CIA Veteran Warns: Iran’s Drone, Cyber & Proxy War Is Just Beginning

As U.S. and Israeli strikes enter their fourth day, the battlefield extends far beyond missiles and airspace. In this timely conversation, Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly speaks with Cipher Brief Expert and former senior CIA officer Glenn Corn about how Iran’s cyber capabilities, proxy networks, drone arsenal, and information warfare strategy are shaping the conflict - and what could come next. Corn argues this war did not begin this week - it has been unfolding for years through Iranian-backed proxy attacks, cyber operations, and strategic partnerships with Russia and China. Now, those capabilities are increasingly visible in real time. In this interview, Corn explains: How cyber and space capabilities were likely used in the opening phase of operations The current strength - and limits - of Iran’s proxy network, including Hezbollah Why U.S. evacuation alerts across 14 countries signal real concern The implications for Ukraine as Iran supports Russia’s drone warfare Whether U.S. air defense stockpiles can sustain multiple simultaneous conflicts How AI-generated disinformation and anti-Semitic narratives are spreading online Why the “information war” may be just as consequential as the kinetic one Corn also warns viewers to be cautious of manipulated and AI-generated battlefield imagery - including fabricated footage of U.S. aircraft losses - circulating across social media platforms. As escalation risks grow, this conversation underscores a critical reality: modern war is multi-domain - cyber, space, proxy networks, energy markets, and information operations are all in play. Subscribe to The Cipher Brief for expert-driven national security analysis you won’t find anywhere else. #Iran #CyberWarfare #NationalSecurity #MiddleEast #Hezbollah #UkraineWar #InformationWarfare #CIA #Defense #Geopolitics