Proxy relationship

Iran launches drone strikes on Iranian Kurdish opposition camp in northern Iraq

Iran has carried out more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks on the Kurdistan Region. Many of them targeted Kurdish opposition groups.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters take position on the Qarachogh Mountain in the Makhmur district, about 60 kilometres south of Erbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region, on September 30, 2026.
Members of a local rebel militia pose for a picture during a patrol in Syria's southern city of Sweida.

Iranian networks continue to threaten Israel from southern Syria, recruiting Druze, Sunnis to fight

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces running over American flag.

Seeking to prevent crisis, Iraq condemns desecration of US flag by pro-Iranian militias - analysis

Houthi supporters demonstrate in solidarity with Iran, amid a two-week ceasefire between U.S. and Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen, April 10, 2026.

Yemeni government forces repel overnight Houthi assault on critical Hejat al-Abd supply route


US-backed Yemeni forces intercept weapons shipment from Iran to Houthis, CENTCOM says

Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF) intercepted an Iranian arms shipment containing 750 tons of munitions and hardware, said CENTCOM on Wednesday.

 Eternity C cargo ship; illustrative

Iran, China, and Russia behind life-threatening operations in UK, British police say

Two senior British police officers warned that Russia, Iran, and China are behind a growing number of life-threatening operations in Britain.

British police officers stand watch at crime scene

Houthis threaten US ships in Red Sea if Trump joins Israel's Iran strikes

The US president has been unclear on whether or not he will decide to strike Iran after nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran reached an impasse.

Houthi supporters burn Israeli and US flags in solidarity with Palestinians and Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen June 20, 2025

Iran scales back its support of proxies to focus on Trump's threat, Iranian officials say - report

Iran reportedly ordered its military personnel to leave Yemen to avoid a confrontation with the US as it continues attacking Houthi assets. 

 A ship fires missiles at an undisclosed location, after US President Donald Trump launched military strikes against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday over the group's attacks against Red Sea shipping, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on March 15, 2025.

US gov't offers $15 million reward for providing crucial Houthi tips

On Monday, the US carried out targeted strikes against the Houthis in Yemen’s capital city, Sana’a, including sites such as the Al-Habashi Iron Factory and areas south of the presidential compound. 

 US President Donald Trump in front of a background of newly recruited fighters who joined a Houthi military force intended to be sent to fight in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, march during a parade in Sanaa, Yemen December 2, 2023 (illustrative)

Activists petition Treasury Department to sanction charities that serve as terror proxies

A coalition of 45 organizations urged the US Treasury to follow suit of the 'Samidoun' sanction by sanctioning an additional six NGOs allegedly linked to terrorism, citing their ties to the PFLP.

 Samidoun poster calling for “Long Live October 7”

Why Iran-backed militias in Iraq are Tehran's most resilient proxies - analysis

It is the Iranian-controlled Iraqi militias (Popular Mobilization Forces, PMF or PMU) that may be the most difficult Iranian proxy to degrade.

 Supporters of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces offer condolences over the deaths of Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi and others, outside the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad on May 20, 2024.

Documents captured from Hamas reveal Iran's complex weapons smuggling network

The smuggling routes to the West Bank had two routes: the first passed through Syria to Jordan; the second route began in Syria, through Lebanon, and then weapons were smuggled directly into Israel.

The embroidered flags of Lebanon, Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Palestinian Authority (illustrative)

Will Iranian-backed militias in Iraq march to Syria? Orders awaited - analysis

Moving Iraqi militias into Syria would be Iran’s way of both preventing spillover and adding fuel to the fire.

 A member of Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah attends the funeral of a commander who was killed in a strike in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday, September 22, 2024.

Syrian and Russian jets bomb rebel-held northwest Syria

Damascus says it is waging a war against al Qaeda-inspired terrorists and denies targeting civilians indiscriminately.

A rebel fighter takes away a flag that belonged to Islamic State militants in Akhtarin village, after rebel fighters advanced in the area, in northern Aleppo Governorate, Syria, October 7, 2016