On Thursday, May 2, Avril Haines, the director of the U.S. National Intelligence Agency, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on “Global Threats” that Iranian government militias are still planning to attack U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Haines added that although the Iranian regime and its proxies have stopped attacking Americans for now, it is unclear how long the break will last.
She said the Iranian regime and its proxies fired hundreds of weapons at Israel in response to Israel’s killing of Iranian regime’s officials in Damascus.
Haines went on to say that the pace and intensity of cross-border attacks in northern Israel are controlled however could potentially intensify. Hezbollah does not want to go into an all-out war with Israel and the United States.
The director of the U.S. National Intelligence Agency said the Iranian linked group has resumed daily attacks on commercial vessels in the region since last week, spreading it to the Indian Ocean.
At the beginning of the hearing, Senator Jack Reed, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the United States is facing a dangerous moment in a unique way in which Iran seeks to exploit the turmoil caused by the war between Israel and Hamas to drive the United States out of the region.
According to Senator Reed, the Iranian regime targets U.S., Israel, and U.S. allies and partners in the region through its proxies.
The Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Houthis said hundreds of missiles and drone strikes on commercial vessels in the Red Sea had disrupted half of the world’s trade.
In another part of the meeting, Senator Reed cited reports from the U.S intelligence community, saying that Iran’s regime was seeking to use the conflict in Gaza to advance its interests. He went on to ask questions from the Director of National Intelligence and General Jeffry Kruse, the director of the U.S Defense Intelligence Agency, about the Iranian regime’s possible strategy, and He asked if it was an action strategy or a reaction.
Avril Haines responded by saying that the Iranian regime supported Hamas and provided financial and training support to the group. According to her, the Iranian regime is taking every opportunity to undermine Israel and increase its influence in the region.
General Jeffry Kruse said that the Iranian government supports its proxies within its overall strategy and seeks to exploit every opportunity during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and seeks to increase its regional influence.
Immediately after the October 7 attack, Iranian authorities praised the attack and encouraged their proxies, including Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, and Iraqi Shiite militias, to launch direct attacks on Israeli territory.
After seven senior IRGC commanders and officials were killed during an alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, the Iranian regime fired more than 300 missiles and drones from Iranian territory into Israel.
