the United States),[122] demonstrated that the Iranian AMAD Project aimed to develop nuclear weapons, that Iran had a nuclear program when it claimed to have "largely suspended it", and that there were two nuclear sites in Iran that had been hidden from inspectors.[123] This was followed by the Trump administration withdrawing the United States from the JCPOA and reimposing US sanctions on Iran.[124][125] Shortly after retiring as head of Mossad, Yossi Cohen admitted he oversaw the operation to steal the Iranian documents in a televised interview in June 2021.[126]

During the Syrian civil war

Main article: Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war
Further information: Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian civil war and Iranian involvement in the Syrian civil war

Israel and Syria have observed a truce since Israel reaffirmed its control over most of the Golan Heights in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, but the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011, has led to several incidents of fire exchange across the once-peaceful borders. The Israeli military is reportedly preparing itself for potential threats should there be a power vacuum in Syria. "After Assad and after establishing or strengthening their foothold in Syria, they are going to move and deflect their effort and attack Israel," an Israeli official told The Associated Press in January 2014. Some experts say that while the encroaching militant forces on Israel's border will heighten security measures, the advancements are not likely to create significant changes to Israel's policy disengagement in the Syria crisis.[127]

In the Syrian Civil War, hoping to bolster its logistics and force projection capabilities in the area, Tehran aims to clear a path from the Iranian capital to Damascus and the Mediterranean coast.[128][129] Israeli government is convinced that Iran is interested in creating territorial contiguity from Iran to the Mediterranean and in transferring military forces – including naval vessels, fighter planes and thousands of troops – to permanent bases in Syria and is trying to "Lebanonize" Syria and take over using Shi'ite militias, as it had done with Hezbollah in Lebanon.[130] As Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has warned, "everything possible will be done to prevent the existence of a Shi'ite corridor from Tehran to Damascus".[131] In 2017, Israeli intelligence discovered an Iranian base being built in Syria just 50 km from the Israeli border.[132]

Covert operations (2013–2017)

On several occasions between 2013 and 2017 Israel reportedly carried out or supported attacks on Hezbollah and Iranian targets within Syrian territories or Lebanon. One of the first reliably reported incidents took place on 30 January 2013, when Israeli aircraft struck a Syrian convoy allegedly transporting Iranian weapons to Hezbollah.[133] Habitually, Israel refused to comment on the incident, a stance that is believed to seek to ensure that the Syrian government did not feel obliged to retaliate.[133]

More incidents were attributed to IAF on May 2013, December 2014 and April 2015. Some of those reports were confirmed by the Syrian Arab Republic, whereas others were denied. Israel systematically refused to comment on alleged targeting of Hezbollah and Ba'athist Syrian targets in Syrian territory. In 2015, suspected Hezbollah militants launched a retaliatory attack on Israeli forces in Shebaa farms as a response to an Israeli airstrike in the Syrian Golan that killed Hezbollah and IRGC senior operatives. In March 2017, Syria launched anti-aircraft missiles towards the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights, allegedly targeting Israeli IAF aircraft, which Syria claimed were on their way to attack targets in Palmyra in Syria. After the incident, the State of Israel stated it was targeting weapons shipments headed toward anti-Israeli forces, specifically Hezbollah, located in Lebanon. Israel denied Syria's claim that one jet fighter was shot down and another damaged. Israel has not reported any pilots or aircraft missing in Syria, or anywhere else in the Middle East following the incident. According to some sources, the incident was the first time Israeli officials clearly confirmed an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah convoy during the Syrian Civil War.[134] As of September 2017, this was the only time such confirmation was issued.

Open engagement (2017–2018)

Beginning in January 2017, the Israeli Air Force began flying almost daily attack missions against Iranian targets in Syria, dropping about 2,000 bombs in 2018 alone. Some Iranian targets were also attacked by Israeli surface-to-surface missiles or in raids by Israeli special forces. According to former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, the decision to strike Iranian bases in Syria was made after Iran changed its strategy in 2016 as the US-led military intervention against ISIL was drawing to an end, planning to exploit the power vacuum to establish hegemony in Syria, building bases and bringing in foreign Shiite fighters. Although the full extent of the campaign would not be revealed until 2019, by early December 2017 the Israeli Air Force confirmed it had attacked arms convoys of Ba'athist Syria and Lebanon's Hezbollah nearly 100 times during more than six years of the conflict in Syria. In January 2019, outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot claimed that up to that point, only a few dozen Iranian military personnel had been killed in the attacks, as Israel had taken care to primarily target Iranian infrastructure while sparing personnel so as not to give Iran any pretext to retaliate.[135][55]

Syria, Iraq and Lebanon (2019–2020)

Main article: 2019 Israeli airstrikes in Iraq

In July 2019, it was reported that Israel had expanded its strikes against Iranian missile shipments to Iraq, with Israeli F-35 combat planes allegedly striking Iranian targets in Iraq twice.[136] Israeli airstrikes reportedly targeted Iran-backed militias in Iraq during 2019.[137]

On September 16, 2019, air strikes, targeting three positions of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and allied Iraqi militias, killed at least 10 pro-Iranian militiamen in Albu Kamal, Syria. The strikes were allegedly blamed on Israel.[138] According to the time, the increase of Iran-Israel tension concurs with discussion of a possible rapprochement between Iran and the U.S.[139]

Israeli aircraft or drones attacked a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) position in Qousaya, located in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, close to the border with Syria on Sunday night, 26 August 2019, according to Lebanese media reports. The attack came a day after two drones exploded in the Lebanese capital Beirut.[140][141]

According to an official from the Palestinian position in the town three air strikes hit the PFLP-GC military position in Quasaya early morning 26 August 2019 causing only material damage.[142]

In the first half of 2020, Israel continued to target Iranian weapon depots in Syria.[143]

On 27 July 2020, explosions and exchange of fire were heard during a "security incident" at the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Lebanon.[144] The incident involved Israeli soldiers and four Hezbollah fighters who allegedly crossed the border, and came days after a Hezbollah member was killed by Israeli airstrikes in Syria and an Israeli drone crashed in Lebanon.[145] The Israel Defense Forces said that there were no Israeli casualties and that the four Hezbollah fighters fled back to Lebanon after being shot at. However, Hezbollah denied that their forces attacked the Israeli army, and said that their fighters had not crossed the border in a released statement. The group said that Israel opened fire first. Two dozen explosions were heard in Lebanon; an Israeli shell smashed in a civilian home, narrowly missing a family in the house at the time, but nobody was hurt.[146][144][147][148]

