Iran’s regional allies – Hizbullah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, Shia militias in Iraq and Houthis in Yemen – have refrained from striking Israel while it attacks Iran. This is because these members of the Iranian-sponsored and -funded “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and the West have been motivated by self-preservation and national interest.
Iran’s most powerful ally, Hizbullah, has been severely weakened by Israel over the past two years. It has been compelled by the latest ceasefire to withdraw from the border with Israel and submit to disarmament.
Hizbullah official Mahmoud Qmati told Russia’s official Sputnik news agency: “Israeli reports about Hizbullah preparing to intervene are merely false pretexts to justify Israel’s ongoing aggression against Lebanon.”
He added: “Iran is strong enough and does not need military support from anyone.”
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Under attack for nearly 20 months in Gaza, Hamas has expressed “full solidarity” with Iran and extended condolences over Israeli assassinations of senior Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists. It has called Israel’s attack on Iran “a dangerous development that underscores the existential nature of the central enemy of the [Islamic] nation” and demanded a unified stance against Israel.
Iraq has complained to the United Nations Security Council about Israeli warplanes flying through its airspace to attack Iran and has asked the US to prevent Israeli violations in accordance with the two countries’ Strategic Framework Agreement, the Iraqi News Agency reported.
Iraqi prime minister Mohammed al-Sudani has ordered local pro-Iranian militias, known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces, not to intervene in the Israel-Iran war.
Washington is aware that support for Israel’s offensive could lead to pro-Iranian elements in Iraq targeting US troops based in Iraq, the US embassy in Baghdad or the consulate in Erbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Damascus has remained silent on the Israel-Iran war. Under Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, ties have been severed with Iran, which backed the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad. The embassy has been closed and Iranian flights have been banned from Syrian airspace. “Syria’s fragile economy and its deteriorated military capacity after more than a decade of civil war do not allow it to engage in any new political or military adventure, regardless of pressure from allies,” Damascus University political analyst Samir Abdullah told New York City-based Media Line.
Houthi rebels have claimed the launch of ballistic missiles targeting Israeli military sites. However, the group appears to have fired only one missile, which struck a Palestinian town near the Israeli-occupied West Bank town of Hebron, injuring several people.
