The Secret Weapons of Iran-Backed Militias: A Detailed Report

Iranian officials have claimed that the system is more advanced than the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system as well as its Russian counterpart, the S-300. Profiles of 15 Iranian- backed Militias in the Middle East By Joe Truzman & Bill Roggio | October 31, 2023 |. The United States has struggled to deal with Iran ’ s proxies short of military confrontation. Since 1984, and across six presidencies, the United States has sanctioned Iran’s extensive network of militia proxies in the Middle East to contain Tehran’s regional influence. In February 2025, The New York Times reported that during the final months of the Biden administration, the United States and Israel detected a secret team of Iranian “ weapons engineers and scientists” working to shortcut the regime’s timeline to nuclear weapons by exploring how to build so-called “crude” nuclear weapons . Groups backed by Iran , which include Hamas, Hizbullah and Houthis, have been amassing higher-quality weapons over the past decade. Our maps show the capabilities of their arsenal. Chemical, biological and potentially nuclear weapons are developed there, as are missiles used by Hezbollah , the powerful Iran-backed militia group in Lebanon that is fighting Israel.” The operation was carried out by the Israeli Air Force’s elite Shaldag special operations unit, according to Axios. Iranian tanks (T-72 Ural TURMS-T, T-72M1 TURMS-T, T-72AV ‘T-82’ TURMS-T), multiple rocket launchers (333mm Falaq-2 and IRAM), ballistic missiles (Fateh-110 or M-600) and even military jeeps and vans (Morattab Pazhan and Sahra) are all known to be in the possession of Syrian armed forces and Iran - backed militias fighting in Syria. Iran is often portrayed as one of the world’s most dangerous actors, but with its attacks on Iranian defenses, nuclear sites and proxy militias , Israel has exposed a compromised and weakened. The Israeli military said its warplanes struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, where the Iran-backed militant group and its ally Amal hold sway.