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Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' (allied militias)
Since the 1980s· Alliance or organization
FactTreaties, membership, measured data, events.
Iran's network of allied armed groups across the Middle East, built since the 1980s to project power against Israel and the US.
See it on the Geopolitics map →The picture
Organized by the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, it has included Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Shia militias in Iraq and, until 2024, Assad's Syria. Iran supplies money, training, missiles and drones; members keep their own agendas. Since 2024 it has been badly weakened: Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas's Yahya Sinwar were killed, Assad fell, and Israel and the US struck Iran itself in 2025 and 2026.
Why it matters
It gave Iran 'forward defense' far from its borders and a way to pressure Israel, Gulf shipping and US forces while denying direct responsibility.
Think of it like
Like a franchise network: headquarters supplies brand, money and know-how, but each franchisee runs its own local business and agenda.
Key facts and numbers
US Treasury and State Department designations, seized arms shipments, UN panel reports on Yemen, and the groups' own statements; Iran calls it a voluntary alliance, not proxies.
What to watch
Debated: how much control Tehran really has over each group, and whether the network can rebuild after its 2024–26 losses or is permanently broken.
Inside this (2)
Connections (3)
▸Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' (allied militias) includes Hezbollah (Lebanon)Fact
The relationship
Hezbollah is the axis's oldest and strongest member. Iran's Revolutionary Guards helped found it in 1982 and supplied hundreds of millions of dollars a year, plus rockets and missiles trucked through Syria. In return it trained other allied militias and served as Iran's front line against Israel.
Since when and why
Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, 1982, with Revolutionary Guards advisers; supply routes ran through Assad's Syria until December 2024.
How we know
Hezbollah leaders openly acknowledged Iranian funding and arms; US State Department estimates (about $700 million a year, 2018) and intercepted weapons shipments.
What to watch
With Syria lost and Iran at war, how Hezbollah rearms, and whether it now acts more as a Lebanese party than an Iranian arm, is debated.
▸Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' (allied militias) includes Houthis (Ansar Allah, Yemen)Fact
The relationship
Iran has given the Houthis missile and drone designs, components, training and advisers since the 2010s, turning a rebel militia into a force able to hit ships and Israel. Unlike Hezbollah, they keep their own agenda and supply routes, and they emerged as the axis's most intact member after 2024.
Since when and why
Ties deepened after the Houthis took Sanaa in 2014 and the Saudi-led war began in 2015; the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards manages the link.
How we know
Seized arms shipments, including about 750 tons intercepted in July 2025, and UN panel reports matching Houthi missiles to Iranian designs.
What to watch
Whether Iran can keep resupplying them as sea interdictions tighten and its own arsenal is hit in 2026, and how much the Houthis can now build at home.
▸Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' (allied militias) includes HamasFact
The relationship
Hamas is a Sunni group in a mostly Shia network, but Iran funded, armed and trained its military wing. Ties soured when Hamas sided with Syria's rebels in 2012 and were repaired by 2017. Iran praised the October 7 attack, though US officials said Tehran was not told in advance.
Since when and why
Gaza, Beirut, Damascus and Tehran; Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on July 31, 2024.
How we know
Hamas leaders' public thanks to Iran, US estimates of roughly $100 million a year in Iranian aid, and captured documents described by Israel.
What to watch
How much Iran knew about or helped plan October 7 is disputed; documents cited by Israel and US intelligence assessments differ.