Cyberwarfare and sabotage in 2020

See also: 2020 Iran explosions

On May 9, 2020, Israel was reportedly behind a cyberattack that disrupted the Shahid Rajaee port in the Strait of Hormuz, causing traffic jams of delivery trucks and delays in shipments. It was suggested the attack was a response to a failed Iranian cyberattack on an Israeli water facility of the Sharon central region in April.[149]

In June and July, a series of explosions targeted Iran's nuclear and missile programs and various other infrastructure. There were accidents and damages reported in the Parchin military complex near Tehran on 26 June, the Sina At'har clinic in northern Tehran on 30 June,[150] the Natanz nuclear facility on 2 July, the Shahid Medhaj power plant (Zargan) in Ahvaz and the Karun petrochemical center in the city of Mahshahr on 4 July. It has been speculated that Israel was involved,[151] and the damage at the centrifuge plant in Natanz alone could delay the Iranian nuclear weapons program by one or two years, according to intelligence officials.[152] On July 6, another explosion occurred at the Sepahan Boresh factory in the city of Baqershahr.[153] On July 9, explosions were reported at a missile depot belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps west of Tehran.[154] On July 11, an explosion took place at the basement of an old two-story house containing gas cylinders in northern Tehran.[155] On July 12, a fire broke out at the Shahid Tondgooyan Petrochemical Company in southwest Iran.[156] On July 13, an explosion occurred at a gas condensate plant of the Kavian Fariman industrial zone in the Razavi Khorasan Province.[157] On July 15, a large fire broke out at a shipyard in the city of Bushehr, spreading to seven wooden boats.[158] On July 18, an oil pipeline exploded in the Ahvaz region in southern Iran.[159] On July 19, another explosion took place in a power station in Isfahan.[160] Later in the day, a large fire was registered at a cellophane or yarn factory near the city of Tabriz in northwest Iran.[161]

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, head of Iran's nuclear weapons program, was assassinated on 27 November 2020 in Absard.[162]

Attacks on ships and incidents in 2021

Israeli commandos carried out attacks which damaged numerous Iranian cargo ships carrying oil and weapons to Syria from late 2019 to 2021.[163] Israeli-owned ships were attacked in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, allegedly by Iran.[164] Israel was also reportedly behind an attack on an Iranian intelligence ship of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy in the Red Sea, which was heavily damaged by a limpet mine in April 2021.[165]

On 10 April 2021, Iran began injecting uranium hexaflouride gas into advanced IR-6 and IR- 5 centrifuges at Natanz, but an accident occurred in the electricity distribution network the next day due to Mossad activity, according to Western and Iranian sources.[166] In what seemed to be an Iranian response, an Israeli-owned ship was attacked by a missile or a drone near the shores of the Fujairah emirate in the United Arab Emirates on April 13, causing light damage to the vessel.[167] On 24 April, an Iranian fuel tanker was reportedly attacked off the Syrian coast by an Israeli drone, causing damages but no casualties.[168] On May 7, a massive fire broke out in Iran's southwestern city of Bushehr near the only functioning nuclear power plant of the country. The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported that the fire was intentional, although its cause was unknown.[169] On May 9, an explosion occurred at an oil tanker off the coast of Syria, causing a small fire in one of its engines.[170] On May 23, at least nine people were injured in a blast at an Iranian plant that reportedly produces UAVs in Isfahan. The blast occurred after Prime Minister Netanyahu said a drone armed with explosives that was downed by Israeli forces earlier in the week was launched by Iran toward Israel from either Syria or Iraq, amid the fighting in Gaza.[171] On May 26, an explosion took place at a petrochemical complex in the city of Asaluyeh in southern Iran, killing a worker and injuring two.[172] On June 2, a fire broke out at an Iranian navy vessel, the IRIS Kharg, near the port of Jask in the Gulf of Oman, although the entire crew was able to safely disembark before the ship sank.[173][174] Later in the day there was a gas leak at an oil refinery in Tehran which caused a massive fire. No injuries were reported.[175] An explosion took place at the Zarand Iranian Steel Company in eastern Iran on June 5. No injuries were reported.[176] On June 20, it was reported that Iran's sole nuclear power plant at Bushehr underwent an emergency shutdown that would last between three and four days.[177] On June 23, a major damage was caused to one of the buildings of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, although Iranian authorities denied there was any damage or casualties as a result of the sabotage attempt.[178] On July 3, an Israeli-owned cargo ship was struck by an "unknown weapon" in the northern Indian Ocean, causing a fire to erupt onboard the vessel, although no injuries were reported. Israeli sources suspect that Iran was behind the attack.[179] On July 5, a large fire was reported at a warehouse or factory near the city of Karaj, where an alleged previous attack targeted a nuclear facility reportedly used to produce centrifuges.[180]

Iranian supporters and alleged proxies

Further information: Axis of Resistance

Syria

Main articles: Iran–Syria relations and Iranian involvement in the Syrian Civil War

Iran and Syria are close strategic allies, and Iran has provided significant support for the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War, including logistical, technical and financial support, as well as training and some combat troops. Iran sees the survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its regional interests.[181][182] The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, was reported in September 2011 to be vocally in favor of the Syrian government. When the uprising developed into the Syrian Civil War, there were increasing reports of Iranian military support, and of Iranian training of NDF (National Defence Forces) both in Syria and Iran.[183]

Iranian security and intelligence services are advising and assisting the Syrian military in order to preserve Bashar al-Assad's hold on power.[181] Those efforts include training, technical support, and combat troops.[181][184] Thousands of Iranian operatives - as many as 10,000 by the end of 2013[182] - have fought in the Syrian civil war on the pro-government side, including regular troops and militia members. In 2018, Tehran said that 2,100 Iranian soldiers have been killed in Syria and Iraq over the past seven years.[185] Iran has also sponsored and facilitated the involvement of Shia militias from across the region to fight in Syria, including Lebanese Hezbollah, Afghan Liwa Fatemiyoun, Pakistani Liwa Zainebiyoun, Iraqi Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataib Seyyed al-Shuhada and Kataib Hezbollah, and Bahraini Saraya Al Mukhtar.[186][187][188][189][190][191][192][193]

Hezbollah

See also: Funding of Hezbollah

Hezbollah has grown to an organization with seats in the Lebanese government, a radio and a satellite television-station, programs for social development and large-scale military deployment of fighters beyond Lebanon's borders.[194][195][196] The organization has been called a "state within a state".[197] Hezbollah is part of the March 8 Alliance within Lebanon, in opposition to the March 14 Alliance. Hezbollah maintains strong support among Lebanon's Shi'a population,[198] while Sunnis have disagreed with the group's agenda.[199][50] Following the end of the Israeli occupation of South Lebanon in 2000, its military strength grew significantly,[200][201] such that its paramilitary wing is considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army.[202][203] Hezbollah receives military training, weapons, and financial support from Iran, and political support from Syria.[204] Hezbollah also fought against Israel in the 2006 Lebanon War.

