Recently released documents from US intelligence agencies indicate that the Islamic Republic of Iran is providing weapons to extremists in Syria as they plan a wave of deadly strikes on American forces. Through their alliance with Russia, Tehran and regional allies are also working to eliminate American influence from the area.
Classified intelligence assessments that were made public on Thursday suggest that the Iranian-led group is building a force to attack American military vehicles and kill American servicemen using armor-penetrating roadside explosives.
The planned operations, according to officials, serve Tehran's ongoing strategy to attack American soldiers in Syria through rocket and drone strikes carried out by proxy militias.
The planned operations, according to officials, serve Tehran's ongoing strategy to attack American soldiers in Syria through rocket and drone strikes carried out by proxy militias.
Moreover, another top-secret intelligence report shows that Moscow, Damascus, and Tehran are making fresh attempts to force the United States out of Syria. This would allow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to recapture eastern Syrian regions that are currently controlled by Kurdish troops supported by the U.S.
Brandon Weichert, author of the upcoming book "The Shadow War; Iran's Quest for Supremacy" and senior analyst, suggests that since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Iran has been conducting a shadow war against the United States. The goal is to drive the U.S. out of the Middle East, diminish America's power and reach by either subordinating or reducing rival local powers and augmenting their own power by aligning closely with China and Russia, America's two main adversaries.
Brandon Weichert, author of the upcoming book "The Shadow War; Iran's Quest for Supremacy" and senior analyst, suggests that since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Iran has been conducting a shadow war against the United States. The goal is to drive the U.S. out of the Middle East, diminish America's power and reach by either subordinating or reducing rival local powers and augmenting their own power by aligning closely with China and Russia, America's two main adversaries.
News organizations have reported that an experiment was conducted in Ad Dumayr, a city close to the Syrian capital of Damascus. Islamic Republic authorities were in charge of overseeing and directing the development of a new military explosive designed to pierce the armoured plating of a tank. Conversations by militia groups linked to Tehran in Syria and Lebanon that planned to deploy such weapons against American soldiers were also uncovered in confidential papers. In February of last year, Kurdish rebels with American support took control of three bombs meant for American forces in Syria's northeastern region.
According to Weichert, Iran has adopted "asymmetrical warfare" and deployed terror tactics to murder Americans in Syria as well as deploying drones and precision-guided missiles to Lebanon and, until recently, Yemen since it cannot compete with the U.S. military in a traditional combat.
The recent exposure of top-secret documents has given insight into Tehran and Moscow's extensive efforts to provide backing for violent rebel groups opposing American forces in eastern and northern Syria. The documents reveal that senior military and intelligence officials from Russia, Iran, and Syria gathered in November of 2022 to create a "coordination center" for the campaign, intended to weaken and drive away Americans and allow Iran the space it needs to develop a sphere of influence in the area. While the documents don't directly implicate Russia in the planning of bombing campaigns against US forces, they do reveal a more active role for Russia in a larger anti-American movement.
"They've been working on this concept for years, and it's now taking off. Weichert predicted that this would continue.
"If the Biden administration foolishly supports the nuclear agreement with Iran that former President Barack Obama negotiated in 2015 and that his successor, Donald J. Trump, wisely withdrew from, then Biden will essentially be giving Iran the go-ahead to conquer the region and develop highly advanced nuclear weapons in order to support their claims of dominance of the Middle East."
Another leaked paper highlighted attempts made in January by a bomb-maker with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon to test and evaluate a brand-new kind of warhead called an Explosively Formed Penetrator in Syria.
The bomb's bullet broke nearly 3-inch-thick tank armour at a distance of 75 feet after many testing, according to the top-secret paper.
In response to the 2011 Syrian uprising, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia stepped in to support the Assad government, sending Russian soldiers and IRGC troops to help the Syrian army put down protesters who demanded the overthrow of the Assad regime and the installation of a new government that would respect the rights of all citizens.
Weichert claimed that the Middle East was no longer the country's top strategic interest area. "Yet, the simplest way to assure that the U.S. is profoundly - and even permanently - weakened on the global arena is to just walk away from the area and leave it to a nuclear-armed Iran, and thus Iranian supporters in Beijing and Moscow."
To stop the resurgence of extremists from the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, the U.S. has kept a small number of 900 soldiers and several hundred contractors in Syria since the Obama administration.
The U.S. has also hampered Moscow's and Tehran's military aspirations in the area over time by focusing on Iranian-backed proxy organizations and conducting intelligence operations to support allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Despite the presence of American soldiers in Syria, Iran and Russia continue to smuggle illicit weapons and fund terrorism, imperilling the lives of both American service members stationed there and U.S.-allied Kurdish forces.
According to Weichert, Iran has adopted "asymmetrical warfare" and deployed terror tactics to murder Americans in Syria as well as deploying drones and precision-guided missiles to Lebanon and, until recently, Yemen since it cannot compete with the U.S. military in a traditional combat.
The recent exposure of top-secret documents has given insight into Tehran and Moscow's extensive efforts to provide backing for violent rebel groups opposing American forces in eastern and northern Syria. The documents reveal that senior military and intelligence officials from Russia, Iran, and Syria gathered in November of 2022 to create a "coordination center" for the campaign, intended to weaken and drive away Americans and allow Iran the space it needs to develop a sphere of influence in the area. While the documents don't directly implicate Russia in the planning of bombing campaigns against US forces, they do reveal a more active role for Russia in a larger anti-American movement.
"They've been working on this concept for years, and it's now taking off. Weichert predicted that this would continue.
"If the Biden administration foolishly supports the nuclear agreement with Iran that former President Barack Obama negotiated in 2015 and that his successor, Donald J. Trump, wisely withdrew from, then Biden will essentially be giving Iran the go-ahead to conquer the region and develop highly advanced nuclear weapons in order to support their claims of dominance of the Middle East."
Another leaked paper highlighted attempts made in January by a bomb-maker with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon to test and evaluate a brand-new kind of warhead called an Explosively Formed Penetrator in Syria.
The bomb's bullet broke nearly 3-inch-thick tank armour at a distance of 75 feet after many testing, according to the top-secret paper.
In response to the 2011 Syrian uprising, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia stepped in to support the Assad government, sending Russian soldiers and IRGC troops to help the Syrian army put down protesters who demanded the overthrow of the Assad regime and the installation of a new government that would respect the rights of all citizens.
Weichert claimed that the Middle East was no longer the country's top strategic interest area. "Yet, the simplest way to assure that the U.S. is profoundly - and even permanently - weakened on the global arena is to just walk away from the area and leave it to a nuclear-armed Iran, and thus Iranian supporters in Beijing and Moscow."
To stop the resurgence of extremists from the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, the U.S. has kept a small number of 900 soldiers and several hundred contractors in Syria since the Obama administration.
The U.S. has also hampered Moscow's and Tehran's military aspirations in the area over time by focusing on Iranian-backed proxy organizations and conducting intelligence operations to support allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Despite the presence of American soldiers in Syria, Iran and Russia continue to smuggle illicit weapons and fund terrorism, imperilling the lives of both American service members stationed there and U.S.-allied Kurdish forces.
With Iran's support of Damascus, Israel has launched numerous aerial operations against Iranian soldiers in Syria. These attacks have obliterated weapons shipments and taken out senior IRGC commanders who've been attacking Israeli and American troops.
The Middle East, according to scholars like Weichert, has always served as a "crossroads of civilisation" and been a vital component of the worldwide energy trade. They further argue that America's outsize influence in the region has given Washington "greater power over the rest of the globe," and that U.S. withdrawal would have no positive effects.
