It has been suggested thatFunding of the Axis of Resistance bemerged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2026. |
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| Status | Active, unofficialmilitary alliance | ||||
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TheAxis of Resistance[a] is an informal coalition ofIranian-supported militant and political organizations acrossWest Asia.[23] It unites actors committed to countering the influence of theUnited States andIsrael in the region.[24][23]
The "Axis" most notably includes the LebaneseHezbollah,Islamic Resistance in Iraq, thePopular Mobilization Forces, and the YemeniHouthis.[b] It sometimes[25][26] includesHamas,[c] and a variety ofother Palestinian militant groups.[27][28][29] The various actions of members of this axis reflect their domestic interests while serving the broader goal of complicating Israel's attacks and imposing a cost on the United States to support Israel.[30] The United States designates most of these groups asterrorist organizations.[24] Despite this, between 2014 and 2017, militant groups within the axis under the command ofQasem Soleimani co-ordinated with U.S. military forces against theIslamic State (IS) organization during thewar in Iraq (2013–2017).[31]
The coalition has also conducted attacks onUS forces in Iraq.[32][33] Through itsQuds Force, a branch of theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran has provided extensive military and logistical support, with an estimated $700 million spent annually on these groups beforesanctions affected its resources in 2019.[23][34]
Theconflicts engulfing the Middle East since 2023, beginning with theOctober 7 attacks, have weakened the Axis of Resistance and the strategy behind it, according to an analysis by theAssociated Press.[35] The network has suffered blows in theGaza war,[36][37]Israel–Hezbollah conflict and theIran–Israel war.[36][35][38][24] Additionally, Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad'sfall in 2024 further disrupted the network.[35][37][39] Until then,Ba'athist Syria was the only state member of the Axis beside Iran,[24] hosting fighters trained and recruited by Iran.[32] The rest of the Axis remains intact as of December 2024.[37]
The term "Axis of Resistance" was first used by the Libyan daily newspaperAl-Zahf Al-Akhdar in response to American presidentGeorge W. Bush's claim thatIran,Iraq, andNorth Korea formed anaxis of evil. Its 2002 article, "Axis of evil or axis of resistance", said "the only common denominator among Iran, Iraq, and North Korea is their resistance to US hegemony".[40] The Iranian newspaperJomhuri-ye Eslami subsequently adopted the language in reference to theShia insurgency in Iraq, writing in 2004: "If the line of Iraq'sShi'is needs to be linked, united, and consolidated, this unity should be realized on the axis of resistance and struggle against the occupiers."[41]
In 2006, thePalestinian minister of the interior, Said Saim, used the term during an interview atAl-Alam television to refer to common political goals among Arabs in opposition to those of Israel or the United States. Noting the large number ofPalestinian refugees in Syria, Saim stated, "Syria is also an Islamic Arab country and is also targeted by the Americans and the Zionists. Hence, we see in Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas an axis of resistance in front of these pressures."[42]
The term "axis of resistance" was used as early as August 2010.[43] After two years,Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor for foreign affairs to Iran's supreme leader, used the term and said:
The chain of resistance against Israel by Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, the new Iraqi government, and Hamas passes through the Syrian highway. ... Syria is the golden ring of the chain of resistance against Israel.[44]
The phrase was used again in August 2012 during a meeting between Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad and the secretary of Iran'sSupreme National Security Council,Saeed Jalili, regarding theSyrian civil war.[45] Velayati said:
What is happening in Syria is not an internal issue, but a conflict between the axis of resistance and its enemies in the region and the world. Iran will not tolerate, in any form, the breaking of the axis of resistance, of which Syria is an intrinsic part.[44]
In the wake of the 1979Iranian Revolution, some of the most radical founders of theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps such asMohammad Montazeri (who had been trained by the PalestinianFatah in Southern Lebanon and maintained close relations withGaddafi's Libya) andMostafa Chamran (who had visitedCuba and was influenced by revolutionaryinternationalism) strove to create what is often called an "Islamic Internationale",[46] drawing uponAli Shariati's andAyatollah Khomeini's notions of the "solidarity of the oppressed".[47] Montazeri and Chamran, along withAli Akbar Mohtashamipur, Iran's ambassador toSyria from 1982, created the Department for Islamic Liberation Movements, as part of thePeople's Revolutionary Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose aim was to bring together the activities of the outlawed IraqiIslamic Dawa Party andBadr Organization with those of the LebaneseAmal andHezbollah movements.[48] The Department for Islamic Liberation Movements is thought to have been the starting point of Iranian attempts of forging what was later to become known as the Axis of Resistance.[49]
