Iran-Backed Militias: The Fight for Regional Dominance Heats Up

For the most part, the regional militias that make up Iran ’s “axis of resistance” have been keen to sit out the latest fight with Israel, and this posture of deliberate inaction is more focused, purposeful, and cohesive than their response to the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023. Domestic political concerns, as well as tough losses suffered in nearly two years of regional conflicts and upheavals, appear to have led these Iran allies to take a back seat in the latest round. Erbil, Iraq — Israel has been hammering Iran 's nuclear and military sites for a week. To reach their targets, Israeli warplanes must cover about 1,000 miles, traversing as many as three. Lebanon is home to the most powerful paramilitary force in the Middle East: Iran - backed Hezbollah , one of the Islamic Republic’s most effective regional proxies. Since its earliest days, the regime has felt beleaguered by regional enemies (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Israel), and by the enmity of the United States. It has sought to defend itself most prominently by developing a military nuclear program. The regime may have survived a war with Israel, but its legitimacy is more fragile than ever, writes Sanam Vakil. The past few weeks, from Syria and Lebanon to the Red Sea and even into Iraq, there have been confrontations between the United States or Israeli troops and militias backed by Iran . Militant groups backed by Iran, which supports Hamas and for years has engaged in a shadow war with Israel, have joined in. These groups — part of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance — have. Earlier, Iran ’s state-affiliated Nour News reported that Israel had struck Parchin, a large military complex southeast of Tehran, in a strike during the early hours of Monday. Years of investment in allies such as Hezbollah, Hamas and other factions in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria are unraveling, leaving Tehran grappling with diminishing regional authority and rising.