By Nohad Topalian | 2024-10-29

BEIRUT -- The death of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah, along with other top leaders of both groups, has dealt a severe blow to the Iranian regime's "unity of arenas" doctrine, political analysts said.

The doctrine emphasizes close coordination among the various factions that comprise the so-called "axis of resistance" -- Iranian proxies across the region.

Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was killed in Gaza October 16 in an Israeli strike, and the group's political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh was killed July 31 in Tehran.

Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed September 27 in Beirut, where his presumed successor Hashem Safieddine was killed October 22.

With the deaths of these "axis" leaders, "the 'unity of arenas' theory has totally collapsed," writer and political analyst Tony Boulos told Al-Fassel.

"The assassination of Sinwar was a very painful blow to Iran, which established its affiliates in the region as front lines to defend it in the event of a strike against it," Bolous said.

Iranian proxies have become a shadow of their former selves, he added, and "have lost their influence and ability to protect the Iranian regime."

Major blow to so-called 'axis'

With the death of key "axis" leaders, the Iranian regime's "dream of propping up those who defend it has shattered," Boulos said.

This has "left the 'axis of resistance' in serious loss and disarray," he said.

"But these assassinations serve the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples and free them from Iranian hegemony, while the Yemeni people await the date of their liberation from the Houthis," he added.

The removal of these leaders also "provides an opportunity for the legitimate Lebanese and Palestinian authorities to regain their balance," he said.

Hamas in Lebanon "received a blow that hit it at its core, and it is in a weakened position," he said.

With Sinwar's killing, the so-called 'axis of resistance' was "dealt a major blow," writer and political analyst Samir Skaf told Al-Fassel.

Sinwar’s death "deprived Iran of a primary arm in its confrontation with Israel after it lost Nasrallah in Lebanon," he said.

"Striking the heads of Iran's main arms in direct battles caused the body of these arms to be lost and scattered, and weakened Hamas in Lebanon," he said.

For Hizbullah, which entered the war in support of Sinwar-led Hamas, Sinwar's death "means that Hizbullah lost the excuse to continue the war," Skaf said.

This may lead to a drop in the intensity of the war in Lebanon, he said.