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At first, the alliance consisted of the Syrian government and Lebanese Hezbollah. Years later, Iran, already closely aligned with Syria and Hezbollah, would form stronger relations between the three, creating the axis. Iraqi and Yemeni militants coordinating with Iran came in as the newest members of this alliance.[50] After the beginning ofRussian involvement in the Syrian civil war, a slew of posters showing images of Nasrallah, Assad, Iranian Supreme LeaderAli Khamenei, and Russian PresidentVladimir Putin, have appeared with an Arabic caption meaning "men who bow to no one but God". The posters suggest another emerging regional Axis of Resistance, according toThe Hill. This coalition has been described as "deeply polarising" for its sectarian targeting ofSunniSyrians.[51] Hezbollah's actions have also arisen denunciation inLebanon, most notably fromLebanese PresidentMichel Suleiman, who demanded an end to unilateral armed maneuvers by Hezbollah. Grievance is also widespread amongst Lebanon'sSunni minority, who charge Hezbollah with engaging in sectarian violence against otherMuslims, and of forfeiting itsanti-Zionist stance.[50][50]: 25 With Hezbollah's intensifying participation in theSyrian civil war following the years after 2013, the coalition has become explicitlyKhomeinist andanti-Sunni; with theAssad regime becoming beholden and subservient to Iran and its proxies for continued existence. Alienated by sectarian policies,Sunni Islamists such asMuslim Brotherhood andHamas began publicly opposing Iran and Hezbollah and have aligned closely withTurkey andQatar, countries which are engaged in geo-political competition with Iran.[52][53]
Theconflicts engulfing the Middle East in 2023, beginning with theOctober 7 attacks, have weakened the Axis of Resistance and the strategy behind it, according to an analysis by Associated Press.[35] The network has suffered major blows in theGaza war[36][37] and theIsrael–Hezbollah conflict.[36][35][38][24] Additionally, Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad's fall, marked by rebel forcescapturing Damascus and ending over five decades ofAssad family rule, further disrupted the network.[35][37][39] The Houthis and militias in Iraq remain intact as of December 2024.[37] In April 2025 it was reported that Hezbollah has withdrawn the majority of its military infrastructure from southern Lebanon, transferring control to the Lebanese army.[54] The report claims that 190 out of Hezbollah's 265 military positions were ceded to the army.[54] This move aligns with the November 2024 U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, which mandates Hezbollah's repositioning north of the Litani River and the deployment of approximately 5,000 Lebanese troops to the south.[55] The withdrawal aims to reduce tensions along the Israel–Lebanon border and facilitate the return of displaced civilians. While Hezbollah has removed heavy weaponry, some fighters from southern villages remain with light arms. The situation remains delicate,[as of?] with ongoing monitoring by international observers to ensure compliance with the ceasefire terms.[54][55]
In July 2025, reports emerged indicating that Iran has intensified its support for proxy groups, supplying advanced weaponry to both the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite mounting regional and international pressure. According to U.S.-aligned forces in Yemen, a large shipment, estimated at 750 tons, of Iranian-supplied arms was intercepted in late June near Houthi-controlled territory. The cache reportedly included anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, drone components, warheads, and instruction manuals in Farsi, reinforcing long-standing assessments of Tehran’s direct involvement through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated networks. Simultaneously, Western intelligence suggests that Iran has resumed missile deliveries to Hezbollah via overland routes through Iraq and Syria, aiming to replenish the group's arsenal following its 2024 confrontation with Israel. Despite domestic economic and military constraints following theIran–Israel war, Iran has prioritized rearming its regional allies.[56][57]
During January 2026,the US began a military buildup in the Middle East,[58][59] mainly because of thenationwide protests in Iran andensuing massacres, a well as growing tension between Iran and the US, due to Iran's ongoing push to developnuclear weapons, rebuild its ballistic missile program, and its continued support of regional armed groups such asHezbollah,Hamas, and theHouthis.[60][61][62]

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Hezbollah, a Shi'ite Islamist group founded to fightIsrael's invasion of Lebanon in 1982,[63] is the network's most prominent member.[24] Other significant participants includeHamas,[24][23][64]Palestinian Islamic Jihad,[23] the YemeniteHouthi movement,[23][64] and several Shi'ite militias inIraq andSyria.[24][23][64] Until thefall of the Assad regime in 2024,[35] Syria has been the only state member beside Iran,[24] hosting fighters trained and recruited by Iran.[32]
Ali Khamenei, who has served as theSupreme Leader of Iran since 1989, has repeatedly defined theIslamic Republic government as a "resistance government" (i.e., against Western and Israeli influence).[65]Qasem Soleimani played an important role in Iran's battle with ISIS in Iraq. He has been described as the focal point for bringing together Kurdish and Shia forces for the war against ISIS.[66] Soleimani's achievements led to the creation of an axis of Shia influence throughout the Middle East centered on Iran.[33]During a meeting with Cuban presidentMiguel Díaz-Canel in December 2023, Khamenei said that the political and economic potentials of Iran andCuba should be used to form a coalition against the "bullying" ofUnited States and its Western allies, in order to adopt a "common and effective position" on important global issues such as the Palestinian issue.[67]
