By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-11-06

With the removal of top leaders of the Iranian regime's so-called "axis of resistance," the aura of invincibility that once surrounded these groups is gone, along with the significant public support they once enjoyed, analysts said.

While the full impact of these deaths is yet to be felt, they told Al-Fassel, the detrimental effect they will have on the cohesion of these proxies is inevitable.

"The successful targeting in a short period of time of 'axis' leaders in Iraq, Syria , Lebanon and Gaza not only weakened the 'axis' but also greatly weakened Iranian control and hegemony," said military expert Wael Abdul Muttalib.

The successful elimination of the first-tier and second-tier leaders of these groups "confirms the weakness of the Iranian side," he told Al-Fassel.

"It has become clear that [the Iranian regime] is completely unable to protect its affiliates and supporters," despite its bellicose rhetoric, he said.

"Consequently, the weakness of the Iranian side will weaken the influence of the affiliates," he added, even though this may not be immediately obvious.

The toppling of symbols

"Radical extremist armed groups, such as the branches of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), devote a large part of their media activity to glorifying their leaders," Iranian affairs specialist Fathi al-Sayed told Al-Fassel.

They put them on pedestals, "making them appear as if they are above any danger and that they are surrounded by a great aura of protection," said al-Sayed, a researcher at Al-Sharq Center for Regional and Strategic Studies.

"When a person like [Hamas leader] Yahya Sinwar falls, this aura falls with him," he said, "especially in light of the fall of other symbols such as Qassem Soleimani, Hassan Nasrallah , Fuad Shukr and others."

"No matter how much the Iranian media machine claims there are people who will continue the work of these figures with the same momentum," this is not the case, he said.

"These people have used their personal influence for decades to build military groups to carry out terrorist attacks, and it is impossible for any person to fill their shoes, no matter how much powers and capabilities he possesses," he said.

For example, al-Sayed said, Sinwar is "the person directly responsible for the basic military structure of the Hamas movement, which he developed, recruiting elements and obtaining money from Iran to strengthen that structure."

"Eliminating a person of this nature will result in a state of decline in enthusiasm," he said.