Israeli intelligence officials reportedly believe Iran is preparing a broad, multi-front offensive against Israel that could resemble the scale and shock of the Oct. 7 attacks, with Tehran’s regional proxy forces expected to play a central role.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the Islamic Republic is suspected of seeking to replicate elements of Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault — the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust — but this time through a more coordinated campaign involving its wider network of allied militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have reportedly been working to rebuild momentum across the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” holding a series of strategy sessions with Hezbollah leaders, Houthi representatives and Iraqi militia figures to discuss a possible escalation against Israel, the outlet said.
The IRGC is also said to be carrying out joint training drills with those proxy forces while stepping up drone and missile manufacturing, as Iran looks to restore weapons stockpiles depleted during recent confrontations involving Israel and the United States, sources told the publication.
The intelligence assessments also suggest that Hezbollah and Hamas have intensified their coordination in an effort to increase pressure on Israel from several directions at once.
A regionwide, synchronized attack backed by Iran would amount to the kind of scenario long envisioned by Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader described by the Jerusalem Post as a key architect of the Oct. 7 massacre.
Israeli intelligence has assessed that Sinwar expected the broader Arab world to join the fight after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 assault, in which roughly 1,200 Israelis were killed, about 250 people were abducted, and thousands more were wounded or subjected to sexual violence.
However, the assessments indicate that Iran and Hezbollah were not informed in advance of the exact timing of the Oct. 7 attack and did not immediately enter the conflict as part of a wider ground invasion.
Iran is hoping to join forces in its recreation of the horrific attack on Israel.
