Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, attacks attributed to Iran or its proxies (such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and various militias) have employed a range of tactics, often coordinated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Quds Force.

These methods typically involve indirect support to maintain deniability, including funding, training, and arming allied groups.

Operations span large-scale mass-casualty events and targeted individual strikes, focusing on destabilizing adversaries, targeting dissidents, Israelis, Jews, Americans, and Western interests globally.

Below is a high-level overview of recurring patterns, drawn from historical analyses.

1. Bombings and Explosive Attacks

• Large-Scale: Coordinated bombings using vehicles or suicide attackers to target military bases, embassies, or public gatherings, aiming for high casualties. Examples include barracks and embassy strikes in the 1980s and Jewish community centers in the 1990s.
• Individual Targeting: Smaller-scale explosives or plots involving bombs planted near specific sites or individuals, such as diplomatic vehicles or rallies.

1. Assassinations and Targeted Killings

• Large-Scale: Less common, but includes operations using proxies for broader campaigns against groups like dissidents or opposition figures in multiple countries.
• Individual Targeting: Direct or hired operatives (including criminals) for shootings, poisonings, or stabbings against specific people, such as journalists, former officials, or activists abroad. Surveillance often precedes these to gather intelligence.

1. Hostage-Taking and Kidnappings

• Large-Scale: Seizures of groups or facilities, like embassy occupations or mass abductions during conflicts, to exert political pressure.
• Individual Targeting: Abductions of single Westerners, officials, or dissidents for interrogation, ransom, or execution, often in proxy-held territories.

1. Proxy-Led Attacks (Rockets, Drones, and Indirect Warfare)

• Large-Scale: Arming and directing militias for rocket barrages, drone strikes, or insurgencies in regions like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, or Gaza, targeting military or civilian infrastructure.
• Individual Targeting: Use of proxies for precision strikes, such as roadside explosives or sniper attacks against specific personnel.

1. Other Tactics

• Hijackings: Aircraft or vessels seized for leverage, more prevalent in the 1980s.
• Cyber and Information Operations: Disruptive hacks or propaganda to support physical attacks.
• Arson and Sabotage: Recent low-level fires or disruptions at symbolic sites.

These methods often blend asymmetric warfare elements, like swarming or hybrid tactics, adapted from past conflicts.

Attributions vary, with Iran denying involvement and emphasizing “resistance” activities.

(Text and stock image: Grok AI.)