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What influence does Iran have on its proxy “Axis of Resistance” – Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis?

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WITH rebel attacks in the Red Sea Down airstrikes in northern Israel and October 7, 2023, Hamas attackWestern analysts pointed the finger of blame at Iran.

Regardless of Tehran’s direct involvement in planning and carrying out such incidents, the accusations speak to a broader truth: in Middle East geopolitics, Iran’s strategy of allying with violent non-state actors – notably Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen – influences on the regional balance of power.

How experts on relations with Iran With your network of proxy serverswe understand that Iran’s ties to every group are distinct but interconnected, demonstrating Tehran’s regional goals. From southern Lebanon to Gaza to Yemen, these alliances shape the political landscape and underscore the nature of influence and control in proxy war. It serves as a counterweight to relatively Iran limited conventional military capabilitieswhich is a key element of his foreign policy.

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Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”

Managed by Islamic Revolutionary Guard CorpsIran’s paramilitary security service, which reports only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, these regional groups form what Tehran has described as the Axis of Resistance.

The relationship between these groups and Tehran is meant to function a balance to each U.S. influence in the region and Washington’s regional allies, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

However, it’s somewhat inappropriate to characterize the Axis of Resistance as easy proxies. Iran’s approach – which incorporates Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian territories – is as an alternative to expand its influence through strategic partnerships. These alliances, although based on common goals and ideologies, provide various degrees of autonomy. Iran provides resources and coordination, but each group maintains its own agenda and local support base, functioning more as partners than proxies. And the relationship between Iran and each member of this Axis of Resistance is exclusive.

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Hezbollah: Iran’s key partner

Founded in the early Nineteen Eighties, Hezbollah – a Shiite militant organization – was established with the direct assistance of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, primarily in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Aiming to determine an Iranian-influenced base on Israel’s border, Tehran provided training, financial support and weapons, strengthening Hezbollah’s development and capabilities.

Thanks to this cooperation, Hezbollah has developed a complicated arsenal, including a sophisticated one drone technology, chemical weapon AND expanded rocket possibilities.

As a result of involvement in Civil war in Syria and ongoing hostilities with Israel, Hezbollah did it professionalized its army. By deploying troops to support the Syrian government in keeping with Iran’s support for the regime, Hezbollah has transitioned from guerrilla tactics to a more conventional method of warfare. Additionally, the ongoing conflict with Israel has exacerbated this example military strategy and capabilities. This helped elevate Hezbollah to a distinguished political and military role in the Lebanese government, which regularly aligned with Iran’s geopolitical interests.

This evolution has also enabled Hezbollah to turn into a mentor and supporter of other Iran-backed groups. Hezbollah handed over its share experience in drone operations to organizations akin to Fatemiyoun in AfghanistanIraq Kataib Hezbollah and Houthi fighters.

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The relationship between Tehran and Hezbollah has deepened over the years, evolving from mere aid to a solid strategic alliance. Entities share common goals, strategies and materials. The close relationship between Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s Khamenei further cements this alliance.

Despite Iran’s considerable influence, especially in regional conflicts, Hezbollah retains its autonomy in Lebanese national politics and its social services.

This Hezbollah-Iran alliance is arguably more necessary than Iran’s relations with other proxies and plays a key role in Tehran’s regional strategy. It not only increases Iran’s influence in the Middle East, but in addition serves as a counterweight to its opponents, especially Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Hamas: United against Israel

Appearing in the first intifada, i.e. the Palestinian rebellion, which took place in 1987Hamas established relations with Iran in the early Nineties. Despite their ideological differences – Hamas is predominantly Sunni Islamist, while Iran is a hardline Shiite regime – they found common ground of their opposition to Israel and a shared vision of Palestinian liberation.

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Iran’s support for Hamas includes financial aid, military training and the most significant, Delivery With rocket technology. This financing escalated Hamas’ actions operational capabilitiesenabling the development of a more sophisticated and long-range missile arsenal.

Iran’s support has modified the balance in the Hamas-Israel conflict, revealing Iran’s influential role in regional power dynamics.

However, the alliance between Iran and Hamas has fluctuated. In 2012, differences of opinion regarding the civil war in Syria introduced a split of their relationship. Hamas’ tacit support for Sunni rebels in Syria was inconsistent with Iran’s loyalty to the Assad regime, resulting in temporary withdrawal Iranian support.

