Iran is preparing a coordinated, multi-front attack on Israel bigger than the Oct. 7, 2023 assault, using its regional armed allies simultaneously, according to a report citing an Israeli intelligence assessment, published by NDTV. If carried out, the plan could aim to pressure Israel simultaneously from Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Iraq-Syria.
Iran is attempting to bring various groups within its so-called “Axis of Resistance” into a coordinated operation. These reportedly include Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, Hamas, and Iran-aligned militias active in Iraq and Syria. The goal is to build pressure on Israel from multiple directions at the same time, rather than in the fragmented way seen previously.
U.S. and Israeli assessments hold that during Hamas’s surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Iran and Hezbollah were not informed in advance of the exact timing and details of the operation. As a result, although Hezbollah carried out limited strikes on northern Israel after the Hamas attack, the expected coordinated regional offensive did not materialize. Israeli intelligence believes an attempt is now underway to close that coordination gap.
Citing Israeli intelligence information, the report further says officers of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have held meetings and conferences with commanders of Hezbollah, the Houthis and various militias in Iraq. These discussions reportedly covered expanding the scope of a possible attack and strengthening coordination among the various groups. The report also says joint training and operational communication among the groups has increased.
The experience of 2023 is considered significant here. U.S. and Israeli assessments, based on documents recovered from Gaza, indicate that Hamas’s then-leader Yahya Sinwar had expected a wider regional conflict. His calculation was that Hamas’s initial success would draw Iran and Hezbollah directly into a larger war. But that coordination did not materialize as expected. The current alleged plan aims to change that outcome.
Israel’s military has also reported renewed coordination between Hamas and Hezbollah with Iranian assistance. As a result, there is concern Israel could face pressure from both the north and south simultaneously. However, much of this information relies on Israeli intelligence assessments and related media reports; no independent, public evidence that Iran is planning such an attack has yet emerged.
The warning comes at a time when military tensions between the United States and Iran have flared again. The situation has grown more heated following recent U.S. strikes on three Iranian oil tankers and Iran’s military response. At the same time, Iran has also said it plans to impose new restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz.
In this environment, any coordinated large-scale attack on Israel could push not just the Israel-Iran conflict, but the wider Middle East, into a larger war. With multiple fronts — Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Gaza — potentially active at the same time, the United States and other regional powers would risk being drawn in directly or indirectly. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has already declined because of the conflict, and global oil prices remain near a six-week high.
However, no specific date or timeline for the alleged attack has been made public. As such, it is being viewed not as a confirmed announcement of an imminent attack, but as a possible threat assessment by Israeli intelligence. Still, if multiple Iran-backed armed groups do become active against Israel at the same time, it could create one of the biggest regional security crises in the Middle East since Oct. 7, 2023.