Strategic Assessment

Reestablishment of Iran´s land bridge to the Assad regime and to its Hezbollah proxy represents a potential existential threat to Israel, and is a mounting source of concern for other regional actors and the US. While this is well known, less obvious is how Iran intends to achieve this strategic objective, or the long term factors and constraints likely to impede progress and pose obstacles. While Iran has several options regarding a possible ground route, each potential course presents particular challenges and risks at the operational and strategic levels that could challenge Iranian capabilities for years to come and possibly overstretch Iranian assets and means.