However, this strain was not persistent. In the following years, Iran-Hamas relations continued evened and strengthened, as evidenced by Iran’s resumption of significant military aid. The sophisticated planning and execution of the October 7 attack demonstrated how Hamas managed to enhance its military capabilities with Iran’s help.

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Nevertheless, the group maintains its level political and strategic independencefocusing primarily on Palestinian interests.

This dynamic reflects Iran’s broader regional strategy: empowering allied groups to expand its reach while granting them autonomy to pursue specific agendas.

Houthis: strategic ally against Saudi Arabia

The Houthi movement, which emerged in the Nineties in Yemen as a bunch of Zaidi Shiite Islamists, initially focused on religious and cultural revival previously progressively get engaged in Yemen’s political and military arena.

Houthi supporter in Sanaa, Yemen.
Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu via Getty Images

Fueled by grievances against the central government and foreign interference in Yemen, the group launched an armed rebel. This evolution has been marked growing confrontations with the Yemeni government and involvement in a broader regional conflict against a coalition led by Iran’s regional rival, Saudi Arabia. This set the stage for his or her alliance with Tehran.

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Houthis alliance with Iran was motivated by shared religious beliefs in addition to opposition to each Saudi Arabia and the United States

Cooperation with Iran has gained momentum following the Houthis capture of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa in 2014 – a move believed to have resulted in an escalation of support for Iran.

Tehran’s support got here in the form of a complicated weaponmilitary training and financial aid, and it happened significantly strengthened Houthi missile and drone capabilities. The Houthis have exploited this crop ability to challenge Saudi Arabia and, recently, Israel

The Houthis, empowered by Iran’s support, did so expanded cover their activities attacks on the US and other international ships in Red Sea.

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Despite deep support from Iran, the Houthis retain a level of autonomy, particularly in local Yemeni politics. Although Iran’s influence is important, it does not translate into total control. Instead, the Houthis are viewed more as strategic allies in Iran’s regional agenda, fairly than merely as proxies.

Iran’s growing influence

Iranian proxy network that extends to groups in Iraq, Syria AND aside fromis a key element of Tehran’s technique to expand its influence and counter the influence of Washington and its allies.

These partnerships, although rarely engaging absolute control, also reveal Iran’s ability to navigate the geopolitical landscape. The Axis of Resistance allows Iran to adapt its technique to changing regional dynamics. For example, placing Hamas under the leadership of the Revolutionary Guard suits into a technique of confrontation with Israel as regional dynamics shift toward normalization between Israel and Arab states.

Such partnerships also pose a challenge to Iran’s adversaries. Deterring such proxy groups requires navigating a fancy web of relationships, interests and ongoing conflicts. This complexity, combined with Iran’s key role, has transformed the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, signaling a period of heightened tensions with wide international implications.

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Who is the new Prime Minister of Syria – what will he do?

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Dressed in a modest gray suit and tie with a lightweight blue shirt, bald and bearded, 41-12 months-old Mohammed al-Bashir turned to his Syrians on Tuesday from behind his desk in an empty conference room. Asking for “stability and peace”, he announced that he will be the head of the transitional government until March 1.

Less than two weeks ago, each such address can be provided by Bashar Al-Assad, a brutal dictator who supervised the killing of a whole lot of 1000’s of Syria residents and displacement of over 11 million.

But the Assad regime and 54 years of single-family rule collapsed after the 11-day rebel offensive. He and his wife Asma They were smuggled Damascus by Russian intelligence officers who flew them to Moscow.

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Bashir talked to his compatriots full of hope, but in addition not vital what may occur. I will thank for his position of the Islamist fraction Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which conducted the Coalition of Rebellia, which overturned Assad. From the starting of 2024, Bashir was the political head of the Syrian government of salvation (SSG), the administration of the opposition area run by HTS in northwestern Syria.

Supported by Turkey, HTS and SSG ensured the management and measure of stability in the part of the Idlib and Aleppo provinces since November 2017, but they were also accused by Human rights groups abuse of power and discrimination of religious and ethnic minorities. Despite the breaking from Al-Qaeda in 2016, HTS is also designated as “terrorist” by the UN, USA, Great Britain and a few European countries.

