Israel's War with Iran on Seven Fronts

With Israel still engulfed in war in the Gaza Strip and openly considering a new offensive in southern Lebanon, concerns are mounting across the region over the prospect of an even larger conflict erupting that could see at least seven major fronts of fighting.

Already, Israel has faced strikes from multiple theaters since the Palestinian Hamas movement conducted an unprecedented surprise attack last October. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of his nation being engaged in a "seven-front war" with Iran, saying it supports an informal coalition of regionwide factions known as the "Axis of Resistance."

The following day, the Iranian Mission to the United Nations shared with Newsweek and published to X, formerly Twitter, a stark warning against any Israeli "full-scale military aggression" in Lebanon, home to the powerful Hezbollah movement that has been engaged with Israel in tit-for-tat cross-border attacks.

Such a move, the Iranian Mission warned, would lead to an "obliterating war" and, potentially, "the involvement of all Resistance Fronts."

In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Newsweek that "the IDF is prepared for a variety of security scenarios in all areas, and will continue to protect the State of Israel from the various threats."

Now, with threats only escalating and no imminent signs of ceasefire in Gaza or the Israel-Lebanon border, Newsweek has outlined the seven fronts in which Israel has already faced strikes and where further escalations could manifest in the event of a larger-scale conflict breaking out.

The Gaza Strip

Israel and Hamas have engaged in several conflicts and flare-ups since the Islamist Palestinian group took control of Gaza in 2007, two years after the IDF disengaged from a territory they occupied for decades and just one year after Hamas emerged victorious in Palestinian elections, sparking a violent rift with the traditionally dominant left-wing Fatah party. The deadly October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas and the ensuing IDF offensive, however, has sparked the longest and deadliest war to date in the densely populated coastal territory.

While Israeli officials have claimed major gains in the conflict, they have also acknowledged that achieving their stated goals of defeating Hamas as a functioning military and political entity, ensuring Gaza could not present a threat in the future and returning hostages still held in enemy territory could still take months. Hamas, meanwhile, has managed to continue to conduct near-daily operations, often in partnership with a diverse range of smaller factions.

The West Bank

While the Fatah-led Palestinian National Authority (PA) retains nominal control over parts of the West Bank, President Mahmoud Abbas faces a major legitimacy crisis over popular resentment toward a lack of elections, accusations of corruption and growing Israeli military and settler activity that have eroded the PA's governing functions. The IDF has regularly conducted raids against suspected militia strongholds such as the Jenin refugee camp, while Hamas and other factions, including independent groups, have expanded their influence across the West Bank, including the disputed holy city of Jerusalem.

While weapons smuggling into Gaza has long been an area of concern for Israel, the current war has drawn attention to the vast number of arms spread throughout the West Bank. Israel already exerts effective control over much of the territory, but a concerted offensive by groups here could further divert Israeli security resources otherwise needed to respond to other fronts.

Lebanon

Israel has already begun to double down on resources allocated to the northern front as a result of intensifying clashes with Hezbollah, which recently told Newsweek it was "ready for anything." Israel has invaded Lebanon three times in the past and fought two major wars involving Hezbollah, but observers have warned that a new all-out conflict could be the most devastating yet for both sides.

Israeli officials have told Newsweek they estimate that Hezbollah has accumulated an arsenal of around 200,000 rockets, as well as mortars, drones, surface-to-air missiles, anti-tank missiles, precision-guided munitions, among other armaments. Widely considered to be larger and far more powerful than Hamas, a battle with Hezbollah could see major Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa targeted with barrages of weaponry in a bid to overwhelm Israeli defense systems, such as the Iron Dome, in addition to Israeli troops facing constant fire on both sides of the border.

