The Axis of Resistance: Iran’s Terror Programme Coalition

The past few decades, marked the rise of various separatist and resistance movements in the Middle-East. These movements, were inevitably followed by the steep rise of tensions and instability in the region. These movements include the ones in Yemen, Palestine and Lebanon, enabling “resistance” against Israel.

Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei

The Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and various armed groups in Iraq and Syria, are responsible for numerous crises in the region, be it humanitarian, political or social in form, and have led to innumerous civilian deaths and casualties. The chief reason for this, as considered by the international community, is by far and large, the Islamic Republic of Iran, a pro-Shi’ite power in the region, which has been extensively backing these terror organisations, under its political and military coalition in Middle-East and North Africa named the It has been funding and arming these groups through its the multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces.

Iran’s influence in the Middle East. Master Strategist/Axis of Resistance. Source: theconversation.com

Houthis in Yemen

The Houthi movement established control over the south-western parts of Yemen during the , that began in 2014 when it seized Sanaa, the capital city of Yemen, overthrowing the government, which was backed by Saudi Arabia, the region’s leading Muslim power and Iran’s main rival for regional influence. The Houthis belong to the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam and have long had friendly ties to Iran., announced on Oct. 31 they had entered the conflict by firing drones and missiles towards Israel.In November 2023, the Houthis started targeting cargo vessels in the Red Sea, in response to Israel’s operation in the Gaza Strip. Initially, the group declared that they aimed to target Israeli ships or those having a connection to the country, in Solidarity with Hamas. Nevertheless, the militants started hitting all commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb and have hit about 50 ships till now. The Houthis seized a British-owned and Israeli-co-owned vessel named This vessel has now become a tourist attraction while, six months after the event, its 25-member crew is still held captive.

Houthi-hijacked Israeli-owned car carrier Galaxy Leader

In response to the attacks, the United States launched its with 20 member states in its coalition, joining forces to defend the principle of freedom of navigation. The United States and United Kingdom also launched an operation named , which involves launching attacks against Houthi targets in Yemen to destroy their military capabilities. Moreover, the launched
on the 19th of February 2024. This operation acts in accordance with the UN 2722
Security Council’s Resolution adopted on the 10th of January 2024, which condemns Houthi attacks on cargo vessels and defends navigational rights and
freedoms.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah

meaning "Party of God", was set up by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982 with the aim of fighting Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon that year. The heavily armed group, also an influential political player, shares Iran’s Shi’ite Islamist ideology and is widely regarded as more powerful than the Lebanese state.Ever since its establishment, Hezbollah has served as a model for other Iranian-backed groups across the region, some of which it has advised or trained. The United States and other governments including U.S.-allied Gulf Arab countries list Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.The group has been mounting near-daily attacks on Israeli targets at the Lebanese-Israeli border since early October, prompting the heaviest exchanges of fire between the enemies since a full-scale war in 2006. Israeli security sources say Israel has killed some 240 Hezbollah fighters including top commanders in Lebanon since Oct. 7, in addition to a further 30 killed in Israeli strikes in Syria.

Syria

The Syrian government, led by the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad has for decades been a close ally of Iran, being a part of its ‘Axis of Resistance’. Iran-backed forces have been deployed across much of Syria since arriving more than a decade ago to aid Assad in the Syrian civil war. Tehran and Damascus say Iranian forces are in Syria in an advisory role at the government’s invitation.However, Syrian territory has been an arena of escalation of tensions in the Middle-East. This has included attacks by Iran-backed militias on U.S. forces in the east, Israeli airstrikes in Syria against Iranian personnel and members of Hezbollah, and occasional exchanges of fire between the and southwest Syria.