A wave of attacks by Iran and its proxies across the Middle East could see Tehran “lose control” and fall into a wider conflict with the US, an ex-Israeli intelligence officer has warned.
Speaking to Daily Express US, Avi Melamed said for years Iran has been working under the correct assumption that western and regional powers will do anything to avoid a direct conflict, and now appears to be taking greater risks, as Israel’s bombardment of Gaza grinds on.
“For the Iranian regime, the downfall of Hamas in Gaza is bad news,” Melamed said.
“It seems like the Iranian regime is raising the stakes at this moment. For the first time we saw Iranians actually taking responsibility for directly attacking the United States’s presence in north Iraq.
“We saw that the Houthis are continuing their attacks and provocations in the Red Sea, despite their being a US-led coalition strike in retaliation against them.”
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The Houthis launched a fresh missile attack on a US-owned vessel on Thursday, as the US continued to strike back.
The group, which is backed by Iran, has vowed to attack any vessels perceived to have links with Israel in solidarity with Hamas.
This incident followed the fifth round of US strikes in Yemen on the same day, with the White House saying US forces successfully “took out a range of Houthi missiles” aimed at the Red Sea.
It comes as Israel’s forces continue to fight Lebanon-based group Hezbollah, another of Tehran’s proxies, whilst bombarding Gaza.
Since the start of the year, an Israeli airstrike has killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon, the militant group launched an explosive drone strike on an Israeli base, and Israel assassinated Hamas’ deputy leader in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
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Iran itself launched missile strikes on Iraq, Syria and Pakistan this week citing security concerns, while militant groups it backs continue to target American and Western interests as well as fight Israel, ratcheting up fears of conflict that could ensnare the whole the Middle East and beyond.
Melamed said Iran’s government is “sitting around this poker table and they know how to play the game,” but says despite soaring tensions in the region and repeated warnings from the US, Tehran doesn’t want a broader regional war.
“And then you’ve got this whole thing of the risk of slipping into a wider conflict, which I don’t think the Iranian regime is looking for,” he said.
However, he suggested that by continuing these escalations the Iranian regime may at some point “lose control” and find themselves “on a slippery slope.”
