Iran faces battlefield isolation as its ‘Axis of Resistance' stays silent in fight with Israel

When Israel launched direct strikes on Iranian soil last week—hitting nuclear facilities, air defense systems, and senior military leadership—it marked a dramatic escalation in a long-brewing confrontation albeit a veiled one, between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
Iran retaliated with missile fire, striking cities across Israel, but fears of a broader regional eruption have not come to pass. Tehran's most loyal partners—Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iraqi militias, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas—have largely stayed out of the battlefield.
The 'Axis of Resistance,' as Iran describes this web of allied non-state actors, was built over decades to deter and respond to aggression by Israel or the United States. But as The Wall Street Journal reports, the network has gone largely silent, preoccupied with its own losses, internal fractures, and a growing fear of Israeli airpower and intelligence reach.
Hezbollah: Once the spearhead, now on pause
Hezbollah, long considered Iran's most powerful ally, has not launched any major retaliation against Israel since the conflict escalated. Israeli strikes over the past year have degraded its arsenal and infrastructure and killed its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
According to WSJ, Arab diplomats with knowledge of the group's internal deliberations say Hezbollah is focused on regrouping and feels Tehran did little to protect it during its own conflict with Israel in 2024.
Live Events
The group's current leadership is said to be prioritising rebuilding capacity over entering a fresh war. Notably, its public appearances have emphasized Lebanese national identity over symbolic alignment with Tehran—suggesting a subtle recalibration.
Hamas: Decimated and leaderless
In Gaza, Hamas remains severely weakened. Nearly two years of Israeli bombardment have crippled its command structure and military capacity.
Many of its senior leaders have been killed, and much of the territory's war infrastructure—tunnels, weapons facilities, and communications networks—has been destroyed.
While Hamas was the initiator of the October 7, 2023, attacks that set the region on edge, it has not been able to respond in any significant way since Israel's strike on Iran. Its remaining leadership is largely in exile, and its ability to coordinate with Tehran appears limited.
Iraq's Shiite militias: Calculating costs
Iraq's Iranian-backed militias, once a persistent threat to U.S. forces and a cornerstone of Tehran's regional leverage, have shown remarkable restraint. Only one group—Kataeb Hezbollah—issued a threat, saying it would act only if the U.S. directly joins Israel's attacks on Iran.
WSJ notes that many militia leaders are now embedded in Iraq's political system and have substantial economic stakes, particularly in the oil sector. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani is believed to be quietly urging restraint to preserve Iraq's fragile stability.
The militias, some of whose leaders have become government contractors, are reportedly reluctant to disrupt a period of relative economic gain.
'They've been benefiting from Iraq's stability and high oil prices to develop economic empires,' Renad Mansour of Chatham House told WSJ.
Houthis: Quiet after early strikes
Among Iran's regional partners, the Houthis were among the first to react—firing missiles at Israel days after the conflict escalated. But their activity has since tapered off. U.S. and allied airstrikes in recent months damaged much of their missile infrastructure, and there are signs the group is treading carefully.
According to WSJ, the Houthis maintain close communication with Tehran but are primarily focused on their own strategic interests. Their leaders, analysts say, are unlikely to endanger their position in Yemen unless Iran is directly invaded or the U.S. becomes a full party to the conflict.
'It's a Houthi-first policy,' said Elisabeth Kendall of the University of Cambridge, quoted by WSJ. 'They're not going to put their own necks on the line for the supreme leader.'
Syria: Tehran's foothold reduced
Syria, once a vital staging ground for Iran's regional operations, has become less central.
After Israeli strikes killed senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers in Damascus late last year, Iran drew down some of its military presence.
The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime to a rebel offensive in late 2024 further limited Tehran's influence. The Axis did not mobilize in his defense.
The
Axis of Resistance
has long served as Tehran's first line of deterrence and retaliation. Today, however, most of these groups appear constrained—militarily weakened, politically cautious, or economically invested in staying out.
Meanwhile, global powers have reacted with alarm to the escalation. Russia and China have called for de-escalation but offered no military backing to Tehran.
The United States, while warning Iran against further attacks, has placed forces in the region on high alert, raising the prospect of direct confrontation.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New Indian Express

35 minutes ago

• New Indian Express

India's basmati export takes another hit after Trump tariffs as Israel-Iran war intensifies

CHANDIGARH: Already grappling with US President Donald Trump's 26 per cent tariff, the ongoing Israel-Iran war has triggered a fresh crisis in the Indian basmati rice export market. Indian basmati exporters find themselves caught in a web of woes, with stuck consignments, delayed payments, plummeting prices, and fears of a domestic glut. Iran is the second-highest importer of Indian basmati after Saudi Arabia, with the sela (parboiled) variety particularly cherished in Iranian kitchens. In the 2023–24 fiscal year, a total of 59.42 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of basmati rice was exported from the country. Of these exports, basmati rice was mainly sent to five countries: 7 LMT to Iran, 11 LMT to Saudi Arabia, 8 LMT to Iraq, 3 LMT to Yemen, and 3 LMT to the US, with the remainder going to other countries. This development is likely to severely affect Punjab, the highest producer of basmati rice in the country, accounting for 40 per cent of production, followed by Haryana and other states.