Hezbollah has been a major combatant in the Syrian Civil War, helping to ensure the survival of the Iran-backed Assad government. Active support and troop deployment began in 2012, steadily increasing thereafter.[205] Hezbollah deployed several thousand fighters in Syria and by 2015 lost up to 1,500 fighters in combat.[206] Hezbollah has also been very active to prevent rebel penetration from Syria to Lebanon, being one of the most active forces in the Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon. By March 2019, 1,677 Lebanese Hezbollah fighters had reportedly been killed in the Syria.[207]

Further information: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Hamas (2005–2011)

Further information: Governance of the Gaza Strip

Between 2005 and 2011, Iran was one of the main funders and suppliers of Hamas. Israel estimates the Hamas' Brigades have a core of several hundred members, who received military training, including training in Iran and in Syria (before the Syrian Civil War).[208] In 2011, after the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, Hamas distanced itself from the Syrian government and its members began leaving Syria. Since 2012, Hamas ceased receiving any support from Iran due to Hamas' support of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria. In a speech for the spokesman of the Qassam brigades in 2014 on Hamas's 27 anniversary he thanked Iran for aid in finance and weapons.[2]

Sudan (2005–2015)

Main article: Iran–Sudan relations

In 2008, Sudan and Iran signed a military cooperation agreement. The agreement was signed by Iran's Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar and his Sudanese counterpart Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein.[209]

In 2011, however, Sudan reduced its cooperation with Iran after the start of the Syrian Civil War.

In 2015, Sudan completely severed its ties with Iran, by participating in the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni Crisis on behalf of the Sunni Arab alliance.[210]

Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Iran is a major financial supporter of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (PIJ).[211][212][213][214] Following the Israeli and Egyptian squeeze on Hamas in early 2014, PIJ has seen its power steadily increase with the backing of funds from Iran.[215] Its financial backing is believed to also come from Syria.

Main article: Popular Mobilization Forces

Israeli supporters and alleged proxies

United States

Main articles: Israel–United States relations and Israel–United States military relations

Israel's closest military ally, the United States, has a long history of violence against Iran, including the August 1953 overthrow of the democratic government of Iran by U.S. and U.K. covert operatives, and the decades long U.S. support for the authoritarian rule of the Shah.[216][217][218][219] The U.S. provided major military and other support to Saddam Hussein's Iraq for decades after Iraq attack Iran, and in 1988, the United States launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iran, the largest American naval combat operation since World War II.[220] The United States has military bases that virtually encircle Iran.[221]

Saudi Arabia

Main articles: Iran–Saudi Arabia relations, Israel–Saudi Arabia relations, and Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict

While Iran is the world's main Shia Muslim-led power, Saudi Arabia sees itself as the leading Sunni Muslim power.[222] In what has been described as a cold war, the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, waged on multiple levels over geopolitical, economic, and sectarian influence in pursuit of regional hegemony, has been a major features of western Asia since 1979.[223][224] American support for Saudi Arabia and its allies as well as Russian and Chinese support for Iran and its allies have drawn comparisons to the dynamics of the Cold War era, and the proxy conflict has been characterized as a front in what Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has referred to as the "New Cold War".[225][226][227][228] The rivalry today is primarily a political and economic struggle exacerbated by religious differences, and sectarianism in the region is exploited by both countries for geopolitical purposes as part of the conflict.[224][229][230]

Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have any official diplomatic relations. However, news reports have indicated extensive behind-the-scenes diplomatic and intelligence cooperation between the countries, in pursuit of mutual goals against regional enemy Iran.[231][232]

Azerbaijan

Main articles: Israel–Azerbaijan relations and Iran–Azerbaijan relations

People's Mujahedin of Iran

  • US officials confirm that MEK was financed, trained, and armed by Israel in killing Iranian nuclear scientists.[52]
  • According to a New Yorker report, members of the Mujahideen-e-Khalq received training in the U.S. and Israeli funding for their operations against the Iranian government.[233]
  • The MEK aligning with Israel is generally regarded as opportunism on the part of the former, rather than any genuine partnership.[234][235]

Jundallah

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused Israel of helping Jundallah to carry out attacks in Iran.[236]

International responses

Russia

Main article: Russia and the Iran–Israel proxy conflict
Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018

Russian foreign policy in the Middle East during the early 2000s, in light of the Iran–Israel proxy conflict.

After 2001 the government of Vladimir Putin intensified Russia's involvement in the region, supporting Iran's nuclear programs and forgiving Syria 73% of its $13 billion debt.[237]

In his 10 September 2004 article Middle East Horizons of Russian Foreign Politics: Russia returns to one of the world's key regions, Mikhail Margelov, the Head of the Foreign Relations Council of the Russian Federation, wrote:

"President Putin called for the renewal of contacts with the countries with which Russia maintained long friendly relations and invested a lot of material and intellectual resources. The Arab countries constitute a large part of those counties. ... In general, the positions of Russia and the majority of Arab countries on key issues of development of the political situation in the region coincide."[238]

According to March 2007 brief entitled Russia's New Middle Eastern Policy: Back to Bismarck? by Ariel Cohen (Institute for Contemporary Affairs),

"Syria ... was supplying Hizbullah with Russian weapons. In 2006, Israeli forces found evidence of the Russian-made Kornet-E and Metis-M anti-tank systems in Hizbullah's possession in southern Lebanon. The Russian response to accusations that it was supplying terrorist groups with weapons was an announcement, in February 2007, that Russia's military will conduct inspections of Syrian weapons storage facilities with the goal of preventing the weapons from reaching unintended customers. Predictably, such developments placed considerable strain on the already-deteriorating relations between Russia and Israel...

