Iran-Israel-Syria War: The Key Players and Their Hidden Agendas

Experts assess the roles that various actors may seek to play during and after conflict, including Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iraqi militias, Palestinian factions, and international powers such as China, Russia, and the EU. The future of the region hinges on whether strategic restraint and diplomacy can prevail over maximalist agendas and reactive militarism. As Iran navigates domestic uncertainty and international isolation, and as Israel pursues its security imperatives, the risk of escalation remains high. While some high-profile leaders like Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr have already been killed, there are other key players and actors who have stepped in as a regional war looms large. With missiles from both countries regularly traversing Syrian airspace near Damascus, Syria ’s silence has prompted speculation over its political and military calculus. Here's everything you need to know about the key players in the Middle East war - and why they're so important. Alleged classified documents belonging to Bashar al-Assad’s regime and uncovered after its fall offer a glimpse into a covert “mechanism” managed by Russia to limit Israeli military intervention in Syria . The maintenance of the Shia - Alawi - dominated regime in Damascus was key to the Islamic Republic’s long-term regional strategy, the creation of a contiguous Shia arc of influence in the region, linking Iran through Iraq to Syria and Lebanon. The escalation of Israeli military operations, characterized by an increase in strikes targeting Iranian and Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and Syria , has led Moscow to closely monitor the intensifying tensions between Iran and Israel. In responding to an attack on its allies via its second direct attack on Israel , Iran has exposed itself to Israeli counterattack and hardened the resolve of key players within the ‘Coalition of Continuity’.