Iran–Israel Conflict: Recent reports show that the 2026 Israel–Iran war is not just a direct war, but also a proxy war involving multiple militant groups and intelligence networks across the Middle East.

Analysts often describe the conflict as “shadow warfare”, where both countries fight indirectly through militias, intelligence operations, cyber warfare, and covert attacks.

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1. Iran’s Proxy / Militant Network (“Axis of Resistance”): Iran–Israel Conflict

Iran has long been accused by the United States, Israel, and several Western governments of supporting militant groups across the Middle East.

The U.S. government officially designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984.

Iran’s strategy is often called “Forward Defense Doctrine”, meaning it supports groups outside its borders to deter enemies like Israel and the U.S.

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Major Iran-Linked Groups: Iran–Israel Conflict

1️⃣ Hezbollah (Lebanon)

• Founded in 1982
• Leader: Hassan Nasrallah
• Supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

Many countries including the United States and EU classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Role in current conflict:

• Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel during the latest war escalation.

Hezbollah also runs international networks and covert units such as Unit 133, which reportedly helps build militant cells in Israel and the West Bank.

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2️⃣ Hamas (Palestinian Territories)

• Sunni Islamist group governing Gaza
• Receives funding, training, and weapons from Iran

The group launched the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the Gaza war and later regional escalation.

Iran denies direct operational control but admits political support.

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3️⃣ Houthis (Yemen)

• Official name: Ansar Allah
• Based in Yemen

The Houthis have fired ballistic missiles at Israel and attacked shipping routes in the Red Sea.

However, Iran claims the Houthis operate independently, not as direct proxies.

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4️⃣ Iraqi Militias

Examples:

• Kataib Hezbollah
• Asaib Ahl al-Haq

These groups are part of Iran-aligned militia networks in Iraq and Syria and have attacked US bases and Israeli targets.

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Iran’s IRGC Quds Force: Iran–Israel Conflict

One of the most important organizations behind Iran’s proxy network is the Quds Force, a unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Former commander:

• General Qassem Soleimani (killed by US drone strike in 2020)

Functions:

• Training militants
• Supplying weapons
• Planning attacks abroad

Recent strikes reportedly targeted Quds Force facilities that coordinate support to Hamas and Hezbollah.

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2. Iran’s Global Covert Operations: Iran–Israel Conflict

Iran has been accused of running covert operations worldwide.

Example:

IRGC Unit 840

This secret unit has allegedly:

• planned attacks on Israeli targets abroad
• recruited criminal networks in Europe and Latin America
• smuggled weapons and explosives

Authorities in the UK arrested suspects linked to an alleged Iranian plot targeting the Israeli embassy in London.

The unit has also been linked to attempts to attack Israeli or Jewish targets globally.

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3. Israel’s Intelligence & Covert Network: Iran–Israel Conflict

Israel also runs extensive intelligence and covert operations.

The main agency is:

Mossad

• Israel’s foreign intelligence agency
• Responsible for espionage, sabotage, and covert operations abroad.

The Mossad answers directly to the Prime Minister of Israel.

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Major Mossad Operations

Nuclear sabotage

Israel has conducted covert operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program.

Examples include:

• Cyber attacks (e.g., Stuxnet virus)
• assassinations of nuclear scientists
• sabotage of missile infrastructure

Mossad operations inside Iran reportedly included smuggling drones and explosives to destroy missile launchers.

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Assassination operations

Israel has been linked to:

• targeted killings of Iranian scientists
• attacks on IRGC commanders

Israel usually follows a policy of “strategic ambiguity” and rarely confirms these operations.

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4. Israel’s Alleged Support to Local Militias: Iran–Israel Conflict

Israel has also been accused of working with local groups in neighboring countries.

Examples include:

• Syrian Druze militias
• anti-Iran groups
• certain rebel factions during the Syrian war

Reports indicate Israel provided weapons, training, and intelligence to some Syrian rebel groups to counter Iranian influence.

In earlier conflicts, Israel also supported certain Christian militias in Lebanon to fight Palestinian armed groups.

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5. The “Proxy War” Model

Experts describe the Iran-Israel conflict as a proxy war.

Instead of fighting directly, both sides use:

• militias
• intelligence agencies
• cyber attacks
• assassinations
• drone warfare

This allows them to avoid full-scale conventional war while still damaging each other.

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6. Legal Issues Under International Law

These networks raise major legal questions.

Possible violations include:

UN Charter Article 2(4)

Prohibits use of force against another state.

Supporting militant groups that attack another country may violate this rule.

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International Court of Justice – Nicaragua Case (1986)

The ICJ ruled that supporting armed groups in another country can be illegal intervention.

If a state exercises “effective control” over militants, it may be responsible for their actions.

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Rome Statute (International Criminal Court)

Providing support for war crimes or attacks on civilians could trigger international criminal liability.

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7. Interesting Fun Facts About the Iran–Israel Shadow War

• Iran and Israel do not share a border, yet they are major enemies.

• The conflict is one of the longest covert wars in modern history.

• The two countries have reportedly conducted hundreds of cyber attacks against each other.

• Intelligence agencies like Mossad and the IRGC are considered among the most active covert operators in the world.

