2024-08-31 13:28:26
Iran has reported the death of two high-ranking IRGC officers.
The photo was published by Channel 12.
An explosion reportedly killed officers holding ranks equivalent to lieutenant colonel and major in Isfahan on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that there is an Iranian airbase in Isfahan.
Earlier, Cursor reported that Iran is avoiding escalation, but is losing control over its proxies.
Iran is facing serious challenges in its traditional strategy of using proxy groups to achieve geopolitical goals. Tehran is now faced with the difficult task of maintaining its influence in the region while avoiding direct military confrontation, especially as its allies such as Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias increasingly seek to escalate the conflict.
Over the past decades, Iran has been actively building a coalition of militant groups that share its ideology and operate across the Middle East. This strategy has allowed Tehran to wage a hybrid war through its proxies while avoiding direct confrontation with its adversaries, including Israel, the United States, and other Western powers. Iran supports its proxies by providing them with affordable but effective weapons, such as missiles and drones, which it uses to attack key targets.
But in recent months, that strategy has begun to falter. According to the Wall Street Journal, the assassination of a key Hamas figure, Ismail Haniyeh, was a milestone that has alarmed Iran’s elite because it has raised the risk of direct attacks on Iranian territory. Despite its efforts to modernize, Tehran remains vulnerable to attack because of its outdated military, much of which was acquired in the 1970s before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Aware of the weaknesses in its air defenses, Iran has focused on developing attack drones and missiles capable of striking targets in Israel. However, despite their offensive capabilities, these systems do not provide effective protection for Iranian airspace. This creates a serious dilemma for the Iranian leadership: how to defend against possible attacks from Israel and the United States that could follow if Tehran’s proxy groups engage in aggressive actions.
At the same time, tensions are rising among the proxy groups themselves. Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militias are increasingly inclined to take action. Their growing frustration with Tehran’s indecisiveness could cause these groups to spiral out of control. The consequences would be dire, especially given that their attacks target not only Israeli forces but also American troops stationed in the region.