Axis of Resistance
Primary
Islamic Republic of Iran
Syrian Arab Republic
In Lebanon:
In Iraq:
In Yemen:
In Afghanistan:
In Palestine:
In Bahrain:
- Revolutionary Shia Islamism
- Anti-Zionism
Anti-Westernism - Opposition to American, Israeli and
Gulf states' interests in the Middle East - Opposition to the MEK[10]
Active unofficial military alliance
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It most notably includes the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the Syrian government, the Lebanese political party and militant group Hezbollah, the Yemeni political and military organization Ansar Allah,[b] Hamas,[c] and a variety of other Palestinian militant groups.[31][32][33]
The various actions of members of this axis reflect their domestic interests while serving the broader goal of complicating Israel's attacks and imposing a cost on the United States to support Israel.[34] The coalition is also opposed to Sunni Salafist armed groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS.[35]
History
Etymology
The term "Axis of Resistance" was first used by the Libyan daily newspaper Al-Zahf Al-Akhdar in response to American president George W. Bush's claim that Iran, Iraq, and North Korea formed an axis of evil. Its 2002 article, "Axis of evil or axis of resistance", said "the only common denominator among Iran, Iraq, and North Korea is their resistance to US hegemony".[36] The Iranian newspaper Jomhuri-ye Eslami subsequently adopted the language in reference to the Shia insurgency in Iraq, writing in 2004: "If the line of Iraq's Shi'is needs to be linked, united, and consolidated, this unity should be realized on the axis of resistance and struggle against the occupiers."[37]
In 2006, the Palestinian minister of the interior, Said Saim, used the term during an interview at Al-Alam television to refer to common political goals among Arabs in opposition to those of Israel or the United States. Noting the large number of Palestinian refugees in Syria, Saim stated, "Syria is also an Islamic Arab country and is also targeted by the Americans and the Zionists. Hence, we see in Syria, Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas an axis of resistance in front of these pressures."[38]
The term "axis of resistance" was used as early as August 2010.[39] After two years, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor for foreign affairs to Iran's supreme leader, used the term and said:
Members
Iran
Ali Khamenei, who has served as the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989, has repeatedly defined the Islamic Republic government as a "resistance government" (i.e., against Western and Israeli influence).[51] Qasem Soleimani played an important role in Iran's battle with ISIS in Iraq. He has been described as the focal point for bringing together Kurdish and Shia forces for the war against ISIS.[52] Soleimani's achievements led to the creation of an axis of Shia influence throughout the Middle East centered on Iran.[35] During a meeting with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel in December 2023, Khamenei said that that the political and economic potentials of Iran and Cuba should be used to form a coalition against the "bullying" of United States and its Western allies, in order to adopt a "common and effective position" on important global issues such as the Palestinian issue.[53]
Syria
According to Jubin Goodarzi, an assistant professor and researcher at Webster University, the Iranian–Syrian alliance that was formed in 1979 is of great importance to the emergence and continuity of the axis of resistance. Both countries are in key locations of the Middle East, and they have been affecting Middle Eastern politics during the past three decades. Also, the alliance is considered to be an enduring one, lasting 34 years "in spite of the many challenges that it has faced and periodic strains in the relationship".[40] The axis has been described as altering "the strategic balance in the Middle East" by assisting Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to remain in power and backing his war-crimes against Syrian civilians.[54] According to Marisa Sullivan, the programme and aims of the Axis have three main pillars; shared regional objective in preserving the Assad regime, maintaining access to supplies of weapons and money from Iran, and stopping a Sunni-majority government from ever coming to power in Syria.[55] The current ruling Syrian Ba'ath party elites are primarily made up of Alawites, who are an offshoot sect of Shiism, which is also the majority sect of Iran.[56] This common background has made them strategic allies on various issues, including defense.[57] The Syrian state-run news agency, SANA, has stated that the two governments discussed their "strategic cooperation relationship" and "attempts by some Western countries and their allies to strike at the axis of resistance by targeting Syria and supporting terrorism there".[41] The alliance has been described as an "Axis of Terror" by the prime minister and ambassadors of Israel.[58][59][60]