The net effect of Iran's shadow war against the West, as I noted in my report, is that Hezbollah and the Quds Force have climbed back up the list of immediate threats facing the United States and its allies. In July 2012, Olsen warned that while Iran and Hezbollah had not yet hit targets in the United States, U.S. officials worry that could soon change. "We're seeing a gen-eral uptick in the level of activity around the world," he noted, according to Wired, adding that "both Hezbollah and the Quds Force have demonstrated an ability to operate essen-tially globally."

In fact, the Hezbollah-Quds Force threat has sometimes eclipsed that of al Qaeda. Olsen reportedly continued: "There are times when we are briefing the White House [on terror threats and] at the top of the list are Hezbollah or Iran."