Iranian-Backed
‘Sleeper Cell’ Militants Hibernating in U.S., Positioned for Attack, Iranian militants
poised to attack U.S. homeland, by Adam Kredo, 4/7/18
Iranian-backed
militants are operating across the United States mostly unfettered, raising
concerns in Congress and among regional experts that these "sleeper
cell" agents are poised to launch a large-scale attack on the American
homeland, according to testimony before lawmakers.
Iranian
agents tied to the terror group Hezbollah have already been discovered in the
United States plotting attacks, giving rise to fears that Tehran could order a
strike inside America should tensions between the Trump administration and
Islamic Republic reach a boiling point.
Intelligence
officials and former White House officials confirmed to Congress on Tuesday
that such an attack is not only plausible, but relatively easy for Iran to
carry out at a time when the Trump administration is considering abandoning the
landmark nuclear deal and reapplying sanctions on Tehran.
There
is mounting evidence that Iran poses "a direct threat to the
homeland," according to Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.), a member of the House
Homeland Security Committee and chair of its subcommittee on counterterrorism
and intelligence.
A
chief concern is "Iranian support for Hezbollah, which is active in the
Middle East, Latin America, and here in the U.S., where Hezbollah operatives
have been arrested for activities conducted in our own country," King
said, referring the recent arrest of two individuals plotting terror attacks in
New York City and Michigan.
"Both
individuals received significant weapons training from Hezbollah," King
said. "It is clear Hezbollah has the will and capability."
After
more than a decade of receiving intelligence briefs, King said he has concluded
that "Hezbollah is probably the most experienced and professional
terrorist organization in the world," even more so than ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Asked
if Iran could use Hezbollah to conduct strikes on the United States, a panel of
experts including intelligence officials and former White House insiders
responded in the affirmative.
"They
are as good or better at explosive devices than ISIS, they are better at
assassinations and developing assassination cells," said Michael Pregent,
a former intelligence officer who worked to counter Iranian influence in the
region. "They're better at targeting, better at looking at things,"
and they can outsource attacks to Hezbollah.
"Hezbollah
is smart," Pregent said. "They're very good at keeping their
communications secure, keeping their operational security secure, and, again,
from a high profile attack perspective, they'd be good at improvised explosive
devices."
Others
testifying before Congress agreed with this assessment. "The answer is
absolutely. We do face a threat," said Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior
fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who has long tracked Iran's
militant efforts. "Their networks are present in the Untied States."
Iran
is believed to have an auxiliary fighting force or around 200,000 militants
spread across the Middle East, according to Nader Uskowi, a onetime policy
adviser to U.S. Central Command and current visiting fellow at the Washington
Institute for Near East Policy.
At
least 50 to 60 thousand of these militants are "battle tested" in
Syria and elsewhere. "It doesn't take many of them to penetrate this
country and be a major threat," Uskowi said. "They can pose a major
threat to our homeland."
While
Iran is currently more motivated to use its proxies such as Hezbollah
regionally for attacks against Israel or U.S. forces, "those sleeper
cells" positioned in the United States could be used to orchestrate an
attack, according to Brian Katulis, a former member of the White House National
Security Council under President Bill Clinton.
"The
potential is there, but the movement's center of focus is in the region,"
said Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Among
the most pressing threats to the U.S. homeland is Hezbollah's deep penetration
throughout Latin America, where it finances its terror activities by teaming up
with drug cartels and crime syndicates.
"Iran's
proxy terror networks in Latin America are run by Tehran's wholly owned
Lebanese franchise Hezbollah," according to Ottolenghi. "These
networks are equal part crime and terror" and have the ability to provide
funding and logistics to militant fighters.
"Their
presence in Latin America must be viewed as a forward operating base against
America's interest in the region and the homeland itself," he said.
These
Hezbollah operatives exploit loopholes in the U.S. immigration system to enter
America under the guise of legitimate business.
Operatives
working for Hezbollah and Iran use the United States "as a staging ground
for trade-based and real estate-based money laundering." They "come
in through the front door with a legitimate passport and a credible business
cover story," Ottolenghi said.
The
matter is further complicated by Iran's presence in Syria, where it has
established not only operating bases, but also weapons factories that have
fueled Hezbollah's and Hamas's war on Israel.
Iran's
development of advanced ballistic missile and rocket technology—which has
continued virtually unimpeded since the nuclear deal was enacted—has benefitted
terror groups such as Hezbollah.
"Iran
is increasing Hezbollah's capability to target Israel with more advanced and
precision guided rockets and missiles," according to Pregent. "These
missiles are being developed in Syria under the protection of Syrian and
Russian air defense networks."
In
Iraq, Iranian forces "have access to U.S. funds and equipment in the Iraqi
Ministry of Defense and Iraq's Ministry of Interior," Pregent said.
The
Trump administration has offered tough talk on Iran, but failed to take
adequate action to dismantle its terror networks across the Middle East, as
well as in Latin American and the United States itself, according to CAP's
Katulis.
"The
Trump administration has talked a good game and has had strong rhetoric, but I
would categorize its approach vis-à-vis Iran as one of passive
appeasement," said Katulis. "We simply have not shown up in a
meaningful way."
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