Gulf Cooperation Council states are pursuing hunting down terrorist cells linked to Tehran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as they continue to counter Iranian attacks, intercepting more than 6,246 missiles and drones, according to the Gulf Research Center.
Monitoring by Asharq Al-Awsat shows that within 30 days, Gulf security services uncovered nine cells tied to Iran or its allies, particularly Hezbollah, across four countries: Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE.
The first cell was announced in Qatar on March 3, and the latest on March 30—meaning all nine were dismantled within 27 days, or roughly one Iran-linked cell every three days.
Seventy-four suspects across nine Iranian cells
About 74 individuals were arrested or identified across the nine cells, according to official data. They include nationals of Kuwait, Lebanon, Iran, and Bahrain.
According to official statements and confessions, the suspects were involved in coordinating with operatives abroad in ways that undermine state sovereignty and endanger public safety. Charges include raising funds for attacks, plotting assassinations targeting leaders and public figures, damaging strategic interests, infiltrating national economies, and executing schemes that threaten financial stability.
They also face accusations of espionage, collecting intelligence on military and critical sites, and possessing drones and coordinates of sensitive locations.
“Exporting the revolution”
The activities and charges mirror previously uncovered Iran-linked networks in the Gulf. Gulf security specialist Dhafer Alajmi said Iran has pursued a policy of exporting its 1979 revolution, turning sleeper cells into an existential threat to Gulf states.
Gulf countries began dismantling such networks early in the current conflict. The first announced operation came less than 72 hours after the outbreak of US, Israeli, and Iranian military confrontations, reflecting heightened security vigilance.
In Bahrain, authorities uncovered three cells involving 14 individuals, including 12 detained and two identified as fugitives abroad.
In Kuwait, three cells linked to the banned Hezbollah group involved 45 individuals, some arrested and others identified overseas.
The UAE announced the dismantling of a network linked to Hezbollah and Iran comprising five members.
Qatar, the first to act on March 3, said two cells working for the Revolutionary Guards involved 10 suspects.
A three-dimensional strategy
Alajmi said Tehran relies on a three-dimensional strategy to encircle the region: local terrorist cells, recruitment within Gulf states to carry out bombings and assassinations, and regional armed proxies such as the Houthis and Hezbollah to exert missile and drone pressure.
He also pointed to “nuclear blackmail,” using nuclear facilities as cover for destabilizing activities and as leverage against the international community.
He said Gulf states have demonstrated exceptional efficiency through preemptive operations that foiled dozens of plots and uncovered weapons and explosives linked to the Revolutionary Guard.
He cited strict anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws that have constrained Iran-linked networks financially, alongside defense alliances, enhanced security coordination such as the Peninsula Shield Force, and advanced air defense systems.
He added that public awareness has denied such cells a supportive environment, turning them from pressure tools into losing assets.
“An old, renewed tactic”
Bahraini writer Faisal Al-Sheikh said targeting Bahrain and the wider Gulf through terrorist cells and proxy networks is a long-standing Iranian tactic central to its proxy warfare strategy, aimed at undermining states from within and spreading instability.
He described it as a system built on recruiting agents and exploiting weak loyalties, calling it “organized betrayal.”
Lebanese political analyst Ibrahim Raihan said Tehran uses such cells to destabilize Gulf states and signal that any attack on it would trigger broader regional chaos.
Developments since the start of hostilities show Gulf forces have not only intercepted attacks in the air but are also engaged in a parallel ground campaign to dismantle Iran-linked networks operating within their borders.