Syria

Israel also shares a northern de facto border with Syria in the Golan Heights, much of which has been occupied and annexed by Israel without international recognition. Iran has expanded its influence across Syria since sending advisers and backing Hezbollah and a number of other militias in support of President Bashar al-Assad who has been embroiled in civil war against various rebel and jihadi groups since 2011, throughout which the IDF has conducted hundreds of airstrikes against suspected Iran-linked targets.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Israeli officials have told Newsweek that a powerful coalition of such groups with close ties to Iran and Hezbollah known as the "Imam Hossein Division" have operated in both Syria and neighboring Lebanon. Launches against Israel have occurred occasionally, but an IDF airstrike that killed Iranian military officials at Tehran's consular building in Damascus sparked the first-ever direct exchange of attacks between Iran and Israel, exacerbating worries that the ongoing crisis in the Middle East could lead to an all-out battle between the two longtime rivals.

Iraq

A number of the militias active in Syria hail from Iraq, which has emerged as a particularly active front since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. While not directly bordering Israel, Iraq has been the source of frequent drone and missile attacks claimed by a coalition of factions known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which includes prominent groups such as the Nujaba Movement, Kataib Hezbollah, Ashab al-Kahf and others.

Until February, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq also claimed frequent attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and neighboring Syria, but the deaths of three U.S. soldiers at the Jordan-Syria border saw a comprehensive set of U.S. strikes against militia positions in Iraq and Syria and a pause to the campaign. These groups have warned, however, that their halt was tied to promises of a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, something the Pentagon has signaled no plans to carry out, and Iraqi militia leaders have repeatedly threatened to not only resume but expand their campaign against U.S. forces as strikes against Israel continue.

Yemen

Located even further away from Israel, Yemen's Ansar Allah, or Houthi movement, has established itself as one of the most disruptive "Axis of Resistance" factions of the ongoing war. The group, which has held the capital Sanaa since 2015 in defiance of a Saudi-led coalition supporting the country's internationally recognized government, has launched missiles and drones against Israel, sometimes in joint operations with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, as well as against commercial vessels across the region accused of violating the militia-imposed blockade of trade with Israel.

Ansar Allah has also faced repeated strikes from the U.S. and the United Kingdom as a result of its maritime offensive. But the group has sought to fortify its military infrastructure with a system of underground complexes and has vowed to enter into direct war with both Israel and the U.S. if necessary.

Iran

Like the U.S., Iran has repeatedly stated that it did not seek a regional war, and Iranian officials have told Newsweek that, even in the event of an Israeli war in Lebanon, they believed Hezbollah had sufficient strength to defeat their mutual foe. But the Islamic Republic's language has notably sharpened in recent months as the prospect of an Israel-Hezbollah war increasingly came into focus and Iranian officials have readily advertised their direct support for "Axis of Resistance" factions.

Iran possesses the largest and most advanced missile arsenal in the Middle East, only a fraction of which was put on display during the April barrage against Israel. While Israel has long displayed the ability to strike the Islamic Republic from within, an open war could test Israel, nearby Arab states and the U.S. like never before.

Other Potential Fronts

The "Axis of Resistance" touts largely Shiite Muslim fighters from across the Middle East and beyond, to include units made up of primarily Afghan and Pakistani fighters. Both Taliban-led Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan have issued warnings against Israel over its offensive in Gaza but neither nation has displayed any willingness to get directly involved in the conflict and both governments also have their own complex histories with Iran and its allies.

Still, the Iran-aligned coalition has sought to further broaden its horizons to include contingents from other countries such as Jordan and Bahrain, both close U.S. partners that have sought to crackdown on domestic activity suspected to have ties to Iran. Azerbaijan, a close Israeli partner that also borders Iran, has also contended with pro-Iran elements at home.

Also complicating the regional landscape has been a growing partnership between Iran and Russia, which has utilized Iranian drones in its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russia has traditionally sought to balance its relationships with Iran and Israel but has emerged as an increasingly vocal critic of Israel's campaign in Gaza and its airstrikes in Syria, where Moscow maintains troops and air defense systems.