The Israeli military has warned that Iran is behind an uptick in attacks against Israel on four fronts beyond the Gaza Strip, creating major difficulties in the long-term effort to shore up the country’s security on multiple fronts.

While the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) campaign against the Palestinian Hamas movement and allied factions in Gaza continues, well-armed militias aligned with the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen have continued to strike targets within Israel, putting further pressure on the country’s defense systems.

With the Hezbollah movement carrying out daily operations against northern Israel from Lebanon and, at times, neighboring Syria, a coalition of militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has expanded attacks, claiming multiple strikes against key installations in Tel Aviv, while Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, have struck the southern port city of Eilat with growing frequency.

IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari argued on Monday that Israel’s top foe, Iran, was at the heart of these campaigns and that “this war is not just against Hamas.”

“The connection between Hezbollah, the Houthis, the militias in Iraq, Syria, some militias in Syria and not just militias in Syria: all controlled by Iran,” Hagari said in response to Newsweek‘s question during a briefing.

“Iran in a very sophisticated way has occupied Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, using those countries to wage war against Israel, but not just against Israel, it’s against Sunni countries and also against innocent civilians of the Western world.”

Iranian officials have repeatedly denied exerting command or control over various “Axis of Resistance” militias in the region but have lauded their actions, particularly since the Hamas-led attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

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