For several years Russia has been attempting to engage in military cooperation with both Israel and Syria. However, the levels of cooperation with the two states are inversely related and an escalation of arms sales to Syria can only damage the relationship with Israel. Russian-Syrian military cooperation has gone through numerous stages: high levels of cooperation during the Soviet era, which was virtually halted until 2005, and now Russia's attempt to balance its relationship with both Israel and Syria. However, Russia's recent eastward leanings might indicate that Moscow is prepared to enter a new stage in its military cooperation with Syria, even if this is to the detriment of its relationship with Israel.[239]

Israel–Russia relations improved after the Russian military intervention in Syria in September 2015. From then until July 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Putin met a total of 9 times.[240] Prior to and immediately after the 2016 United States presidential election, Israel began lobbying the United States to strike a deal with Russia over restricting the Iranian military presence in Syria in exchange for removing U.S. sanctions against Russia.[241]

In 2019, Russia rejected an Iranian request to buy S-400 missile defense system. Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Center of Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow, said: "If Russia decides to provide Iran with S-400, it will be a direct challenge to Saudi Arabia and Israel, so it will be against Russia’s own national interests."[242]

See also

References

  1. ^ Shatz, Adam (29 April 2004). "In Search of Hezbollah". The New York Review of Books. Archived from the original on 22 August 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2006.
  2. ^ a b "Iran punishes Hamas for stance on Syria". Al Arabiya English. 1 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019. Iran's annual financial aid to Hamas is believed to be around $20 million, which helps the group run its government in the Gaza Strip. Both parties enjoyed warm ties since 2006 when Hamas won an election against the Western-backed Fatah movement. But the crisis in Syria has led to problems between them.
  3. ^ Rasgon, Adam (12 February 2018). "Renewed Hamas-Iran ties make risk of two-front war more realistic". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Iran Increases Aid to PFLP Thanks to Syria Stance". Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East.
  5. ^ "Is the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine back from the dead?". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  6. ^ Ayyoub, Abeer (21 January 2013). "Iran Strengthens Ties To Palestinian Islamic Jihad". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Palestinian Islamic Jihad". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  8. ^ Balousha, Hazem (17 September 2013). "Iran Increases Aid to PFLP Thanks to Syria Stance". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  9. ^ "US move turns spotlight on Al Sabreen movement, the arms of Iran in Palestine". Al Arabiya English. 2 February 2018. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Yemen's Houthi rebels threaten to attack Israel". www.timesofisrael.com.
  11. ^ "Israel strikes Popular Mobilisation Forces' sites in Iraq". Middle East Monitor. 10 September 2019.
  12. ^ Siegel, Jacob (5 June 2015). "The Myth of Iran's Military Mastermind" – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  13. ^ "Syria war: Israel Patriot missile downs 'target' over Golan". 27 April 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  14. ^ "Iran's Afghan mercenaries threaten Israel: Final target is the Golan". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  15. ^ "Russia warns the U.S. and Israel that Iran is its "ally" and was right about drone shoot down". Newsweek. 25 June 2019.
  16. ^ Staff, Reuters (17 May 2019). "China backs Iran during U.S. tensions" – via www.reuters.com. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  17. ^ a b Black, Ian (25 October 2012). "'Israeli attack' on Sudanese arms factory offers glimpse of secret war". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  18. ^ a b Blair, David (24 October 2012). "Israeli jets 'bombed weapons factory in Khartoum', Sudan claims". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  19. ^ a b James, Michael (27 March 2009). "Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan". ABC News. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015.
  20. ^ Kais, Roi (13 October 2014). "Iran and Sudan rift could pose a problem for Hamas". Ynet. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  21. ^ Youssef, Fatah Al-Rahman (12 October 2014). "Omar Al-Bashir: We cannot allow Shi'ite presence in Sudan". Asharq al-Awsat. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  22. ^ "Iran's Involvement in the Western Sahara". JISS. 4 September 2018.
  23. ^ "North Korea may have aided Hezbollah: U.S. Report". Reuters. 13 December 2007.
  24. ^ "North Korea, Hamas, and Hezbollah: Arm in Arm?". 5 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Israel: Venezuela Supplying Iran Nukes". www.cbsnews.com.
  26. ^ "Iran-Venezuela ties". www.timesofisrael.com.
  27. ^ Moussa, Ahmad (8 February 2019). "Why Israel wants to see Maduro overthrown in Venezuela". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  28. ^ "US Officials: Mossad Backing Iranian 'Terrorists'". Haaretz. 2 September 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  29. ^ https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-11-30/irans-state-tv-says-weapon-used-in-top-nuclear-scientists-killing-was-made-in-israel
  30. ^ "Iran Rejects Kurdish Vote, Threatens to Punish Erbil over "Israeli Project"". Middle East Institute.
  31. ^ "Iran military parade attacked by gunmen in Ahvaz". 22 September 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  32. ^ "Iraqis, bristling over Israeli airstrike, renew call for U.S. troops to get out". Los Angeles Times. 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  33. ^ "UK and Israel agree to confront 'destabilising' Iran behaviour". Belfast Telegraph. 5 September 2019.
  34. ^ "The enemy of my enemy is my friend — an alliance that may save the Middle East". The Hill. 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  35. ^ "Israel, UAE and US working together to tackle Iran's 'escalating aggression': Report".
  36. ^ "Diplomatic relations between Morocco and Iran sour over Western Sahara dispute". 16 July 2018.
  37. ^ staff, T. O. I. "Iran: Morocco deal with Israel betrays Palestinians; Oman: It could boost peace". www.timesofisrael.com.
  38. ^ "Maariv: Israel involved in Yemeni conflict to serve 'Saudi lover'". Middle East Monitor. 27 August 2019.
  39. ^ "Sudan And Israel Agree To Normalize Relations In U.S.-Brokered Deal". NPR.org.
  40. ^ staff, T. O. I. "Iran slams Sudan's Israel deal, says it paid 'ransom' to get off terror list". www.timesofisrael.com.
  41. ^ Perry, Mark. "Israel's Secret Staging Ground".
  42. ^ "Israel leaves front lines in south Lebanon". UPI.
  43. ^ Jordan, Will; Radhakrishnan, Rahul (23 February 2015). "Mossad contradicted Netanyahu on Iran nuclear programme". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  44. ^ Mudallali, Amal (8 October 2014). "The Iranian Sphere of Influence Expands Into Yemen". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  45. ^ "هنية لخامنئي: سنجهض مؤامرة طاغوت العصر ترامب وحكّام النفاق للقضاء على القضية الفلسطينة" [Haniyeh: We will thwart the conspiracy of the Trump era and the rulers of hypocrisy to eliminate the Palestinian cause]. Al Mayadeen (in Arabic). 18 January 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  46. ^ Bell, John; Zada, John (10 November 2011). "Israel's self-fulfilling prophecy on Iran". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 20 January 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014. ...proxy conflict between Israel and Iran...