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Iran–Israel Conflict: Iran, Israel and the United States – Proxy Networks, Intelligence War & Legal Issues

Recent reports show that the conflict between Iran and Israel has effectively become a triangular confrontation involving the United States, which supports Israel militarily and politically while confronting Iran’s regional influence. Analysts describe it as a multi-layered conflict involving direct military action, proxy groups, intelligence operations, and cyber warfare across the Middle East.

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1. United States Role in the Conflict: Iran–Israel Conflict

The United States is Israel’s closest strategic ally and provides extensive military, intelligence, and diplomatic support.

Military Support

The US provides Israel with:

• Advanced weapons systems
• Intelligence sharing
• Missile defense cooperation
• Financial military aid

One of the most famous examples is the Iron Dome missile defense system, which the US helped fund and develop.

The US also maintains military bases in:

• Qatar
• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Iraq
• Syria

These bases have been targets of attacks by Iran-aligned militias during regional escalations.

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2. U.S.–Iran Confrontation

The United States and Iran have been adversaries since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which overthrew the US-backed Shah.

Major events shaping the rivalry include:

1979 – Iranian Hostage Crisis

Iranian students seized the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days.

2015 – Nuclear Deal (JCPOA)

The US, Iran, and world powers signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action limiting Iran’s nuclear program.

2018 – US Withdrawal

The United States withdrew from the nuclear deal and imposed sanctions.

2020 – Killing of Qassem Soleimani

The US conducted a drone strike in Iraq that killed:

• General Qassem Soleimani
• Commander of Iran’s IRGC Quds Force

This dramatically escalated tensions.

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3. American Military Presence in the Middle East

The US operates major military bases across the region.

Important bases include:

Base	Country
Al Udeid Air Base	Qatar
Naval Support Activity Bahrain	Bahrain
Camp Arifjan	Kuwait
Al Asad Airbase	Iraq

Iran-aligned militias have repeatedly launched:

• drone attacks
• rocket attacks

against these bases.

This makes the US an active participant in the regional conflict environment.

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4. U.S. Counter-Terrorism Strategy Against Iran

The US government considers several Iran-linked groups as terrorist organizations.

Under US law:

Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation

(Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 219)

The US has designated groups such as:

• Hezbollah
• Hamas
• Kataib Hezbollah

This designation allows the US to:

• freeze financial assets
• criminalize support
• prosecute supporters under US law.

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5. Israel–United States Intelligence Cooperation

Israel and the US maintain extremely close intelligence ties.

Major intelligence agencies involved include:

Country	Agency
United States	CIA
United States	NSA
Israel	Mossad
Israel	Aman (military intelligence)

These agencies cooperate on:

• cyber operations
• counter-terrorism
• monitoring Iran’s nuclear program

One famous operation linked to US-Israel cooperation was the Stuxnet cyberattack, which targeted Iranian nuclear centrifuges.

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6. Cyber Warfare Between the Three Countries

Cyber warfare is now a major battlefield.

Examples:

Stuxnet Virus

Developed by US and Israeli intelligence agencies to sabotage Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iranian Cyber Units

Iran has cyber groups linked to:

• IRGC
• Ministry of Intelligence

They have been accused of attacks on:

• Israeli infrastructure
• US companies
• government agencies.

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7. U.S. Proxy Alliances in the Region: Iran–Israel Conflict

Just as Iran has proxy groups, the US works with regional partners.

These include:

• Israel
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates
• Jordan
• NATO partners

The US also supports local forces such as:

• Kurdish groups in Syria
• Iraqi security forces

These alliances form part of a broader regional security architecture against Iran.

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8. Legal Issues Under International Law: Iran–Israel Conflict

The involvement of multiple countries raises complex legal questions.

UN Charter Article 2(4)

Prohibits the use of force against another state’s territorial integrity.

UN Charter Article 51

Allows self-defense if an armed attack occurs.

The US often justifies its military actions against Iran-linked militias using collective self-defense with allies such as Israel or Iraq.

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9. International Criminal Law Issues: Iran–Israel Conflict

Potential violations could include:

• war crimes
• unlawful attacks
• assassination of officials
• support to armed groups

Relevant law:

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

Article 8 – War crimes.

However enforcement is difficult because:

• the US is not an ICC member
• Israel is not an ICC member
• Iran is not an ICC member.

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10. Economic War: Sanctions

The US also fights Iran through economic sanctions.

Key laws include:

• Iran Sanctions Act
• Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA)

These laws restrict:

• oil exports
• banking access
• international trade with Iran.

Sanctions are intended to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear program and regional activities.

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11. Interesting Facts About the Iran–Israel–US Rivalry

• Iran and Israel once had secret cooperation before the 1979 revolution.

• The United States spends billions of dollars annually on military aid to Israel.

• Iran has built one of the largest missile arsenals in the Middle East.

• The conflict is often called “the shadow war” because much of it occurs through covert operations and proxies.

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12. Why This Conflict Matters Globally: Iran–Israel Conflict

The Iran–Israel–US rivalry affects:

• global oil markets
• international shipping routes
• nuclear proliferation
• regional security.

Any escalation could potentially lead to a much wider Middle East war involving multiple countries.

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