Fears of Iranian-backed terror cells operating inside the U.S. are resurfacing (again) as concerns grow that President Trump's Operation Epic Fury could trigger retaliatory threats against the homeland, particularly since the Biden-Harris regime's open border policies flooded the nation with millions of illegal aliens, including some individuals flagged on terrorist watch lists.

The first terror wake-up call for the homeland came just hours after Operation Epic Fury began on Saturday, when a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from the West African nation of Senegal, wearing a "Property of Allah" hoodie, opened fire at a bar in Austin, Texas, killing three and injuring 14.

Victoria Coates, vice president of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal that possible retaliation inside the U.S. by Iranian-backed operatives or sleeper cells is becoming a major threat.

Here's the conversation:

It is impossible to know who crossed the border during the four years of the Biden administration, "but we do know there were a number of folks on the terrorist watch list," said Victoria Coates, vice president of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation.

It is critical, Coates warned, that "everybody pay attention right now. Watch. If you see something, say something."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered nearly 400 illegal aliens with "terrorism-related records" between ports of entry during the Biden administration, according to the agency's data.

Additionally, about 2 million "known gotaways" crossed the border to enter the U.S. during the four years of Joe Biden's presidency, according to the House Homeland Security Committee.

"So, it is entirely possible in those millions of folks who came across … that there were Hezbollah sleeper cells coming up from Venezuela, which we know Nicolas Maduro was pushing them to do, and that they could be here in the United States," Coates told The Daily Signal.

"These folks aren't geniuses, but they're deeply, deeply dangerous, and they can spring up anywhere," she said. "And so, my biggest concern is actually here at home."

Let's take The Daily Signal's reporting a step further and remind readers of 2024 reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was plotting to kill Trump officials from the first administration.

Also, former CIA targeting officer Sarah Adams has repeatedly warned about:

National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent recently warned:

Adams again:

This morning:

What is clear is that the Biden regime and Democrats allowed open borders that fueled a massive illegal alien invasion. The question now is what consequences those nation-killing policies may bring in the days and weeks ahead, especially if Operation Epic Fury lasts as long as a month.