  47. ^ Gerges, Fawas (5 May 2013). "Israel attacks show Syria's conflict becoming a regional proxy war". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  48. ^ Ahmari, Sohrab (9 March 2012). "Iran Around Tel Aviv: An Iranian Writer Travels the Jewish State as the Cold War Between Israel and Iran Gets Hot". Tablet. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  49. ^ Tarzi, Amin, ed. (2009). Iranian Puzzle Piece: Understanding Iran in the Global Context (PDF) (Report). Marine Corps University. p. 30. Retrieved 22 May 2019. ...Iran believes that a popular referendum would lead to the Jewish state's political dissolution.
  50. ^ a b Blanford, Nicholas (23 June 2013). "Why Hezbollah has openly joined the Syrian fight". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  51. ^ Horowitz, Richard (9 April 2014). "Why Is Iran Shipping Arm to Hamas and Hezbollah?". The Blaze. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  52. ^ a b Williams, Brian (6 December 2014). "Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran's nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News". NBC News. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  53. ^ Holmes, Oliver; Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (10 May 2018). "Fears grow as Israel and Iran edge closer to conflict". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019. Israel and Iran have been urged to step back from the brink after their most serious direct confrontation, with Israeli missiles being fired over war-torn Syria in a "wide-scale" retaliatory attack many fear could drag the foes into a spiralling war.
  54. ^ a b c Ben-Yishai, Ron (12 January 2012). "Killing the brains". Ynet. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  55. ^ a b Bettini, Daniel (13 January 2019). "IDF chief reveals Israel's 'silent' war on Iran". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  56. ^ New York Times, 4 Sept. 2019, "The Secret History of the Push to Strike Iran: Hawks in Israel and America Have Spent More than a Decade Agitating for War Against the Islamic Republic’s Nuclear Program. Will Trump Finally Deliver?"
  57. ^ Ahronheim, Anna (7 June 2017). "Top Israeli intel official: Threat of Iran's Mideast dominance 'immediate'". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  58. ^ "Tehran's land corridor through Syria, a reality". The Jordan Times. 13 June 2017. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  59. ^ Perry, Smadar (14 June 2017). "Iran gaining foothold in the region and nearing Israeli border". Ynet. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  60. ^ "Mossad chief: Iran will pose threat to Israel with or without nuclear deal". The Jerusalem Post. 21 March 2017. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  61. ^ "Palestine from the viewpoint of Imam Khomeini". Tibayan Cultural and Informational Institute. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.[failed verification]
  62. ^ "Iran to examine Holocaust evidence". Al Jazeera. 3 September 2006. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  63. ^ Nikou, Semira N. "Timeline of Iran's Foreign Relations". United States Institute of Peace. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  64. ^ Selbourne, David (2005). The Losing Battle with Islam. Prometheus Books. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-59102-362-3.
  65. ^ Goldberg, Jeffrey (14 October 2002). "In the Party of God: Are terrorists in Lebanon preparing for a larger war?". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2007.
  66. ^ a b "Iran Massively Rearming Hezbollah in Violation of UN Security Council Resolution". American Chronicle. 28 March 2010. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011.
  67. ^ Background Information on Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (PDF) (Report). United States Department of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  68. ^ Norton, Augustus (1987). Amal and the Shi'a: the struggle for the Soul of Lebanon. Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 167–187. ISBN 0-292-73040-3.
  69. ^ "Israel's Netanyahu says Iran nuclear program delayed six weeks by deal". Fox News. 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  70. ^ Murphy, Brian (20 November 2013). "Israel, Gulf in 'Strange Alliance' Against Iran". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  71. ^ "Ya'alon: No More Arab Coalition Against Us, Also Containment Is Victory". The Jewish Press. 5 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  72. ^ Klein, Aaron (27 July 2006). "Iranian soldiers join Hizbullah in fighting". Ynet. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  73. ^ Tak Kumakura (28 April 2008). "North Koreans May Have Died in Israel Attack on Syria, NHK Says". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2008.
  74. ^ "Israel carried out 3 attacks on Sudan arms smugglers". Haaretz. 28 March 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  75. ^ Yong, William (13 October 2010). "18 Iran Guards Killed by Blast at Their Base". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  76. ^ Meikle, James (11 January 2012). "Iran: timeline of attacks". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  77. ^ Zetter, Kim (25 March 2013). "Legal Experts: Stuxnet Attack on Iran Was Illegal 'Act of Force'". Wired. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  78. ^ "Did Stuxnet Take Out 1,000 Centrifuges at the Natanz Enrichment Plant?" (PDF). Institute for Science and International Security. 22 December 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  79. ^ Brodkin, Jon (27 October 2011). "Spotted in Iran, trojan Duqu may not be "son of Stuxnet" after all". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 28 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  80. ^ Lee, Dave (4 June 2012). "Flame: Attackers 'sought confidential Iran data'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  81. ^ "Iran: Israel, US are behind attempt to sabotage Arak reactor". Ynet. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  82. ^ "Iran Says Nuclear Equipment Was Sabotaged". The New York Times. 22 September 2012. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  83. ^ "Iran official: German firm planted bombs in parts meant for nuclear program". Haaretz. 22 September 2012. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  84. ^ "Navy intercepts ship with Iranian arms bound for Hamas". The Jerusalem Post. 15 March 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  85. ^ "Blast at Isfahan damaged nuclear facility". Ynet. 30 November 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  86. ^ Nisman, Daniel (29 November 2011). "A message from Iran". Ynet. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  87. ^ a b "Iran: 7 killed in steel factory blast". Ynet. 12 December 2011. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  88. ^ Cohen, Dudi (16 December 2011). "Iran: Factory blast death toll reaches 16". Ynet. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  89. ^ "Iranian missile expert killed in explosion". The Guardian. 14 November 2011. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  90. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (3 February 2012). "Iran 'trying to attack Israeli targets in retaliation for scientists' deaths'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  91. ^ Stevens, John; Tree, Oliver (11 October 2011). "'Factions' Of Iran's Government Behind Terrorist Plot, Holder Says". NPR. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  92. ^ Magnezi, Aviel (13 February 2012). "Israeli missions in India, Georgia targeted". Ynet. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  93. ^ Azulay, Moran (13 February 2012). "Netanyahu: Iran responsible for attacks on Israeli embassies". Ynet. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  94. ^ "Israel embassy car blast: Indian intelligence hints at Iran's hand". The Times of India. 14 February 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  95. ^ "Malaysia police arrest suspect in Bangkok blasts". Ynet. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  96. ^ "Thai police: 2 more suspects in terror case". Ynet. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  97. ^ "Thai official: Iran terrorists targeted Israeli diplomats". Ynet. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  98. ^ "Indian journalist held for attack on Israeli envoy". BBC News India. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  99. ^ "Israel/Iran – Barak hails munitions blast in Iran". Global Intelligence Files. WikiLeaks. 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  100. ^ "PM Netanyahu's Remarks Following Terror Attack in Bulgaria". Yeshiva World News. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  101. ^ Eichner, Itamar (20 July 2012). "PM reveals: South Africa attack against Israelis thwarted". Ynet. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  102. ^ Tait, Robert (23 April 2013). "Iranian travelling on fake Israeli passport 'arrested in Nepal'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  103. ^ "Nigeria nabs terrorists planning attacks on Israelis". The Jerusalem Post. 21 February 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  104. ^ "Nigeria foils latest Hezbollah plot to attack Israelis". The Jerusalem Post. 30 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  105. ^ "Hezbollah member held in Peru for planning terror attack". Haaretz. 30 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  106. ^ "IAF shoots down UAV in northern Negev". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  107. ^ "Hezbollah confirms it sent drone downed over Israel". Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  108. ^ "Khartoum fire blamed on Israeli bombing". Al Jazeera. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  109. ^ "Report: Israeli spy satellites spot Iranian ship being loaded with rockets for Gaza". Haaretz. 25 November 2012. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  110. ^ "The IAEA Says It Has Inspectors At Iran's Fordo Nuclear Site And There Has Been No Explosion". Business Insider. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  111. ^ "IAF shoots down drone from Lebanon off Haifa". The Jerusalem Post. 25 April 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  112. ^ Lappin, Yakkov (8 May 2013). "Triple explosion reportedly shakes western Tehran". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  113. ^ "Hamas says it has resumed ties with Iran". The Tower. 11 December 2013. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  114. ^ "Israel jails anti-Zionist for offering to spy for Iran". BBC News. 28 January 2014. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  115. ^ Lappin, Yaakov (5 March 2014). "Israel Navy intercepts Gaza-bound Iranian rocket ship near Port Sudan". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  116. ^ Medina, Daniel A. (26 August 2014). "A downed Israeli drone could advance Iran's own drone program". Quartz. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  117. ^ Okbi, Yasser; Hashavua, Maariv (6 October 2014). "Report: Two dead after explosion in Iranian nuclear facility". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  118. ^ Okbi, Yasser; Hashavua, Maariv (10 October 2014). "Report: Hezbollah attack on Har Dov ordered by Iran following explosion at nuclear facility". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  119. ^ Kershner, Isabel; Barnard, Anne (7 October 2014). "Hezbollah Attack Along Border With Lebanon Wounds Two Israeli Soldiers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  120. ^ Filkins, Dexter (18 May 2020). "TheTwilight of the Iranian Revolution". The New Yorker.
  121. ^ Sanger, David E.; Bergman, Ronen (15 July 2018). "How Israel, in Dark of Night, Torched Its Way to Iran's Nuclear Secrets". The New York Times.
  122. ^ European intelligence officials briefed in Israel on Iran’s nuclear archive The Times of Israel, May 5, 2018
  123. ^ Mossad’s stunning op in Iran overshadows the actual intelligence it stole The Times of Israel, May 1, 2018
  124. ^ Fulbright, Alexander (17 July 2018). "In recording, Netanyahu boasts Israel convinced Trump to quit Iran nuclear deal". The Times of Israel.
  125. ^ "Trump administration to reinstate all Iran sanctions". BBC News. 3 November 2018.
  126. ^ In stunning, revelatory interview, ex-Mossad chief warns Iran, defends Netanyahu The Times of Israel, June 11, 2021
  127. ^ Ibrahim, Arwa (12 September 2014). "Golan unrest spells militant threat for Israel's Syria borders". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  128. ^ Lamrani, Omar (20 June 2017). "The Race to the Iraqi Border Begins". Stratfor. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  129. ^ Chulov, Martin (16 May 2017). "Iran changes course of road to Mediterranean coast to avoid US forces". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  130. ^ Ravid, Barak (23 August 2017). "Netanyahu: I told Putin Iranian forces must be removed from Syria". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  131. ^ "Israel acts decisively in Syria". The Australian. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  132. ^ "Iran building a permanent military base in Syria — report". The Times of Israel. 10 November 2017. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  133. ^ a b "Israel strikes Syrian weapons en route to Hezbollah". The Jerusalem Post. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  134. ^ Ahronheim, Anna (17 March 2017). "Netanyahu: Syria strikes were to block transfer of weapons to Hezbollah". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  135. ^ "Israeli missiles hit military post near Damascus: Syrian state TV". Reuters. 2 December 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  136. ^ Bachner, Michael (30 July 2019). "Israel said to hit Iranian sites in Iraq, expanding strikes on missile shipments". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  137. ^ Tercatin, Rosella (23 August 2019). "American officials confirm Israel behind strikes in Iraq – report". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  138. ^ "i24NEWS". www.i24news.tv. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  139. ^ "Israel Is Escalating Its Shadow War With Iran. Here's What to Know". Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  140. ^ "Lebanese President: Israeli attacks are a declaration of war - Arab-Israeli Conflict - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  141. ^ "Lebanon president: Israel drone attack a declaration of war". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  142. ^ "Lebanese defiant after drone strikes, Israelis near border unfazed". 26 August 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
  143. ^ "How the US can learn from Israel to counter Iran". Defense News. 23 April 2020.
  144. ^ a b "Netanyahu warns Hezbollah against playing with fire after frontier incident". 27 July 2020 – via Reuters.
  145. ^ "Israeli army says one of its drones crashed inside Lebanon". 26 July 2020.
  146. ^ "Lebanon's Hezbollah denies infiltration attempt or clashes near Lebanese frontier". 27 July 2020 – via Reuters.
  147. ^ "i24NEWS". i24 News.
  148. ^ Azhari, Timour. "Lebanon's Hezbollah accuses Israel of fabricating border clash". Al Jazeera English.
  149. ^ "Israel Hack of Iran Port Is Latest Salvo in Exchange of Cyberattacks". New York Times. 19 May 2020.
  150. ^ "Gas explosion at Iran medical clinic kills 19". The Guardian. 1 July 2020.
  151. ^ "Explosion reportedly damages power plant in Iran, the latest in series of blasts". Times of Israel. 4 July 2020.
  152. ^ "Experts: Natanz Explosion Set Back Iran's Nuclear Program by More Than a Year". Haaretz. 8 July 2020.
  153. ^ "Explosion reported at factory near Iran nuclear archive site". Jerusalem Post. 7 July 2020.
  154. ^ "Explosions, power outages reported near Tehran". Jerusalem Post. 10 July 2020.
  155. ^ "Explosion shakes buildings in Tehran - report". Jerusalem Post. 12 July 2020.
  156. ^ "Fire breaks out at petrochemical facility in southwest Iran". Jerusalem Post. 12 July 2020.
  157. ^ "Explosion, fire at gas plant in east Iran". Jerusalem Post. 13 July 2020.
  158. ^ "7 wooden boats catch fire in shipyard at Iran port". Times of Israel. 15 July 2020.
  159. ^ "In latest in series of blasts, explosion reported at Iranian oil pipeline". Times of Israel. 18 July 2020.
  160. ^ "In yet another blast in Iran, explosion hits power plant in Isfahan". Times of Israel. 19 July 2020.
  161. ^ "New 'mysterious' fire reported at Iran factory". Times of Israel. 19 July 2020.
  162. ^ "Iran's nuclear program chief Mohsen Fakhrizadeh assassinated near Tehran". The Jerusalem Post. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  163. ^ "Israel's Shadow War With Iran Moves Out to Sea". The New York Times. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  164. ^ "Israeli-owned ship hit by missile in suspected Iranian attack: Israeli official". Reuters. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  165. ^ "Iranian vessel, said to be IRGC-linked spy ship, hit by limpet mine in Red Sea". Times of Israel. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  166. ^ "'Mossad behind attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility'". Jerusalem Post. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  167. ^ "Iran fires missile at Israeli-owned ship near UAE - report". Jerusalem Post. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  168. ^ "Iranian fuel tanker attacked by drone, Israel suspected". Jerusalem Post. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  169. ^ "Massive fire breaks out near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant - Watch". Jerusalem Post. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  170. ^ "Mysterious explosion on oil tanker off coast of Syria - report". Jerusalem Post. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  171. ^ "Iran reports explosion at plant that reportedly produces UAVs". Times of Israel. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  172. ^ "Blast at Iran petrochemical complex kills a worker and injures 2". Times of Israel. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  173. ^ "Fire on Iran navy ship at mouth of Gulf, crew evacuated -report". Jerusalem Post. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  174. ^ "Iran's biggest navy ship sinks after fire in Gulf of Oman - media". Reuters. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  175. ^ "Iran Says Refinery Engulfed in Fire to Be Back Online Thursday". Bloomberg News. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  176. ^ "Blast at Iranian steel plant, latest in series of incidents". Jerusalem Post. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  177. ^ "Iran's sole nuclear power plant undergoes unexplained emergency shutdown". Times of Israel. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  178. ^ "Iran atomic facility substantially damaged in attack - sources". Jerusalem Post. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  179. ^ "Israeli-owned vessel bound for UAE said struck in Indian Ocean". Times of Israel. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  180. ^ "Blast and large blaze reported at state-owned warehouse near Tehran". Times of Israel. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  181. ^ a b c Iranian Strategy in Syria Archived 1 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Institute for the Study of War, Executive Summary + Full report, May 2013
  182. ^ a b Iran boosts support to Syria, telegraph, 21 February 2014
  183. ^ BBC Newsnight, report on Iranian military advisor Hadari, 28 October 2013 'Iran's Secret Army' [1] Archived 6 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine, [2] Archived 2 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  184. ^ "Syria's crisis: The long road to Damascus: There are signs that the Syrian regime may become still more violent", The Economist, 11 February 2012.
  185. ^ "Tehran: 2,100 Iranian soldiers killed in Syria and Iraq". Middle East Monitor. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  186. ^ "What Does Syria Mean for the Region's Shia". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  187. ^ Phillip Smyth (8 March 2016). "How Iran Is Building Its Syrian Hezbollah". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  188. ^ "Iran mourns 7 Afghans killed fighting for Damascus ally". Daily Star Lebanon. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  189. ^ "The Zainabiyoun Brigade: A Pakistani Shiite Militia Amid the Syrian Conflict". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  190. ^ "Hezbollah deploying elite force to Aleppo: Iran media". NOW. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  191. ^ Omar al-Jaffal Contributor; Iraq Pulse (29 October 2013). "Iraqi Shiites Join Syria War". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 4 November 2013. {{cite web}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  192. ^ Michael Knights and Matthew Levitt (January 2018). "The Evolution of Shia Insurgency in Bahrain". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  193. ^ "Bahraini group 'among militias backing Assad'". Trade Arabia. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  194. ^ Hubbard, Ben (20 March 2014). "Syrian Fighting Gives Hezbollah New but Diffuse Purpose". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014. ....the fighting has also diluted the resources that used to go exclusively to facing Israel, exacerbated sectarian divisions in the region, and alienated large segments of the majority Sunni population who once embraced Hezbollah as a liberation force... Never before have Hezbollah guerrillas fought alongside a formal army, waged war outside Lebanon or initiated broad offensives aimed at seizing territory.
  195. ^ Deeb, Lara (31 July 2006). "Hizballah: A Primer". Middle East Report. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  196. ^ Goldman, Adam (28 May 2014). "Hezbollah operative wanted by FBI dies in fighting in Syria". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014. ...Hasan Nasrallah has called the deployment of his fighters to Syria a 'new phase' for the movement, and it marks the first time the group has sent significant numbers of men outside Lebanon's borders.
  197. ^ "Iran–Syria vs. Israel, Round 1: Assessments & Lessons Learned". Defense Industry Daily. 13 September 2013. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  198. ^ "Huge Beirut protest backs Syria". BBC News. 8 March 2005. Archived from the original on 2 June 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