India.com

35 minutes ago

• India.com

Iran Israel war: 5.2 magnitude earthquake hits Iran.... Did the Muslim nation conduct secret underground nuclear test?

Iran Israel war: 5.2 magnitude earthquake hits Iran.... Did the Muslim nation conduct secret underground nuclear test? Iran Israel war: In the midst of the ongoing war with Israel, something happened in Iran late Friday night which has given birth to a new theory. On June 20, an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hit Iran. Since this earthquake, speculations have started that Iran has secretly conducted a nuclear test. This earthquake occurred on June 20 at 9:19 pm local time. Let us tell you that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Iran's nuclear bases. Army is stationed in Semnan According to the information given by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC), this earthquake in Iran was 35 kilometers below Semnan. The earthquake was so strong that its tremors were felt in many parts of northern Iran. However, there is no confirmation of anyone being injured or any major destruction due to this. The earthquake has come at a time when the conflict between Iran and Israel is increasing. Due to this war, Iran's military units have also been deployed in many areas including areas close to the earthquake zone. As soon as the information about the earthquake came, nuclear test started trending on X and users started making their own speculations. Some users said that if the nuclear test is true, then now even America will be afraid of entering the country. Importance of Semnan for Iran It is being told that Iran's Semnan province is the place where its missile complex and missile center is located. If the report of the website is to be believed, then a ballistic missile test range and manufacturing facility is present in the Semnan missile complex. It is believed that China has provided all the necessary help to Iran in making it. Iran started making Oghab unguided artillery rockets in Semnan in 1987. Its target since then was to make 600 to 1,000 such rockets every year. Solid fuel artillery rockets Najet, Shahab-I missiles are also produced in this plant. The website estimates that the Jeljel rocket was also probably made here. Iran's space center and its associated launching facilities are also in Semnan province. Iran refuses to negotiate According to a recent report in Israeli media, Israel has received information that Iranian scientists have successfully completed the process of designing nuclear weapons. Israel had then said that if this is true, then Iran is just a few steps away from making a nuclear bomb.

Hindustan Times

37 minutes ago

• Hindustan Times

Israel claims it killed veteran Iran commander Saeed Izadi as both sides attack

Israel said on Saturday it had killed a veteran Iranian commander as the countries traded attacks, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive. Earlier a prayer ceremony was conducted for Amin Karami, a member of Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who was killed during Israeli strikes.(AP) Saeed Izadi, who led the Palestine Corps of the Quds Force, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' overseas arm, was killed in a strike in an apartment in the Iranian city of Qom, said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. Calling his killing a "major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force", Katz said in a statement that Izadi had financed and armed the Palestinian militant group Hamas ahead of its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. The Revolutionary Guards said five of its members had been killed in attacks on Khorramabad, according to Iranian media reports that did not mention Izadi, who was on U.S. and British sanctions lists. Iranian media had said earlier on Saturday that Israel had attacked a building in Qom, with initial reports of a 16-year-old killed and two people injured. Iran's Fars news agency said Israel had targeted the Isfahan nuclear facility, one of the nation's biggest, but there was no leakage of hazardous materials. The Israeli military said it had launched a wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran. Follow for live update on Israel-Iran conflict Ali Shamkhani, a close ally of Iran's supreme leader, said he had survived an Israeli attack. "It was my fate to stay with a wounded body, so I stay to continue to be the reason for the enemy's hostility," he said in a message carried by state media. Early on Saturday, the Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Interceptions were visible in the sky over Tel Aviv, with explosions echoing across the metropolitan area as Israel's air defence systems responded. There were no reports of casualties. Iran's nuclear programme Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Its air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. Iran's health minister, Mohammadreza Zafarqandi, said on Saturday that Israel has attacked three hospitals during the conflict, killing two health workers and a child, and has targeted six ambulances, according to Fars. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An Iranian missile hit a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Thursday. Iran's NOURNEWS on Saturday named 15 air defence officers and soldiers it said had been killed in the conflict with Israel. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to Israeli authorities. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he thought Iran would be able to have a nuclear weapon "within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months". He told reporters at the airport in Morristown, New Jersey: 'We can't let that happen.' He said his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was wrong in suggesting there was no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Scan progress in Geneva Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the U.S. "until Israeli aggression stops". But he arrived in Geneva on Friday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy. Trump reiterated that he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said. The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Trump said. Hundreds of U.S. citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a U.S. State Department cable seen by Reuters. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council on Friday his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled". Iran's U.N. envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said Tehran was alarmed by reports that the U.S. might join the war. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, "especially now under Israel's strikes".