Hezbollah was founded by Lebanese clerics to fightIsrael's invasion of Lebanon in 1982.[63][64] The group is an influential political actor in Lebanon, shares theShiite Islam ideology of Iran. It has increased its attacks on Israeli targets on the Lebanon-Israel border almost daily since the start ofGaza war on October 7, 2023, in order to stop Israel from attacking Gaza, sparking the heaviest exchange of fire between the adversaries since full-scale war in 2006.[64]Iran was Hezbollah's chief supplier of arms. In a direct reference to the axis of resistance, Hezbollah leader, SheikhNaim Qassem, said in December 2024 that since the fall of the Assad regime, "Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance's work."[68] The group'sUnit 3800 was responsible for training and providing strategic aid to militant groups in Iraq and Yemen.[69][70][71]
Armed militias emerged in Iraq after theUS invasion of the country in 2003. These groups became exponentially stronger when they organized as a collective front to counter the terrorist groupISIS.[72]
Iranian officials claimed on 30 October 2023 that attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and other parts of the region were the consequence of "wrong American policies", which included Washington's backing of Israel during theGaza war.[73]
Accounts on social media have claimed thatYa Ali Popular Formations is affiliated with thePopular Mobilization Forces, or theIRGC.[74]
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of theHouthis inYemen, declared on 10 October 2023 that the organisation would retaliate by using missiles and drones in addition to other military measures if the United States got involved in the Gaza conflict.[75]
On 19 October 2023, Yemen begun their missile and drone campaign against Israel in which theUnited States NavydestroyerUSS Carney shot down threeland-attack cruise missiles and several drones heading toward Israel. This was the first action by the Houthis in Yemen on Israel. It was later reported that the ship shot down four cruise missiles and 15 drones.[76] Another missile was reportedly intercepted by Saudi Arabia.[77] More were intercepted by Israel'sArrow anti-ballistic missiles; others fell short of their targets or were intercepted by theIsraeli Air Force and theFrench Navy.
The Houthis thenlaunched attacks on ships they claim are linked to Israel in a self-proclaimed bid to end the war, prompting amilitary response from a number of countries led by the United States.[78]
Despite the Axis of Resistance being composed of primarily Shia Islamist factions, thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a secularMarxist–Leninist formation, is generally considered part of the Axis of Resistance, and receives support from Iran.[79][80] TheSunniPalestinianIslamist movementHamas has also at times been considered part of the axis due to its opposition to Israel and the United States. As of March 2012, the group has since pulled its headquarters out ofDamascus and thrown its support behind the anti-AssadSyrian opposition.[81][82] In October 2022, Hamas restored ties with Syria after reconciliation with the support of mediation by Iran.[83][84]
TheIslamic Resistance Front in Syria is a militant organization established by theSyrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) in response to theFall of the Assad regime and the2024 Israeli invasion of Syria. It is part of the Axis of Resistance.[85]
TheMilitary Council for the Liberation of Syria, is an armedopposition coalition formed on 6 March 2025 by formerSyrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF) officerGhiath Suleiman Dallah and other former officers and loyalists of thefallenAssad regime.[citation needed]
According to Jubin Goodarzi, an assistant professor and researcher atWebster University, the Iranian–Ba'athist Syrian alliance that was formed in 1979 is of great importance to the emergence and continuity of the axis of resistance. Both countries are in key locations of the Middle East, and they have been affecting Middle Eastern politics during the past three decades.[44] Also, the alliance is considered to be an enduring one, lasting 34 years "in spite of the many challenges that it has faced and periodic strains in the relationship".The axis has been described as altering "the strategic balance in the Middle East" by assisting Syrian leaderBashar al-Assad to remain in power and backing hiswar-crimes against Syrian civilians.[86] According to Marisa Sullivan, the programme and aims of the Axis have three main pillars; shared regional objective in preserving the Assad regime, maintaining access to supplies of weapons and money from Iran, and stopping a Sunni-majority government from ever coming to power in Syria.[50]: 5 The then-rulingSyrian Ba'ath party elites were primarily made up ofAlawites, who are an offshoot sect ofShia, which is also themajority sect of Iran.[87] This common background has made them strategic allies on various issues, including defense.[88]The Syrian state-run news agency,SANA, has stated that the two governments discussed their "strategic cooperation relationship" and "attempts by some Western countries and their allies to strike at the axis of resistance by targeting Syria and supporting terrorism there".[45] The alliance has been described as an "Axis of Terror" by the prime minister and ambassadors of Israel.[89][90][91]
