Orientul Mijlociu

The destruction of civilian infrastructure in Iran was considered a ‘major escalation’ in the shadow war between Tel Aviv and Tehran

Israel was behind clandestine strikes on two critical gas pipelines inside Iran this week, which disrupted the flow of gas to millions of citizens in the middle of winter, according to western officials and a military strategist affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who spoke with the New York Times (NYT).

Latest Developments

The United States conducted a cyberattack against an Iranian spy ship operating near the Red Sea earlier this month, according to February 15 reports. The news comes near the third anniversary of the Biden administration’s removal of the Houthi rebels from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The ship, MV Behshad, is suspected of gathering intelligence on international commercial vessels traveling through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea and transmitting it to Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen. The intelligence then likely assisted the Houthis in targeting ships traveling through the area. According to the reports, the U.S. cyberattack occurred on February 2, the same day that U.S. forces conducted airstrikes against Iran-backed Shiite terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Those airstrikes were in retaliation for the January 28 attack on U.S. troops based in Jordan, which killed three American soldiers.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has enhanced its naval capabilities with the successful launch of a long-range ballistic missile from a military vessel.

IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami announced on Monday that the long-range ballistic missile has been successfully fired from an IRGC Navy’s military vessel in a coordinated mission involving the IRGC Navy and Aerospace Force.

The US and UK launched strikes on Houthi-controlled Hodeidah province in Yemen on Tuesday, as rights organizations and government officials accused the militia group of exploiting the Gaza conflict to recruit minors to their own cause.

Ukraine says Russian troops are being trained on the use of Iranian drones at the Shayrat airfield in Syria’s western province of Homs. At the same time, Syria has extended permission for the United Nations to deliver aid to opposition-held areas in the northwest of the country via two Turkish border crossings for another three months.

The drone strike apparently launched by Iran-backed militants that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan was the latest in a flurry of attacks and reprisals across the Middle East that are linked to the war in Gaza and threaten to ignite a wider conflict.

Established In: 1928

Established By: Hassan al-Banna

Also Known As: Society of the Muslim Brothers

Country Of Origin: Egypt

Leaders: Mohammed Badie

A new BBC investigation has found that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recruited former Al-Qaeda members to provide security in Yemen, and funded American mercenaries to carry out political assasinations in the country.

On February 13, 2024, Channel 1 [Iran] aired a report from an IRGC ballistic missile drill, which simulated an attack on Israel’s Palmachim airbase. The report showcased a combined attack from land and sea, in which ballistic missiles were launched against a model of Palmachim airbase, which was built in the Iranian desert. According to the report, Palmachim is Israel’s largest airbase, and it is the main base for its F-35 warplanes. The reporter said that “this is an illustration of what the IRGC can do […] if Iran’s territory is attacked.”

Former Iranian Nuclear Chief Ali-Akbar Salehi discussed in a February 11, 2024 interview that aired on Nasim TV (Iran) whether Iran is capable of producing a nuclear bomb. He said that Iran has crossed “all the scientific and technological nuclear thresholds” necessary to create a nuclear bomb.