In an interview with Italy Corriere della cheese In the newspaper on December 11, Bashir was asked about the HTS past. He replied: “The necessary actions of some Islamist groups led many people, especially in the West, to associate Muslims with terrorism and Islam with extremism. There were errors and misunderstandings that distorted the true importance of Islam, which is a “religion of justice.” Precisely because we are Islamic, we guarantee the rights of all people and all communities in Syria. “

Syrian rebels pose a Syrian opposition flag at Homs, Syria.
Mohammed to Rifa Muhammad to Rifai / EPA

Aiming towards stability

Born in the Idlib Province, Bashir graduated from electric engineering at the University of Aleppo in 2007. He worked at the Syrian gas company, and after the start of the Syrian Uprising in March 2011, he was the director of the institution ensuring education for youngsters to children affected by conflict. In 2021 he obtained a second degree of Sharia and law at the University of Idlib.

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The Prime Minister is an indispensable technocratic contrast with the HTS Ahmed Al-Sharaa leader, before Abu Mohammed Al-Golani. It was the latter who drew all international attention and questions after the fall of Assad.

IN Interview with Sky News After displacing the previous government, Al-Sharaa turned to other countries: “Their fears are unnecessary, a willing God. Fear comes from the presence of the regime (Assad). The country is heading towards development and reconstruction. He goes towards stability. ”

Bashir is the face of this stability. When the rebels moved south of Idlib and Aleppo to free Hama City at the starting of this month, not only the “new dawn of freedom and dignity”, but promised: “We promise you in the government of salvation that we are involved in meeting your expectations, rebuilding your city to return them to the leading civilized status … It is a day of joy and pride, but it is also a day of work and work and responsibility.”

This seek for responsibility and ID is far more than the prime minister. Shortly after his Tuesday, Bashir reported a gathering with members of the Old Government and a few administration directors in Idlib and the surrounding area “to facilitate all necessary work for the next two months.”

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Technocrats are already developing administration plans by reviewing the regime’s bureaucracy. Mohammad Yasser Ghazal, delegated from Idlib to managing the city of Damascus, he said: “Everything will become one. All government bodies will be resolved: without the government of salvation, no faction, nothing. Everything was all in one Syrian republic. “

In the face of the legacy of the regime in the field of corruption, buddies and centralized power, new officials asked the heads of departments to say their messages and explain the function of their department. They I met the staff Quoting government textbooks from the Nineteen Thirties and Sixties, while not answering direct questions on their duties or decision making.

Fast movements in the early days

There are early days, but up to now a fast transition to the rebels, and now government governments have been largely peaceful together with the continuation of services and on a regular basis business. Rebels issued an announcement Promotion of respect for all minorities. And in the face of plunder possibilities, they warned against any destruction of public or private property and imposed a police night.

The tools have been maintained. In Aleppo City, one of the first acts was to put in new cells of mobile phones. The economic system has been secured and the airports will soon be opened again. Remuneration, which amounted to a mean of around $ 25 ($ 19.80) per 30 days as part of the regime, will be increased According to SSG remuneration, as much as around $ 100 per 30 days.

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A complete amnesty was declared for army soldiers, police and protection staff, provided that they submitted documents regarding official patchy and identification cards. Hundreds The men lined up in the queue In hours after the Aleppo trial.

Two armed men look at the road.
Two armed men are watching the way in Damascus in Syria on December 11.
Friends / EPA

Individual acts of revenge were reported in relation to some data related to the regime. One of the performed was Jalal al-Daqqaq, who was involved in Killing over 200 detainees in SyriaApparently, feeding the throats for pets.

However, there was a general compliance with the rebel order to avoid violence. Posts on X suggest that sources from minority sects, including Druze, Ismailiis and Alawites (whose members include Assads), confirm That all revenge operations weren’t ethnically motivated.

The new government is aware that maintaining security and services is a great politics. Because the Assad regime leaves the basketball economy, in addition to mutilated society, international help will be useful.

To be obtained, HTS will must be faraway from the UN, the USA and European Black. Ghazal sums up that technocrat plans “require political recognition (and addressing) a terrorist designation, which, I think, soon.”

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But good politics will also must persuade abnormal Syrians who lived under the regime. In the store selling freshly printed Syrian revolutionary flags in Damascus, the seller of Fadi Al-Myly was asked by Washington Post to discover the new prime minister. He couldn’t. But whoever he is: “We don’t want him” The butterfly said. “We want choices.”

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Why does Israel attack Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad?

