New IRA bombing fuels fears of global militant network tied to Iran, Hezbollah

close Video Iran reportedly activating sleeper cells abroad as Trump warns of US threat Fox News' Steve Harrigan reports on Iran activating sleeper cells globally and Iranians fleeing to Armenia amid intensifying Middle East conflict. National security and military analyst Dr. Rebecca Grant also provides her analysis. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Hören Sie sich diesen Artikel an 3 Min A dangerous dissident republican group, the New IRA, which is allegedly linked to Iran and Hezbollah, claimed responsibility Tuesday for a car bomb outside a Belfast police station before warning of further attacks, according to reports. The blast targeted a Police Service of Northern Ireland station in Dunmurry, and police increased patrols after the group threatened to target officers at their homes. A 66-year-old man was also arrested Tuesday under terrorism laws after the explosion, Reuters reported. In a statement attributed to the "leadership of the IRA," the group said the bomb was meant to kill officers leaving the station. It warned that anyone cooperating with police "will be severely dealt with." LAWMAKER SAYS IRAN TARGETED HIM IN PHISHING ATTACK DISGUISED AS TV INTERVIEW Forensic investigators inspect the site of a car bomb that exploded outside the Dunmurry police station in South Belfast, Northern Ireland. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) A 2020 report by The Times, citing information from an MI5 informant, alleged connections among the New IRA, Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The report said individuals linked to the group signed a book of condolences after the 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, raising concerns about possible external support, including weapons and funding. "The New IRA–Hezbollah link is a useful data point in a much larger pattern: the operationalization of the so-called axis of resistance," former Defense Department intelligence officer Andrew Badger told Fox News Digital. TRUMP VINDICATED AS EXPLOSIVE REPORT CONFIRMS IRAN SUPERVISES HOUTHI 'POLITICAL AND MILITARY AFFAIRS' The European Union designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, and Ursula von der Leyen pledged rapid implementation after a violent crackdown. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto) "This joins Russia, Iran, China, North Korea and an expanding bench of aligned non-state actors into a working logistical and tradecraft network across the globe," Badger said. "What we are watching is the maturing of a hybrid warfare model, pioneered and led by Russia and Iran, in which adversaries of the Western-led order increasingly share tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) across geographies and ideologies," said Badger, the co-author of "The Great Heist." The New IRA’s latest bombing also follows a similar attempted car bomb attack on another police station outside Belfast just weeks ago. It is one of several militant groups that oppose the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and want to end British rule in Northern Ireland and establish a united Ireland. BRITAIN DRAGS FEET ON IRGC TERROR DESIGNATION AS IRAN-LINKED CENTER ALLEGEDLY SELLS EXTREMIST MERCHANDISE The New IRA, linked to Iran and Hezbollah, claimed responsibility Tuesday for a car bomb outside a Belfast police station. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) It has carried out a series of attacks in recent years targeting police and security forces. "The real challenge for local Irish police and security services is that these groups now compound each other’s learning," Badger added. "A tactic battle-tested in one theater can be in the hands of a dissident cell in another within months, and Western counter-terror structures simply aren’t wired to track that kind of cross-pollination," he said. "A Lebanese Shia militia training a hard-left Irish republican faction would have looked exotic 10 years ago. "Today, it is consistent with a wider pipeline including Russian sabotage cells using local criminal proxies in Europe and Iranian-directed assassination plots on U.K. and U.S. soil. "The playbook of these actors — proxies, dual-use logistics, weapons-and-finance pipelines, exploitation of grievance movements in the target country — appear to be converging," Badger added. Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. Fox News' Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world." By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!