PANEL 'Decoding Iran’s Playbook: The Axis of Resistance and the Use of Proxy Forces' – Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” comprised of groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Houthi rebels in Yemen, and mostly Shia militia groups in Iraq and Syria, demonstrates the success of General Qassem Soleimani’s blueprint for spreading Iranian influence throughout the Middle East. This panel will discuss the implications of Iran’s sponsor of proxy warfare and how Iran uses these groups to execute its own foreign policy playbook.

Panelists:
Mr. Mark Mazzetti [Moderator], Washington Investigative Correspondent, The New York Times
Dr. Kenneth Katzman, Senior Fellow, The Soufan Center
Dr. Matthew Levitt, Senior Fellow and Director of the Program on Counterterrorism, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Mr. Phillip Smyth, Researcher on Iranian Proxies and Shia Militias
Mr. Marc Polymeropoulos, Former Senior Intelligence Service, CIA, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council

At the 2024 Global Summit on Terrorism and Political Violence