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Israel Blasted 2500 ‘Terror Targets’ In Gaza Since Ground Ops; Time Apt For IDF To Hit The Real Mastermind?

The Israel-Hamas conflict is intensifying as the Israeli Defense Forces are trying to seize and destroy terror cells in the Gaza Strip. The focus of hostilities will gradually shift from the proxies to real actors of the game plan.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military struck over 2,500 terror targets in the Gaza Strip, the press service of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.



“Since the beginning of ground operations <…> during the combined activities of ground, air, and naval forces in the Gaza Strip, over 2,500 terror targets have been struck,” the statement reads.

“IDF troops are continuing to eliminate terrorists in close-quarter combat and direct aircraft to strike Hamas terrorist infrastructure, weapons depots, observation posts, and command and control centers in the Gaza Strip. Overnight, IDF troops directed aircraft to strike a Hamas military compound containing command and control centers, observation posts, and additional terrorist infrastructure,” the press service said.


Earlier, in a release dated Oct 26, the US Secretary of Defence said that US military forces conducted self-defense strikes on two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups.

The precision self-defense strikes are in response to a series of ongoing and primarily unsuccessful attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian militia groups.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq fell under the banner of “Islamic Resistance,” which claimed responsibility for attacking the military bases at al-Tanf and Malikiyah in Syria and the air base of Ain Al Asad in Iraq. One American national died in the attack, and 24 were injured.

US Struck In Self-Defense

The Defence Secretary emphasized that the air strike indicates its resolve to defend its interests without intending to engage in further hostilities. Reproving Iran’s designs of provoking its proxies against the US, the Defense Secretary said that the precision strikes were “separate and distinct” from the ongoing Israel-Hamas clash. “The US will not let Iran hide its hand and deny its role in these attacks,” the Defense Secretary asserted.

Altogether, there have been at least 13 attacks on US interests in Iraq and Syria in recent days. The Defense Secretary’s statement signifies two things: one is that the US counterstrikes’  were in self-defense and not designed to escalate the regional conflict, and the other is that the US holds Iran responsible for escalating violence by supporting and funding its militant proxies.

An unnamed US official had said that the US sees Iranian fingerprints all over the increased activity. Therefore, the US warned if attacks by Iran’s proxies continue, “we will not hesitate to take further necessary measures to protect our people.”

Iran’s Split Personality

Tehran is ambitious to step into shoes larger than its size. The ever-growing closeness of the ultra-conservative Islamic theocracy of Ayatollahs that has had no qualms of conscience in killing nearly 400-odd Iranian girls for alleged violation of religious injunctions with Russia and China, two staunch atheistic states, is a strange and puzzling paradox of our times. It is a classic example of politicizing religion.

Will Iran become Islamic? This question is much debated in the circles of dispassionate scholars of social history. They are aware that Tehran uses varying degrees of control over the proxies it is patronizing, like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, and an assorted group of militants in Iraq and Syria.

True, in the initial days of the ongoing conflict, the US intelligence sources did not indicate a direct role of Iran in the said attack. But in the words of Ryan Bohl, an outstanding authority on the subject, “That does not mean Iran has not influenced other incidents since.”

Iran’s Pinpricks Policy

The controversy about whether Iran is or is not in direct control of ordering the attacks by its military groups called Qods Force has to be laid at rest after the militancy-related events in Iraq and Syria, in which Qods was deeply involved, came to light.

The degree and content of influence of official support of Iran to these outfits is relative to a large extent. Houthis in Yemen are more like an independent ally of Iran. But they have an understanding of seeking Iran’s approval before carrying out attacks like the long-range missile that targeted Israel but was shot down by the American Navy.

Regarding Hezbollah in Lebanon, experts like Bohl, the senior Middle East and North Africa analyst, believe that the group “is a reliable proxy for Iran.” However, both Iran and Hezbollah are aware of their respective positions within Lebanon’s political configuration.

Since October 7, clashes between Hezbollah and the Israelis have become more frequent and intense on Israel’s northern border. However, we cannot confidently say that the armed group has decided to join the fighting. The ultimate decision of Hezbollah’s full participation in the war must still be waited and watched.

What Hezbollah is doing is something like pinprick attacks. In the opinion of Theodore Karasik, senior advisor at Gulf States Analytics, regardless of direct orders for pinprick attacks by Iranian proxies, it helps Tehran with its strategy in the Middle East and Africa by exposing the weak points of the Western powers and Israel.

This strategy suits Iran best, which hails it like something euphoric about almost in a revolutionary manner. Iran is gleeful at militia activity, which forces America into a retreat. Karasik concludes that “Iran’s strategy is patient and in sync with their proxy clients over a time horizon.”

Iran has studiously built proxies in the Middle East over a long period. Its thrust is on the US and its Western allies to realize that Iran’s preferences cannot be ignored. Iran would not want conditions created that would force the US to join the war.

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