Proxy forces overcome Sunni-shia divides to line up behind Tehran
For years, they have helped Iran to wage warfare under a facade that has allowed it to claim plausible deniability, but amid fears that Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel could turn a decadeslong shadow war between the two countries into a catastrophic regional conflict, what will Iran’s proxy forces do next?
Amid fears that the aerial assault could represent the openingofabloodynewchapterinthemiddleeast’shistory, Iran knows that it has a lack of regional diplomatic clout.
Instead, it is the network of Iranian proxy forces across the Middle East, an informal coalition known as the axis of resistance, that is best placed to fight alongside Tehran. The extent of Iran’s influence – it provides funding, weapons, and training – has partly overcome Sunni-shia religious divides, and helped bolster its position. Several groups joined in the attack on Israel.
The most powerful of those is Hezbollah in Lebanon, which claimed to have fired dozens of rockets at Israeli army positions in the Golan Heights, soon after Iran launched its own barrage. It praised Iran’s unprecedented aerialassault,describingitasa “brave” decision that initiated a “new phase” of the conflict with Israel.
Hezbollahfightershavebeen engaged in battles with Israeli forces almost continuously since the war between Israel and Hamas – a group which also receives backing from Shia-led Iran, despite the fact it is primarily a Sunni Muslim entity – broke out. With hundreds of millions of pounds coming in from Iran every year, according to US officials, and a significant arsenal at its disposal,ithasboththemeans and the will to ramp up the conflict.aseparategroup,palestinian Islamic Jihad, is also closely linked to Iran.
Another key ally is the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, which is understood to have launched multiple drones against Israel as part of the coordinated attack earlier this week. It too has shown support for Hamas since the war began six months ago, firing numerous missiles and drones towards Israel, and attacking commercial shipping targets in the Red Sea.
Elsewhere, fighters from Shia Muslim-majority countries such as Iraq also form part of Iran’s proxy force, with the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia suspected of a drone strike in north-eastern Jordan that killed three US soldiers earlierthisyear.otheriraqigroups aligned with Iran include the Badr Organisation and Asa’ib Ahl al-haq, although the extent of Tehran’s influence over them is unclear. In Bahrain, too, militias such as the Alashtarbrigadesandsaraya al Muktar form part of the Iranian axis.