Thefall of the Assad regime in 2024 was described by several Western media as a crippling blow to the Axis of Resistance: the collapse of theBa'athist government in Syria undermining Iran's ability to supplyHezbollah.[92][93][38][94][39][37][95] This was denied by Grand AyatollahAli Khamenei, who reiterated that the Axis will continue.[96]
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The 'Axis of Resistance' views Israel as a common enemy whosedestruction is a shared strategic objective.[24] The axis claims to be against Israel in order to shore up popular support across the Islamic world. According to analyst Afshon Ostovar, the aim of this network is to present Israel with a long-term existential challenge by "slowly strangling" it through a series of "increasingly destructive, unwinnable wars."[123] According toThe New York Times, in the event of a major war with Israel, all member groups were expected to take part in a coordinated, region-wide military campaign with the shared goal of destroying the Jewish state.[24] Iran devised this strategy and has heavily invested in strengthening the combat capabilities of each group while fostering coordination among them.[24] Despite the alliance members' differing ideologies and domestic interests,[30] their activities serve the broader goal of complicating Israel's operations and making United States support for Israel costly.[124][50]: 5 The Guardian pointed out that it "is a network of autonomous militant Islamist groups through which Iran can project power, determine the course of events and deter attack by Israel or the US".[125]
As a result of the outbreak of theGaza war on 7 October 2023,Hezbollah of Lebanon, theYemeni Houthis, theIslamic Resistance in Iraq, and other factions in Syria have launcheddrone and missile attacks on Israel. Hezbollah launched itsoperations against Israel on 8 October 2023, whereas Yemen began launchingits operations on 19 October 2023, and the Islamic Resistance of Iraq began launching its operations on 2 November 2023.In April 2024, Iran launched amissile and drone attack against Israel with its supporting factions in response to theIsraeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus.
TheUnited States has given Israel extensive military aid andvetoed multipleUN Security Council ceasefire resolutions, concerning Gaza war.[126] Groups of the Axis of Resistance haveattacked American military bases in the Middle East. Additionally, the YemeniHouthi movement have engaged inattacks in theRed Sea on commercial vessels allegedly linked to Israel, incurring a US-ledmilitary response.[78]The United States designates most of the members of the axis of resistance asterrorist organizations.[24]
According to theMiddle East Monitor, the axis suffered a severe blow after the2015 Israeli Mazraat Amal air strike.[127][better source needed] Three days before the airstrike against the Hezbollah convoy, Hezbollah leader,Hassan Nasrallah said: "We consider that any strike against Syria is a strike against the whole of the resistance axis, not just against Syria."[128]
This axis became the main fighters againstISIS after the group took over almost a third of Iraq in 2014.[33] According to the Los Angeles TimesAmirli was the first city to successfully resist an ISIS offensive and was secured thanks to an unusual cooperation between Iraqi and Kurdish troops, Iranian-backed Shia militias and US warplanes.[129]In 2012, Hezbollahdeployed troops to support Syrian government forces against theFSA rebels, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. In 2013, Iran begandeploying troops to support theSyrian government against the rebels and other factions. In both instances, the Iraqi government provided support, even having volunteers joining thebattlefields in Syria.[130] Also, thePopular Mobilization Forces, which was established in 2014, became the main force in the fight against ISIS inIraq.[72]In 2014, Hezbollah rejected the idea of Lebanon helping in theUS-led intervention in Iraq, against theIslamic State arguing that it may lead to the U.S. domination in the region or "substituting terrorism with flagrant US occupation".[131]During the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the Axis of Resistance became more united, forming the4+1 coalition which was a joint military cooperation coalition with Iran, Iraq, Syria, Russia and Hezbollah of Lebanon.[132]
The coalition supported one another in many battles in the Syrian civil war, such as inHama Governorate,Palmyra,Aleppo andIdlib Governorate. The Russian Air Force has used Iranian airbases for refueling namely theHamadan Airbase.[133]
The IRGC Quds Force leader claimed: "the resistance of the Iraqi and Syrian governments and the perseverance of the armies and young men of these two countries ... played an important role in overturning this dangerous event … [I can announce] the termination of the rule of this vicious cursed entity, followingthe liberation operation of Abu Kamal, as the last fort of ISIS, bringing down the flag of this US-Zionist made terrorist group and raising the flag of Syria".[134]
Russia's efforts to expand its role in theMiddle East are entwined with its relations with the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance. It is not a meaningful strategic alliance, but Russia and Iran share a common interest in limitingWestern influence in the region.
