Axis of Resistance

• U.S. bombers struck dozens of sites across Iraq and Syria on Feb. 2, 2024, to avenge a drone attack that killed three American service members just days earlier.
• The retaliatory strikes were the first following a deadly assault on a U.S. base in Jordan that U.S. officials blamed on Iranian-backed militias.
• Sites associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were among those hit by American bombs.
• The Conversation U.S. turned to American University’s Sara Harmouch and Nakissa Jahanbani at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center – both experts on Iran’s relationship with its network of proxies – to explain what the U.S. strikes hoped to achieve and what could happen next.

Who was targeted in the U.S. retaliatory strikes?

• This term, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, does not refer to a single group per se.
• Rather, it encompasses an umbrella organization that has, since around 2020, integrated various Iran-backed militias in the region.
• Iran officially denied any involvement in the Jan. 28 drone strike.
• In recent months, parts of this network of Iran-backed militias have claimed responsibility for more than 150 attacks on bases housing U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq.
• As such, the U.S. retaliatory strikes targeted over 85 targets across Iraq and Syria, all associated with Iranian-supported groups and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

What do we know about the network targeted in the strike?

• The Islamic Resistance in Iraq acted as a collective term for pro-Tehran Iraqi militias, allowing them to launch attacks under a single banner.
• Over time, it evolved to become a front for Iran-backed militias operating beyond Iraq, including those in Syria and Lebanon.
• Today, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq operates as a cohesive force rather than as a singular entity.
• Operating under this one banner of Islamic Resistance, these militias effectively conceal the identities of the actual perpetrators in their operations.

What are the strikes expected to accomplish?

• The strikes targeted key assets such as command and control centers, intelligence facilities, storage locations for rockets, missiles, drones and logistics and munitions facilities.
• The goal is not only to degrade their current operational infrastructure but also to deter future attacks.
• The action followed the discovery of an Iranian-made drone used in an attack on Jordan.

How will this affect Iran’s strategy in the region?

• It is possible that the cessation was the result of pressure from Tehran, though this has been met with skepticism in Washington.
• The U.S. airstrikes – combined with sanctions and charges – serve as a multifaceted strategy to deter further aggression from Iran and its proxies.
• The comprehensive and broad nature of the U.S. response signals a robust stance against threats to regional stability and U.S. interests.
• The aim is to isolate Iran diplomatically and economically, while squeezing its support for regional proxies.
• Yet the impact and repercussions of such sanctions on Iran and the broader regional dynamics is complex.
• Editor’s note: Parts of this story were included in an article published on Jan. 29, 2024.

The views, conclusions, and recommendations in this article are the authors’ own and do not reflect those of the Department of Defense or the U.S. government. Sara Harmouch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Legislative branch and the U.S military to increase oversight regarding aid sent to Israel and Gaza.
• The United States is in the position to put pressure on the Palestinians and its benefactors.
• According to Salem, aidmust be withdrawn if it is used to build tunnels and enhance the range of missiles launched from Gaza against Israel.
• "Recently, $75 million dollars were disbursed, dedicated to only helping people in need, after Hamas and Hezbollah launched a brutal missile attack against Israel.

• The terrorist-sponsored nations know that Israel is the first line of defense for western civilization against radical Islam.
• I commend the Israeli military and admire its efforts over 11 days of fighting as Israel defends its citizens.
• Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, Iran, various Arab nations and Turkey are behind the scenes and intent on Israel's demise.
• As Khaled explained, if Hamas and Hezbollah gain access to the West Bank, Israel could be decimated in hours.

• NEW YORK, April 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Khaled Salem, the U.S. Senate candidate in New York, issued messages to several Middle Eastern governments regarding peace and human rights.
• Khaled, who is the CEO Of American Human Rights Organization, is concerned about conflict in Ethiopia and the Middle East, international sanctions and terrorism sponsored by Hamas and Hezbollah.
• He also shared his views on Iranian human rights offenses and violations of immigrant rights in Arab Gulf States.
• "I strongly suggest that Egyptian authorities engage in diplomacy as a first step before courting disaster with precipitous military action against the nation of Ethiopia," said Salem.