Saturday, September 7, 2024

Iran's Mullahs Love Hiding Behind Their Proxies — It Is Time to Stop Letting Them

  Gatestone Institute

The time to put a stop to Iran's runaway aggression is long overdue – before it launches nuclear weapons. 



"For nearly four decades, since the rise of Iran's Islamist regime in 1979, the West has funneled substantial political and economic resources into combating Iran's proxies. To what effect? Not enough, it would seem, to write home about.

"After all these years, the West might consider, instead, facing a crucial realization: it might consider attacking the source, not merely its symptoms. It is high time for the West to wake up.

"After nearly 40 years, it is only natural to ask whether these efforts have succeeded in even curbing Iran's proxies, terrorist groups, and militias. Unfortunately, not even a fraction of success can be claimed. On the contrary, these groups have grown stronger, more entrenched, and more lethal over the years. Their numbers and influence have multiplied, and their power has only solidified, until they are now formidable forces in the region – because no one has stopped them.

"Iran's regime and its proxies constantly launch attacks – at Sunni Gulf States, at Israel and at US troops -- with the seeming goal of eradicating the Jewish state and driving "The Big Satan" out of the region. That way, the mullahs appear to believe, Imperial Iran would be able to enjoy the run of the corral without interference from countries they allege are imperialist, and revel in an unfettered "open season."

"Iran and its proxies have attacked US troops in the region more than 150 times just since October. The US response has not exactly been a deterrent. In the meantime, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism continues cheerfully to put the finishing touches on its nuclear weapons program.

"In Lebanon, for instance, Iran has meticulously cultivated the terrorist group Hezbollah, turning it into a dominant force that wields significant control over the Lebanese government. Driven by the mullahs' mission of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America," Hezbollah has become a relentless adversary of both Israel and the US.

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