Iran's Relationship with Hamas, Houthis and Hezbollah
Iranian-backed groups have formed an alliance known as the Axis of Resistance, which spans across the Middle East and is focused on opposing the West. The alliance allows them to transport equipment and personnel and also poses a threat to US interests and Israel’s security. The recent Hamas-Israel War has brought the alliance into focus as the groups mobilize on multiple fronts.
Iran established its network throughout the Middle East and what implications it has for the US and Israel. To illustrate Iran’s Axis of Resistance in the region, we can start with Iran itself, and then move to Hamas in Gaza on the Mediterranean coast. Another group that Iran supports in Gaza is the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which shares similar ideologies with Iran and operates in both Gaza and the West Bank. Iran’s primary ally in the region is Hezbollah in Lebanon, while they also have connections with Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad, and several militant groups in Iraq. Additionally, they have allied with the Houthis in Yemen. These connections and alliances have significant implications for the region and beyond.
Iran has established various connections in the Middle East which enable it to extend its influence in the region and facilitate the transportation of military equipment, personnel, and weapons. One of Iran’s primary objectives in the Middle East is to keep the military fight away from its borders as much as possible, and its military allies, as well as the land bridge, help Iran achieve this goal.
To understand why Iran has such a strong influence in the region, we need to go back a few decades. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Tehran aimed to dominate the Middle East through military, cultural, and ideological means. This led to the creation of the Quds Force, which is a branch of the Iranian military that was later headed by Qassem Soleimani. Soleimani gained fame in the West over the past decade because Iran chose to elevate his profile as the mastermind behind the Axis of Resistance.
Later, Soleimani was killed in a drone strike ordered by the US. The strike was aimed at weakening Iran’s ability to threaten American interests in Iraq and across the region. But that goal hasn’t materialized. Iran has continued to supply groups such as Hamas with weapons and training. On October 7th, Hamas, designated a terror organization by the US, launched a broad assault on Israel, killing 1,200. Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said immediately after the attack that Iran did not have a hand in planning it but supported it.
The US collaborates with its allies to limit Iran’s influence in the Middle East. They establish military bases and deploy troops in the region to achieve this. Israel and Saudi Arabia are two of the US’s primary and closest allies in countering Iranian influence. Additionally, Jordan has been a staunch US ally for a long time, and the US has partners in the Gulf region as well.
To compete with Iran for influence, the US maintains a military presence in some of the countries like Iraq. The US also has a military presence in Northern Syria, where it has been allied with Kurdish forces for many years in the fight against the Islamic State. However, the US has increased its military presence in the region to counter the Iranian land bridge threat to its interests and allies.
Tehran-backed groups have been highly active in this region since October 7th. On that day, Hamas launched an attack on Israel along the Gaza border, prompting a major military response from Israel. However, Iran’s allies have also responded to this attack by engaging Israeli soldiers from different sides. The Hezbollah militia in the north of Israel has been involved in skirmishes, while Iranian militias in Syria have moved closer to the border and engaged in similar conflicts. Meanwhile, in Yemen, the Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels have fired rockets at southern Israel and also captured a vessel in the Red Sea.
The Houthi rebels have reportedly launched drones and missiles towards multiple commercial vessels in the area, prompting a US-led multinational task force to intervene to protect one of the world’s most important shipping routes. Meanwhile, Iranian-backed militias based in Iraq and Syria have been responsible for nearly 100 rocket attacks against US forces in the past two months, according to the Pentagon. Although such attacks have been occurring frequently over the past ten years, they are now adding pressure on Israel while the country is engaged in combat with Hamas in Gaza.
The recent October 7th attacks have brought a significant shift within the alliance. While some factions have distanced themselves from the attacks, the alliance has gained momentum. However, the attack on Israel has put pressure on other militant groups to retaliate against Israel and come to the aid of Palestinians who are currently facing severe airstrikes and ground invasions in Gaza.
Despite this, the member groups of the alliance have so far refrained from making any rash moves that could potentially trigger a full-blown conflict with Israel and its allies. Instead, they have been making calculated and strategic strikes to achieve their objectives.
