The conflict between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian organization, has already impacted other parts of the area and could become even more because Tehran supports several highly armed factions.
The “Axis of Resistance” is an alliance supported by Iran that includes Hamas and Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian organization. On October 17, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened Israel with more strikes from Tehran’s allies if it didn’t stop.
Since the war erupted on Oct. 7, the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has already mounted operations against Israel, while others have threatened U.S. interests.
This is primer on Iran and its allies across the region.
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. It has remained a sworn enemy of Israel, which sees the group as the biggest threat at its borders.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israeli forces in the most serious escalation across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since 2006, when Hezbollah and Israel fought a war.
Since then, its arsenal has expanded and its fighters – who number in the tens of thousands – have fought in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war.
Hezbollah has trained paramilitary groups in Syria and Iraq and inspired other forces such as Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis.