Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has informed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during a meeting in Tehran that Iran will not directly participate in the war with Israel. However, Iran will continue to provide political and moral support to Hamas. The supreme leader urged Haniyeh to silence voices within Hamas calling for Iran and its ally Hezbollah to join the fight against Israel.
Hezbollah, another member of the “axis of resistance” alliance, was also taken by surprise by Hamas’s recent attacks on Israel. Hezbollah had to rapidly mobilize its fighters, as they were not prepared for the assault. This marks the first time that the “axis of resistance” has mobilized on multiple fronts simultaneously. Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have targeted US forces, while Yemen’s Houthis have launched attacks on Israel using missiles and drones.
The ongoing conflict is testing the limits of the regional coalition, as its members have different priorities and domestic challenges. Hamas, which rules Gaza, is fighting for its survival against Israel, which has launched a retaliatory onslaught that has resulted in the deaths of over 11,000 Palestinians.
While Hamas called on its axis allies to join the struggle, Iran has stated that it will only intervene if it is attacked by Israel or the US. Instead, Iran plans to continue using its network of armed allies, including Hezbollah, to launch rocket and drone attacks on Israeli and American targets across the Middle East. This strategy aims to demonstrate solidarity with Hamas and stretch Israeli forces without engaging in a direct confrontation that could draw in the US.
Iran has emphasized that all members of the alliance make their own decisions independently. Hezbollah, with its 100,000 fighters, has exchanged fire with Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border on a daily basis. However, it has avoided an all-out confrontation and has limited its attacks to a narrow strip of territory. Hezbollah understands that Lebanon cannot afford another war with Israel, especially given the country’s ongoing financial crisis.
Hamas’s attack on Israel was kept a secret from its allies, according to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. He praised Hamas for its success and stated that the attacks at the Israeli border were unprecedented and amounted to a “real battle.”