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Benjamin Netanyahu was satisfied with the fall of Bashar Al-Assad This month and claimed that his decision to fight Hamas and Hezbollah contributed to “changing the Middle East face.” Since then, Israel has began the largest bomb campaign in the Syrian land since the war of Jom Kippur in 1973.

The Israeli army also invaded to ascertain a buffer zone between Golan Heights and the territory of Syria, using the highest and most strategic area on the border of Syria.

Israel’s statements and actions are proof that he’s satisfied with the fall of a key element in the resistance axis of Iran, but in addition that it considers it to be a gaggle of rebels that took power in Damascus. In the light of this Israel adopts the “better safe than sorry” approach: while the intentions of the latest Syrian government remain unclear, Israel tries to make the country toothless.

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According to Israel’s defense forces, their 600 strokes They destroyed about 80% of the military abilities of the former Assad army. Israel also tries to make sure the freedom to act in the sky of Syria for a few years – the first goals that might be destroyed were all air defense systems.

What does Israel want in Syria?

Israel’s wtchody strives for several goals. The first is to guard strategic areas, from which attacks could be launched towards Syria or Israel. The second is to create a buffer zone between two countries, and thus avoiding surprise, akin to Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. The third is to amass a negotiating system for possible negotiations with the latest Syrian regime. If Damascus desires to regain these territories, he may have to indicate the value of good will and negotiate with Israel, one other case of the well -known Israel diplomatic strategy.

Israel celebrates Assad’s fall because he breaks the loop that Iran patiently tightened around Israel’s borders in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Pincer Tehran is now broken and has grow to be useless. From the point of view of Israel’s broader conflict with the Islamic Republic, the fall of the Assad regime is a strategic victory.

However, the groups that defeated Assad (and what Iran) in Syria are unlikely to indicate a friendly approach to Israel. Hence Israel’s caution: if Syria goes into anarchy or grow to be a state of jihadists, they need to make sure that she lacks tools for his or her box.

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What is left of the Iran resistance axis?

Axis of resistance-with what only pro-Iranian militia grouped at Iraqi with Popular mobilization forces And Houth in northern Yemen stays intact – that they had as a tool each to attain the regional hegemony of Tehran and to stop the possible attack on Iran.

The point was that if the US or Israel had ever dared to bomb or attack Iran, Tehran prompts the axis of resistance, thus plunged the region into chaos. Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen were dormant volcanoes ready for explosion, but with three of these volcanoes already deactivated, the Islamic Republic now needs one other real deterrent agent.

However, Israel’s indirect victory over Iran in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria can ultimately generate a good greater threat, because the simplest and most radical solution in the 12 months of Iran’s failure can be to desert any ambiguity and the development of nuclear weapons.

Pretzel are clear: the only regimes and countries that survive are such arsenal. People who deprived their nuclear programs weren’t accomplished – Libya, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine – suffered inventory changes or regimes.

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Tehran knows that completing a nuclear program can be a degree with out a return. This would offer guarantees against a foreign attack on its territory, however it would also mean international insulation.

However, Iran just isn’t North Korea. This just isn’t a rustic that may easily cut off from the world, because such a movement could cause economic and social shocks, which in turn can result in rebellions that will overthrow the regime. It may result in the development of military nuclear programs in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which might not also serve the interests of Iran.

The Islamic Republic is subsequently in the face of a difficult alternative on easy methods to proceed restoring balance in the face of the loss of Damascus. For its part, Israel will rigorously watch how his victory develops.

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What next for Syria? The danger of violence in post -war crossings

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Paintings emerging from Syria in the course of the last week showed joy on the streets, because thousands and thousands rejoice the tip of 24 years of repression under the Al-Assad tower.

Rebels rarely tilt the scales in their favor and win the war directly after such a protracted and prolonged impasse. But the plain next query is: what is going to occur next? Looking at a handful of similar examples, history suggests that latest forms of violence can still threaten Syria’s political future.

In Libya, umbrella coalition Rebel forces Known because the National Transition Council, he defeated the Miammar Gaddafi government in 2011. Meanwhile in South Sudan, Victory against Omar al-Bashir He got here in the shape of a successful referendum on independence in the identical yr.

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Looking further, in Uganda, Idi Amin, the alliance was broken by the neighboring Tanzania between the 2 competing rebellions in 1979. Joint military campaign Soon after, it ended in Amin’s failure.

The direct consequences of the rebel victory in each of these cases indicate one joint lesson. Where the crushed coalition of armed groups is in a political vacuum, more violence – no less – it might be on the horizon.

