Life after Nasrallah: Iran to lean on other proxies in confronting Israel - analysis

Iran’s regime may now need to lean more on pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen to confront Israel after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and many of the terrorist group’s commanders. Its losses are so large that Iran will be forced to contend with increasing threats to Israel from other fronts. The Iranian regime under its former president and under the IRGC worked to create a multi-front threat to the Jewish state. However, the front in Gaza has been greatly weakened and the front in Lebanon could collapse.

Iran has been prodding the Iraqis and Houthis to strike at Israel increasingly in recent weeks. The Iraqi militias, for instance, have targeted areas in the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights, and also Eilat. The Houthis have twice tried to target Israel, on September 15 and 26. This illustrates how Tehran is using these groups to make up for the pressure Jerusalem is putting on Hezbollah.

Iranian-backed proxies

The Iranian-backed militias in Iraq include a large number of different groups. These are often gathered under the umbrella of a group called the Popular Mobilization Units, or Hashd al-Shaabi. When they attack Israel, they call themselves the “Islamic Resistance.”

The Iranian-backed militias in Iraq include many different groups. These are often gathered under the umbrella of a group called the Popular Mobilization Units, or Hashd al-Shaabi. When they attack Israel, they call themselves the “Islamic Resistance.”

The Iraqi militias have strength in numbers. They likely have up to 100,000 men under arms. Many of them are not linked to the more quality units that are close to Iran’s IRGC. Therefore, the more dangerous units are only a few militias with thousands of men each. These include Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

Kataib Hezbollah used drones to kill three Americans in Jordan in January. The group has also targeted Saudi Arabia in past years and is also involved in plots to target US forces. The Iraqi militias have carried out more than 100 attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria since October 2023. They began their attacks after the Hamas attack on Israel.

Differences with Houthis 

The Houthis, by contrast, have more serious weapon systems and appear more disciplined than the Iraqi militias. They are farther away from Israel, at some 1,500 miles, and don’t have a land corridor to reach the borders of Israel. However, they have shown an increasing willingness to target Tel Aviv and areas in central Israel using long-range ballistic missiles.

They also have long-range cruise missiles and drones. The Houthis used a drone to target Tel Aviv in July, killing an Israeli man. They have also targeted Eilat. According to reports, they have increased their targeting of ships in the Red Sea, including flying projectiles near US warships in recent days. This is likely part of their support for Hezbollah.