Iran-Backed Militias: A Critical Analysis of Their Tactics

In response to President Trump's recent remarks that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei could be targeted as part of the current strikes on Iran , Akram Kaabi, leader of the Iran - backed Iraqi militia Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, issued a direct threat against U.S. Diplomats, citizens, and other interests. This approach mirrors the tactics of other Iranian - backed militias in southern Syria against northern Israel, Hezbollah's activities in the same area, and the Houthi campaigns in Yemen and against Israeli targets. Profiles of 15 Iranian- backed Militias in the Middle East By Joe Truzman & Bill Roggio | October 31, 2023 |. A key Iranian proxy is found among the Iraqi Shia , who have a history with Iran that goes back to the Saddam Hussein era but whose full value to Tehran only started to be realized after the 2003 US invasion made Iraq’s largest community dominant in that nation’s politics. The Yemen conflict has provided Iran with a live-fire testing ground for longer-range capabilities. Houthi-fired Iranian-sourced ballistic missiles and UAVs provide data to feed back into Iranian weapons development cycles. Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has built a network of proxies across the Middle East. As of 2022, Tehran had allies among more than a dozen major militias , some with their own political parties, that challenged local and neighboring governments. Four experts assess how outside players might respond to the showdown, and whether Tehran will switch up its calculus on procurement, attack tactics , and other military matters as the fight goes on.