People in Damascus in Syria rejoice after the overthrow of President Bashar Al-Assad by rebels.
António Pedro Santos / EPA

Fragile and changing coalitions

Regressing regimes often motivate riot. They may also provide a typical enemy, which, especially when sensing a window of possibilities, allows competing armed groups to postpone differences and cooperation for a typical cause.

Then the transition periods cause uncertainty in regards to the political future. This may make it difficult for former allies united.

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Many Libyan militias allied for the National Transition Council in the course of the Uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. But soon He became violent rivals In the competition for political influence in the transitional government they were created in Tripoli.

In the vacuum of power, these latest forms of violence can seem like local turf wars. But they are sometimes attempts to make use of the faction to make use of themselves, because political spoils could be obtained on the national level.

Meanwhile, where the dominant factions compete for national power in the presence of many smaller and more positioned militias, these weaker factions could also be willing to vary loyalty to finish on the winning side.

Fighting in Libya throughout 2017 showed this kind of opportunistic floping. Local militias reminiscent of Kiniyat Brigade They modified their loyalty between the faction of former Prime Minister Khalifa Al-Ghawil, and a competing faction based in Tripolis, who claims that he represents a legitimate government of Libya.

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Libyan fighters in Balaclavas sat on the back of the pickup.
In 2022 in fighters loyal to the Prime Minister of Tripolia in Libya, Abdulhamid Dbeiba.
Str / EPA

He has a conflict in South Sudan It has been described for a protracted time As an ethnic character. The most important competing leaders, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, belonged to the 2 largest ethnic groups in the country, Dinka and Nuer. But these messages are a more complex and strategic constellation of alliances. Many groups that fought against Kiir were also ethnic Dinkas and vice versa, and loyalty changes over time, because each leader gains a bonus. Some of the newest violence were between the loyal forces towards Machara and the faction of co -creative shards often called Kitgwangwho opposes his leadership.

Numerous reports of international observers and mediators have confirmed The difficulty of brocie and maintaining a stable agreement on the conditions of transition in these countries attributable to liquid and changing coalitions.

Armed groups in Syria have already shown such trends. Command of military operations, a coalition of Syrian opposition groups, which brought the Assad regime, exists only on the name. The dominant group, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), is the amalgam of a minimum of 4 separate militias, while the previous coalitions supported by Turkey and the USA with time connected and crushed.

HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa He promised it All rebels fractions “will be resolved and the warriors trained to join the ranks of the Ministry of Defense.” But history suggests that the rival will probably emerge from one of these blocks to query the HTS claim ID to conduct a passage. This will introduce a brand new element of uncertainty for smaller factions forced to decide on a page.

Mohammed al-Bashir giving speech in the mosque.
Mohammed al-Bashir, which was appointed by the rebels of the Syrian’s transitional prime minister, gives a speech on the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, Syria.
António Pedro Santos / EPA

Looking at the longer term on the election

Even where a stable transitional coalition could be maintained, the room can ultimately threaten the outcomes of the winner-elevated elections.

Violence was avoided in Uganda after amines, so long as two faction leaders who overthrowed him took the best positions in the transitional government of the division of power. But when the election made a transparent win for Milton Obote in 1980, his rival, Yoweri Museveni, He launched his riot again. The so -called Bush war in Uganda will last until 1986, when Museveni’s forces took the capital of Kampal, by force.

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The change in Ethiopia, the post -war passage did a bit after the victory Allied Rebel Assault In the case of the authoritarian DERG regime in 1991, the bulk of the Ethiopia rebel factions had clear and clear ethnic and terror bases, in consequence of which the brand new structure emerging from the incorporating national conference transferred power to ethnic regions in the federal system.

This try to create a political participation for former rebels, which aren’t completely depending on the outcomes of the national elections, could have succeeded if the primary or regional elections took place the primary. Ultimately, nonetheless, a minimum of two rebellions returned Low level violence In the Nineteen Nineties, accusing the brand new government of marginalization and attempts to undermine their competitiveness of election.

In any case, devotion seems unlikely in Syria. In addition to Kurdish separatists in the northeast, many of the country’s militias have less clear connections with specific demographic groups and sometimes overlap their areas of influence. And with HTS Now they call A unified state without federal regions, a political game on the national level will remain high and prone to violent forms of competition.

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