Daniel Davis Deep Dive Iran's Asymmetrical War /Alastair Crooke & Lt Col Daniel Davis
Mar 13, 2026
Alastair Crooke, former British diplomat and MI6 officer turned regional security analyst. He breaks down Iran’s dispersed mosaic doctrine and how decentralised commands survive strikes. He describes asymmetric naval threats like submersible drones and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz. He also discusses logistics, missile use to deplete defenses, and how resilience shapes deterrence.
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Bombing Fails Against Buried Dispersed Targets
- Aerial bombardment loses effectiveness when targets are deeply buried and dispersed across vast terrain.
- Alastair Crooke compares U.S./Israeli strikes to 2006 Israel-Hezbollah bombing that ran out of targets and shifted to civilian sites.
Young Hezbollah Commanders Gained Battle Hardened Experience
- Crooke recounts meeting young Hezbollah commanders in 2006 who were highly professional and later matured through combat in Syria.
- He describes one commander who trapped and destroyed an Israeli tank column at age 21.
Plan For Dispersed Adversary Persistence
- Avoid assuming decapitation strikes will end asymmetric campaigns; plan for dispersed, autonomous adversary responses.
- Crooke shows Iran's sealed, preauthorized local orders continue operations even after leadership loss.