Iran is preparing to expand its regional campaign with the aim of exacting a heavy price from the United States: Arab intelligence sources have collected evidence indicating a strategic change in the Iranian leadership, in which Tehran is preparing to expand the conflict with the United States through its network of militias in the Middle East.
According to a report today (Monday) in the Wall Street Journal, the intelligence picture, based, among other things, on intercepted communications between Tehran and militias in Yemen and Iraq, indicates a strategic change in the Iranian leadership and a growing willingness to carry out offensive operations deep in "enemy territory," with the aim of creating a deterrent that will prevent further attacks against it.
According to the report, Revolutionary Guard commanders have dispatched military advisors to Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon to coordinate targets, assist in deploying missiles and advanced weapons, and prepare the forces for direct offensive operations.
Sources in Tehran see the diplomatic contacts and recent understandings as merely a tactical pause, and believe that the main campaign against the US and Israel has not yet begun, and therefore have taken advantage of the window of talks to restore the missile systems and prepare for a large-scale conflict.
The report also indicates that the next stage in the Iranian plan includes damaging strategic infrastructure and attempts to provoke internal unrest in the countries of the region.
According to the report, missiles, naval weapons, and drone launchers were placed in Yemen at locations overlooking the shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
Iran is also exploring the possibility of carrying out ground operations inside Kuwait, including through southern Iraq.
The plans include deliberate sabotage of undersea internet cables running through the Persian Gulf.
The goal of the move, according to the sources, is to create continuous multi-pronged pressure from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea that will exact an economic, military, and political toll from the US and its allies.