InSyria, Russia maintains military bases inLatakia andTartus.[124] During theSyrian civil war, Iran and Russia sought to preserve theBa'athist government ofBashar al-Assad, which was friendly to Russia and allowed Iranian elements to operate throughout the country.[124] They sought to resist Western intervention andregime change efforts in the country, which they believe, if successful, would challenge their own influence in the region and potentially lead to regime change in Iran.Iran and Russiaintervened in the civil war in support of the Assad government, with Russia's involvement allegedly prompted by a visit to Moscow by Iran'sQasem Soleimani, where he asked Moscow to directly support the regime against theSyrian opposition forces. Russia provided extensive air support toAssad's forces and to Iranian-backed forces in Syria, such as Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militias.[124] Assad's regime survived over 10 years of civil war but wasultimately overthrown in 2024. Thepost-Assad transitional government became more partial to Western influence and relatively hostile to Russian and pro-Iranian elements, signaling a strategic failure for the 'axis' interventions in Syria.[135]
Despite cooperation with Iran in Syria, Russia has maintained positive relations with Israel–allowing repeatedIsraeli airstrikes inside Syria[124]–and withArab Gulf states while also supporting normalisation of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.[136] During theGaza war, Russia condemned both the October 7 attacks andIsrael's response,[137] but Russia's foreign ministerSergey Lavrov said that Israel's goals in Gaza were similar to Russia's goals in itsinvasion of Ukraine.[138][139]
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Iran was accused of supporting theTaliban during the2001–2021 war in Afghanistan.[140][141]Ali Akbar Velayati[142] andHassan Kazemi Qomi[143] claim that the Taliban-led Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is also part of Iran's Axis of Resistance. However,Quds Force commanderEsmail Qaani believes the Taliban government is "no friend of Iran".[142]
Returning from a summit in the Saudi capital last week, opposition leaders say they were told directly by the foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, that Riyadh was disengaging.
The Hamas criticism might also reflect the underlying sectarian tensions within the alliance: Hamas is one of the only Sunni Muslim factions in the group (Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or PIJ, being the other). The others, including the Alawite family that dominates Syria, are Shias of varying schools of thought.
"... that conflict, from 2014 through 2017, was a rare instance of Iran and the United States nominally fighting on the same side. On a number of occasions, Americans were hitting Islamic State targets from the air while General Suleimani was directing ground forces against the militants.
Assad, backed by Hezbollah and Iran, began his campaign to eradicate Sunni regime opponents...this new axis — which targets Syrian Sunnis instead of Israel — is deeply polarizing.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The Houthis would only halt their attacks if Israel's "crimes in Gaza stop and food, medicines and fuel are allowed to reach its besieged population", al-Bukhaiti said.
Fifth, the Islamic Republic of Iran's campaign against Israel is the single most destabilizing conflict in the Middle East, and the one with the greatest potential to cause a broader regional war. The goal of constructing an existential challenge to the State of Israel is the driving motivation behind Iran's involvement in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank, and also figures prominently in its support to clients in Iraq and Yemen. Iran has aimed to slowly strangle Israel by keeping it mired in a series of increasingly destructive, unwinnable wars through funneling advanced weaponry and financial backing to groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. That aggression has compelled Israel to pursue a retaliatory campaign. Because of the wide geography where the Iranian- Israeli conflict has played out, and because of the United States' deep commitments to Israel and correspondingly hostile relations with Iran, an outbreak of open war between Iran and Israel could encompass much of the region and draw in U.S. involvement.
{{cite book}}:|journal= ignored (help)the most obvious thing is the unprecedented development in Russia's relations with the Arab Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia, in the context of Russia's pursuit of a strategic partnership in the energy field, with the GCC countries
Arab states have pursued their distinct economic, security, and political interests with Russia for years,.. For the Egyptians, it's grain supplies or the fact that Rosatom is going ahead with building the El Dabaa nuclear power plant. For the Saudis or the Emiratis, it's more alignment in global oil markets or expanded business ties.