Explained: The ‘Axis of resistance’, which includes Iran-backed groups like Hamas, Hezbollah

The roots of the ‘axis of resistance’ go back to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which paved the way for radical Shia Muslim clerics to come to power.

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Hours before his killing, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh (centre), and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Ziad Nakhaleh, met Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right) Tuesday. (AP)

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in an air strike in Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday (July 31). Although Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing, Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for the strike, and promised “major repercussions”.

Experts believe that Iran could hike up attacks against Israel through its allies — a coalition of Iranian-backed groups known as the ‘axis of resistance’. Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and the Houthis are some of the major groups in the alliance.

How was the coalition formed?

The roots of the ‘axis of resistance’ go back to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which paved the way for radical Shia Muslim clerics to come to power. To expand its political and military influence in a region where most powers — such as US-ally Saudi Arabia — are Sunni-majority nations, Iran’s new regime began to support non-state actors. Another reason for this was to deter threats from Israel and the US — Iran has seen Israel’s creation in 1948 as a means for the US (and the West) to influence the region for its strategic interests.

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The coalition’s name is said to be inspired by former US President George W Bush’s use of the term ‘axis of evil’ — referring to Iran, Iraq and North Korea — in his 2002 State of the Union address.

Which groups are part of the Iran-led ‘axis of resistance’?

Set up by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the early 1980s, Hezbollah (meaning ‘Party of God’) is a Shiite militant organisation. It was formed to fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon in 1982. Hezbollah is the biggest and most powerful member of the axis . It is believed to possess a significant arsenal, and has 30,000 to 45,000 members. Hezbollah and Israel have clashed with each other on many occasions. They fought a war for the first time in 2006, and have since then often exchanged fire, especially after October 7.
Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni militant group, has been running the region of Gaza since 2007. It emerged during the first Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, against Israeli rule in 1987. Hamas opposes Zionism, the 19th-century political project that advocates for an ethnic homeland for the Jewish people. Iran is known to supply funding, weapons, and expertise to the militant group.
PIJ is a Sunni Islamist militant group, which aims to establish an Islamic state in Palestine. According to the US government, “It is the second-largest militant group in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, founded in 1979 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt”.
Houthis are a Zaydi Shia militant group which has been involved in the civil war in Yemen for over a decade. They seized Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, in 2014, and today control northern Yemen. They also have a presence in most regions of the country. In response to Israel’s onslaught on Gaza after October 7, the group began to attack ships crossing the Red Sea, demanding an end to the invasion of the Palestinian enclave.

with inputs from Reuters