AXIS OF RESISTANCE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Hamas leader was assassinated in an airstrike in Tehran. The attack marks a significant escalation in regional tensions.

Axis of Resistance

• Origins: The axis of resistance traces its roots back to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which led to the rise of radical Shia Muslim clerics in Iran.
• Iran's Strategic Interests: To counterbalance the Sunni-majority nations and to deter threats from Israel and the US, Iran began supporting non-state actors.
• Naming of the Coalition: The term "axis of resistance" was inspired by former US President George W. Bush's "axis of evil," which included Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.

Groups in the Iran-led Axis of Resistance

• Hezbollah: Formed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the early 1980s to fight Israeli forces in Lebanon, Hezbollah is the largest and most powerful member of the axis with 30,000 to 45,000 members.
• Hamas: Emerging during the first Intifada in 1987, Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni militant group that has governed Gaza since 2007 and receives support from Iran.
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ): Established in 1979 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, PIJ aims to create an Islamic state in Palestine and is the second-largest militant group in Gaza and the West Bank.
• Houthis: A Zaydi Shia group engaged in Yemen's civil war, the Houthis control northern Yemen and have attacked ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel's actions in Gaza.