Israel attacks Iran: What is the Axis of Resistance? Why is it now a concern?

Israel’s attack on Iranian soil on Friday (19 April) has raised fears of a wider conflict in West Asia. While explosions were heard in the central city of Isfahan, it is unclear what was targeted.

Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the city after detecting drones, reported Associated Press (AP).

Israel’s tit-for-tat move comes after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles towards the Jewish nation on 14 April. Tehran was retaliating to Israel striking an Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, killing seven of Iran’s senior commanders and military personnel in early April.

Amid concerns over Iran’s response to the latest Israeli attack and the presence of its proxies in the region, let’s take a look at the ‘Axis of Resistance’.

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What is the ‘Axis of Resistance’?

The Axis of Resistance is a network of militant Islamist groups backed by Iran to resist Western influence in the region and confront Israel.

These groups include Hamas, the Palestinian group that attacked Israel on 7 October, the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and several Shi’ite armed groups in Iraq and Syria.

The root of this unconventional alliance can be traced back to the Iranian Revolution of 1979 which saw the rise of Shia clergy in the country.

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According to The Conversation, the Iranian regime through its military apparatus, the Revolutionary Guards, wanted to spread the “Shia revolution” across borders to try to make up for the political isolation and economic deprivation of Shias.

“One of the most valuable tools in the Iranian arsenal is the network of militias that its leadership has cultivated, coordinated, trained, and supplied with advanced weaponry. The network extends across the broader Middle East (West Asia) from Lebanon to Pakistan, and these proxies have proven integral to Tehran’s security, longevity, and influence. They provide the Islamic Republic with strategic depth and wide regional influence and access while insulating Iran’s leadership from the full risk of their actions,” Suzanne Maloney, Vice President & Director of Brookings Foreign Policy, was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Iran ’s Quds Force, an arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is responsible for coordinating the Axis, reported The Economist.

Here are the Iran’s proxies.

Hamas and PIJ

Hamas is a Sunni Islamist militant group that came into being in 1987 after the first intifada or Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule.

As per The Guardian, Hamas, which is based in Gaza, has had a “marriage of convenience” with Iran despite disputes. The militant group has been ruling the narrow strip since 2007.

It has received funding, arms and expertise from Tehran, reported the British newspaper.

Hamas was thrown into the spotlight after its assault on Israel on 7 October last year. Tehran said it was not warned in advance about the attack.

The Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) that wants to set up an Islamic state in Palestine is viewed closer to Iran than Hamas, reported The Guardian. As per the US government, “It is the second-largest militant group in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, founded in 1979 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.”

The PIJ also joined the 7 October attack on Israel and has recently increased its presence in the occupied West Bank, according to The Guardian.

Hezbollah

Hezbollah , or the “Party of God”, emerged in 1982 in Lebanon. It was reportedly set up by
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to combat Israeli forces that had occupied southern parts of Lebanon.

The heavily armed group is regarded as the most capable member of the Axis, as per The Guardian. Hezbollah enjoys support among Lebanon’s large Shia population. The group has established itself as a legitimate political party in the country, noted The Conversation.

Tehran is reported to have supplied hundreds of millions of dollars a year to Hezbollah for training and weapons. The armed militia is believed to have an arsenal of 150,000 rockets, according to The Economist.

Israel and Hezbollah first entered a war in 2006 for more than a month. The group has regularly exchanged fire with Israel along the Lebanese-Israeli border since Hamas’ attack.

Houthis

The Houthis are a Yemen-based Shia armed group. They were founded in the 1980s by Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, The Guardian reported.

The Houthis, who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam, have been engaged in the civil war in Yemen for a decade. After the group took control over the Yemeni capital Sana’a in 2014, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia tried to dislodge them.

Currently, the group controls northern Yemen, including Sana’a, and is present in most regions of the country.

While the Houthis did not take part in attacking US targets in the past, their stance changed after Israel launched a war against Hamas in Gaza last year. Soon after the war began, the Houthis started launching missile and drone attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and towards Israel.

Islamic resistance in Iraq, Syria

Shi’ite groups in Iraq came up after the US invasion of the country in 2003. As per Reuters, the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad is also part of the Axis.

These Iraqi and Syrian militias have several aims such as to project Iran’s influence, to resist Western plans for West Asia and to boost allies, reported The Guardian.

With inputs from agencies