  199. ^ "Hariri: Sunnis 'refuse' to join Hezbollah-Al Qaida war". Gulf News. AFP. 25 January 2014. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  200. ^ "UN: Hezbollah has increased military strength since 2006 war". Haaretz. 25 October 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  201. ^ Frykberg, Mel (29 August 2008). "Mideast Powers, Proxies and Paymasters Bluster and Rearm". Middle East Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011. And if there is one thing that ideologically and diametrically opposed Hezbollah and Israel agree on, it is Hezbollah's growing military strength.
  202. ^ Barnard, Anne (20 May 2013). "Hezbollah's Role in Syria War Shakes the Lebanese". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013. Hezbollah, stronger than the Lebanese Army, has the power to drag the country into war without a government decision, as in 2006, when it set off the war by capturing two Israeli soldiers.
  203. ^ Morris, Loveday (12 June 2013). "For Lebanon's Sunnis, growing rage at Hezbollah over role in Syria". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013. ... Hezbollah, which has a fighting force generally considered more powerful than the Lebanese army.
  204. ^ Filkins, Dexter (30 September 2013). "The Shadow Commander". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 19 July 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2013. From 2000 to 2006, Iran contributed a hundred million dollars a year to Hezbollah. Its fighters are attractive proxies: unlike the Iranians, they speak Arabic, making them better equipped to operate in Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world.
  205. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  206. ^ "Hizbullah's learning curve: Deadly experience". The Economist. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  207. ^ See More than 570 thousand people were killed on the Syrian territory within 8 years of revolution demanding freedom, democracy, justice, and equality.
  208. ^ "Hamas's Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades". Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 22 August 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  209. ^ "Sudan, Iran sign military cooperation agreement". Sudan Tribune. 8 March 2008. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  210. ^ Feteha, Ahmed; Gunn, Michael (27 March 2015). "Sudan Joining Saudi Campaign in Yemen Shows Shift in Region Ties". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  211. ^ Mannes, Aaron (2004). Profiles in Terror: The Guide to Middle East Terrorist Organizations. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 201.
  212. ^ Rekhess, Elie (May 1995). "The Terrorist Connection – Iran, The Islamic Jihad and Hamas". Justice. 5. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017 – via Fas.org.
  213. ^ "Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)". National Counterterrorism Center. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  214. ^ "Palestinian Islamic Jihad". Government of Australia. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  215. ^ "The Gaza Strip: Who's in charge?". The Economist. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  216. ^ Clandestine Service History: Overthrow of Premier Mossadeq of Iran, Mar. 1954: p. iii.
  217. ^ Ends of British Imperialism: The Scramble for Empire, Suez, and Decolonization. I.B.Tauris. 2007. pp. 775 of 1082. ISBN 978-1-84511-347-6. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  218. ^ "Secrets of History: The United States in Iran". The New York Times. 20 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013.
  219. ^ CIA declassifies more of "Zendebad, Shah!" – internal study of 1953 Iran coup Archived 18 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Danielle Siegel and Malcolm Byrne, National Security Archive, Feb. 12, 2018
  220. ^ Love, Robert William. History of the U.S. Navy. Harrisburg: Stackpole Books, 1992. ISBN 0-8117-1863-8 p. 787
  221. ^ Tarzi, Amin, ed. (2009). Iranian Puzzle Piece: Understanding Iran in the Global Context (PDF) (Report). Marine Corps University. p. 24.
  222. ^ Marcus, Jonathan (16 September 2019). "Why Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter rivals". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  223. ^ See:
  224. ^ a b Fathollah-Nejad, Ali (25 October 2017). "The Iranian–Saudi Hegemonic Rivalry". Belfer Center. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  225. ^ Klare, Michael (1 June 2013). "Welcome to Cold War II". Tom Dispatch. RealClearWorld. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  226. ^ Meyer, Henry; Wishart, Ian; Biryukov, Andrey (13 February 2016). "Russia's Medvedev: We Are in 'a New Cold War'". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  227. ^ Simpson Jr., George L. (1 March 2010). "Russian and Chinese Support for Tehran". Middle East Quarterly. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  228. ^ Blanchard, Ben (16 November 2017). "China's Xi offers support for Saudi amid regional uncertainty". Reuters. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  229. ^ Erickson, Amanda (20 December 2017). "What's behind the feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran? Power". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  230. ^ "The 'Cold War' between Iran and Saudi Arabia is heating up. Here are 5 things you should know about it". Agence France-Presse. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  231. ^ Greg Myre (25 September 2006). "Olmert reportedly held secret meeting with king of Saudi Arabia". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  232. ^ YASSER OKBI (5 January 2016). "IDF officer to Saudi paper: Israel has 'common language' with moderate Arab states". MAARIV HASHAVUA. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  233. ^ "Report: U.S., Israel helped train Iranian dissidents". Haaretz. 7 April 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  234. ^ Eileen Barker (2016). Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements. Routledge. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-317-06361-2.
  235. ^ Iranian Foreign Policy Since 2001: Alone in the World, Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics, Routledge, 2013, p. 124, ISBN 978-1-135-01389-9 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  236. ^ "Ahmadinejad: US behind terror attacks". Press TV. 18 July 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  237. ^ "Russia, Syria sign agreement for major arms deal". World Tribune. 26 January 2005. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  238. ^ Margelov, Mikhail (10 September 2004). "Ближневосточные горизонты внешней политики России" [Russia's Middle Eastern horizons]. GlobalRus (in Russian). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  239. ^ Cohen, Ariel (20 March 2007). "Russia's New Middle Eastern Policy: Back to Bismarck?". Jerusalem Issue Briefs. 6 (25). Institute for Contemporary Affairs. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  240. ^ "Analysis: The message in the Netanyahu - Putin meeting - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  241. ^ Entous, Adam (10 July 2018). "Israeli, Saudi, and Emirati Officials Privately Pushed for Trump to Strike a "Grand Bargain" with Putin". Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019 – via www.newyorker.com.
  242. ^ "Russia Rejects Iran's Request To Buy S-400 Systems". Defense World.net. 31 May 2019. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iran–Israel_proxy_conflict&oldid=1032227629"