Iran is generally recognized as the world's number one state sponsor of Islamist terrorism and has been since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 that transformed that country into a brutal theocracy. Iran has supplied weapons, ammunition, training, and technical and logistical support for terror groups all over the Middle East.

In another example of this, a report released Tuesday indicates that Iran has been smuggling weapons to anti-Israel elements in the West Bank for at least two years.

According to the report, citing three unnamed officials each from Iran, Israel and the United States, much of the contraband travels along one of two routes that pass through Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. The operation hinges on Bedouins who smuggle the weapons from Jordan across the border into the West Bank, Iranian officials were cited as saying.

The officials told the Times that Iran had not singled out a particular terror group operating in the West Bank to supply with arms, but was instead trying to “broadly inundate” the territory with weapons in an effort to “foment unrest” against Israel.

The timing of this is suspect, coming as it does at a time when Israel is focused on operations in Gaza. It's also important to note that there are indicators that Iran may have helped plan the Oct 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas. Hamas is also supplied and supported by Iran.

The clandestine smuggling operation, said the report, has heightened tensions that Iran, which also arms Gaza’s Hamas rulers, will instigate violence in the West Bank, as the Islamic Republic’s proxies in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen continue to carry out attacks on Israel in support of the Palestinians.

Iran's fingerprints are on almost every hostile attack carried out in the region.

See Related: Iranian Hardliners Say Revolutionary Guard Officer Killed in Syria Designed and Implemented Oct 7 Attack 

US Transfers Seized Iranian Arms Intended for Houthis to Ukraine 

There are several challenges presented by this smuggling issue.

First, the region not only has a centuries-long history of smuggling but is rather uniquely suited for it, with many national borders crossing miles and miles of bleak landscapes and the various nations not being able to - or at least not willing to - completely control their borders. Also, the nations between Iran and the West Bank, which include Iraq and Syria, are likewise hostile to Israel and have little incentive to stop this smuggling.

Second, Iran has no motivation to stop this kind of behavior. The Biden administration's policies in the Middle East have been, at best, tepid. Israel lacks the means to strike at Iran directly, barring the use of submarine-launched nuclear missiles, which would represent a significant and unwelcome escalation.

Third, this entire issue should come as a wake-up call to the United States because what Iran can do there, they can do here, and there are indications that this is already underway.

There should be no illusions held by anyone about Iran's desired goal - to wipe Israel off the map. To that end, Iran has been supplying and financing terror groups all over the Middle East. But here in the United States, we should also harbor no illusions that Iran aims to damage the Greater Satan as much as possible. And there should likewise be no doubt that we are making this easier for them, not only by throwing open our southern border but by shipping unscreened, unvetted "migrants" (more properly called illegal aliens) to major cities around the country. As I've been saying ad nauseam, but which remains true, we have little or no idea who most of these people are, where they come from, where they intend to go, or what they intend to do when they get there - and they are here now, more coming in by the day, and they are predominantly young, military age men.

Iran helped plan and supported Hamas' Oct 7th attack on Israel. What are they planning for the United States?