As the threat of Iranian retaliation looms, the potential for terror proxies to leverage new-age methods remains front of mind for experts pointing to antisemitic campus protests and social media propaganda as possible methods of creating chaos within the United States. 

After strikes on Iran’s key nuclear sites by U.S. forces Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin warning of the heightened risk of domestic terrorism from Iranian-backed or domestic attackers. 

“The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland,” the bulletin says. 

“That is a real low-rent, easy-to-run operation,” Mauro said. “You get somebody who is leading a slipping down life [who] doesn’t have much of an identity, somebody who is looking for a persona, and you give them one. It’s subtle, and it’s a seduction process.” 

Anti-Israel protesters climb a fence during demonstrations at the City College Of New York April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

While the use of propaganda and targeted social media is historically aligned with ISIS, Mauro pointed out changing digital times affecting how attacks can be waged. 

“Traditionally, that’s not the Iranian MO,” Mauro said. “That’s not the Hezbollah MO.  But we’re in a new world.”

However, the possibility for terror groups to come together with new strategies to use against a common enemy remains front of mind. 

“Right now, the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Mauro said. “You could have the kind of elements that previously, people in remnants of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Syria, Iraq could [be] figuring right now that America is going to be a soft target because you have all this unrest among the progressives.” 

While the bulletin released by DHS does not cite any specific threats to the American people, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the country are on high alert as they encourage people to remain vigilant with tensions between the U.S. and Iran continuing to rise. 

“There are no rules of engagement to a rogue regime like Iran,” Seener said. “Everything is fair game. Western democracies don’t operate in that manner, and it’s alien to us, but that is how Iran operates.”