In a significant escalation of Tehran’s campaign to arm militant proxies, Israeli and Western intelligence have confirmed that Iran has transferred advanced ballistic missiles to the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq. This development represents a drastic step-up in the capabilities of these Iranian-backed terror networks, exponentially increasing the strategic threat to Israeli security and U.S. and coalition interests across the Middle East.
The Hezbollah Brigades, known as Kataib Hezbollah, are a prominent Shi’ite terror militia operating as a direct extension of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Established after the 2003 U.S. invasion, the group has consistently targeted Western forces and undermined Iraqi sovereignty on behalf of Tehran. Kataib Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and is the most powerful faction within Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella organization for militias operating largely outside Baghdad’s effective control.
Recent intelligence indicates that the missiles supplied are likely Iranian Fateh-110 or Zulfiqar models, which are accurate, mobile, and capable of striking hundreds of kilometers from their launch sites. The introduction of these ballistic systems into Iraqi territory poses a direct threat not only to coalition personnel in Iraq and Syria but to Israel itself, as major urban centers now become potential targets for Iranian proxies operating from a new front.
This arms transfer occurs against the backdrop of increasing regional tension following the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, in which Hamas terrorists perpetrated the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust. The attack galvanized Israel’s commitment to dismantling Iranian-backed terror networks across the region, while Iranian-aligned groups, including the Hezbollah Brigades, have intensified rocket and drone attacks against U.S. and Israeli targets in both Iraq and Syria. These actions highlight the expanding role of Iraq as both a staging ground and conduit for Iranian ambitions.
Beyond the immediate military implications, the missile transfer starkly illustrates the erosion of Iraqi sovereignty. While Iraq’s government has nominally disavowed offensive operations against Israel and the West, it lacks the means to rein in Shi’ite militias answering directly to Tehran. The presence of advanced missiles under IRGC supervision inside Iraq undermines Baghdad’s ability to control its territory and foreign policy, raising the risk of Iraq becoming a flashpoint in a regional war between Iran’s proxies and Israel or the United States.
Israel has made clear its intent to prevent Iranian proxies from deploying advanced missile systems that threaten its territory. Israeli defense officials are said to be weighing a range of options, from expanded intelligence and surveillance to preemptive strikes if necessary, echoing the ongoing campaign of precision airstrikes designed to disrupt Iranian arms transfers in Syria.
Meanwhile, the United States, under President Donald Trump, has repeated its condemnation of Iranian arms deliveries to terror elements, maintaining military pressure on Iraqi militias and the IRGC through targeted strikes and sanctions. Despite these efforts, Tehran continues to exploit Iraq’s political instability and porous borders, virtually guaranteeing ongoing proliferation of advanced weaponry to its proxies.
The technical specifications of the Fateh-110 and Zulfiqar missile families represent a considerable upgrade in proxy warfare capabilities. The missiles’ mobility and ability to launch from remote locations make them extremely difficult for defensive systems to intercept preemptively. Although Israel’s air-defense umbrella—comprised of Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow—remains the most sophisticated in the world, the introduction of massed ballistic fire from Iraqi territory would test even this formidable shield.
Iran’s actions are consistent with its strategy of encircling Israel through a constellation of armed groups, collectively known as the ‘Axis of Resistance.’ In addition to Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, the Axis today includes Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various militias entrenched in Syria. Each of these proxies has increased attacks on Israel or its allies since October 2023, seeking to open new fronts and stretch Israeli defensive resources.
Iraq’s complicated position—caught between a fragile democratic structure and the reality of powerful, Iran-aligned militias—has made it an unwilling host to these escalations. Iraqi officials, under severe pressure from Western governments, face a stark choice: confront the Iranian-led militias that undermine their sovereignty or risk further isolation and instability.
For Israel, the long-term stakes are existential. The prospect of coordinated ballistic missile salvos from multiple Iranian-controlled territories represents a scenario that the Israeli defense establishment has worked for years to prevent. The experience of relentless rocket fire from Gaza in the wake of the October 7 massacre—where civilians were murdered, maimed, and abducted—proved the catastrophic consequences of underestimating the intentions or capabilities of Iranian-backed terror groups.
The continued arming of Kataib Hezbollah should serve as a warning to the free world. The threat is not limited to the Middle East, as unchecked proliferation of advanced Iranian weaponry increases the risk of large-scale conflict and terrorism that could destabilize the entire region. Israel’s campaign to disrupt Iranian arms smuggling and its calls for international solidarity in the face of terror are grounded in a simple reality: appeasing Iranian aggression only encourages further escalation and violence.
In confronting this crisis, the international community must support Israel’s right to self-defense, demand concrete action from the Iraqi government to regain sovereignty over its territory, and hold the Iranian regime accountable for its war-by-proxy strategy. Historical experience since the October 7 massacre leaves no room for complacency; the future stability of the region depends on a unified stand against Iranian-backed terrorism and renewed efforts to restore order and deterrence to a rapidly destabilizing landscape.
