By Anas al-Bar | 2026-03-27

For decades, the Iranian regime has forged a powerful network of regional allies, known as the "Axis of Resistance" or "Axis of Steadfastness."

The regime began building alliances and entities supporting its ideology immediately upon assuming power in 1979.

The axis evolved into a diverse coalition of groups and armed forces, centrally featuring Hizbullah, Hamas, the Houthis, Iraqi militias and the former Syrian regime.

However, the axis has suffered severe blows and largely disintegrated over the last two years.

Operation Epic Fury, a major US-Israel offensive against Iranian regime targets on February 28, resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Plunging the region into chaos

The axis is directly linked to the Iranian regime's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which provides leadership, funds, arms and oversight for its activities.

"The Iranian regime has actively destabilized the region, creating chaos and division to facilitate its own expansion, dominance and power," Ghazi Faisal Hussein, director of the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies told Al-Fassel.

"IRGC generals have repeatedly used their regional proxies to realize that malicious endeavor," he added.

They have instigated crises and political unrest in their countries, threatening stability with internal conflict and fighting.

"They have sought to drain national resources, harm economies and dismantle societies from within by promoting organized crime and spreading drugs," Hussein said.

Weakened Axis

However, significant events and transformations over the past two years have greatly weakened the Iranian axis's strength and cohesion.

The weakening began in Gaza with the elimination of the Hamas threat following the 2023 war.

Hizbullah, Iranian regime's main ally, suffered a crushing defeat with most of its leadership, including the death of Hassan Nasrallah, and its military infrastructure destroyed.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria instantly unraveled an alliance that had endured for over 46 years.

Crippled by blows to their attacks in the Red Sea, the Houthis in Yemen have only offered the regime verbal support in the current war.

In Iraq, Operation Epic Fury is resulting in increasing attacks and internal isolation for pro-Iranian factions, most notably Kataib Hizbullah.

"The Iranian regime axis is being eroded," Raad al-Dulaimi, an Iraqi researcher specializing in media and terrorist groups, told Al-Fassel.

"The complex network of ideological organizations, funded by the Iranian regime with the Iranian people's money to advance its agendas and serve as its first line of defense, is rapidly collapsing," he added.

"It no longer has significant presence or influence as the war continues to target senior leaders of the IRGC and the regime's military establishment," al-Dulaimi said.

Analysts believe that the "Axis of Resistance" members, Hizbullah, the Houthis and Iraqi factions loyal to the Iranian Regime, are now in sheer survival mode.