From Iran to Hezbollah: what role do the other actors involved in the conflict in the Middle East play?

The geopolitical plot that unfolds amid the war between Israel It is Hamas It highlights the interests of other actors involved in the conflict in the Middle East and raises fears of an even greater escalation of the war. What are regional countries looking for and what is at stake?

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The border between Israel and Lebanon has become a focus of growing tension, with daily exchanges of fire between Israeli troops, the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and Palestinian militias. Hezbollah is an ally of Hamas and both Islamist groups are armed and financed by Iran, the real power behind both militias. International security analyst Román Ortiz highlights that Lebanon plays a fundamental role in the conflict due to its extensive northern border with Israel and because it hosts Hezbollah, “the Islamic group, militarily speaking, most effective and sophisticated in the region”. “Hezbollah poses a huge threat to Israel and there is the possibility of entering the conflict once Israel intervenes in Gaza,” he adds. The Lebanese Government, which is facing a deep economic and political crisis, tried to contain the crisis.

Hezbollah is one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the world.

As Israel’s main political and religious enemy, Iran’s role in Hamas’ attacks against the Hebrew country has come under scrutiny. The Islamic republic leads the so-called Axis of Resistance, an informal alliance formed by organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Iran armed Hamas and trained its fighters. “Iran is the real promoter of this crisis and the one seeking real benefit. At an operational level, it is impossible for Hamas to have launched such a complex attack without Iranian support. At a strategic level, Iran seeks to explode possible agreements between Israel and Arab countries. “Iran saw the rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia as a threat”, says Román Ortiz, who highlights that the rivalry between Iran and Israel cannot be separated from that which the Islamic country maintains with the United States. of the Hamas offensive and the US claims to see no signs of its involvement, Tehran warned that a ground invasion of Gaza would trigger a response from other fronts.

During a meeting in Tehran, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, stated that the axis of resistance will take action if attacks on Gaza continue. (Photo: AFP)

The only exit from the Gaza Strip for Palestinians, other than by sea or through Israel, is through Egypt. Hamas does not allow evacuation and this crossing faces a serious humanitarian crisis, which has placed Egypt in a complicated position. “Egypt is interested in weakening Hamas, but at the same time it does not want a refugee problem with a Palestinian population that has been very radicalized by Hamas. That is why he is taking ambiguous decisions: authorizing some humanitarian aid, but not letting the Palestinians leave”, explains Román Ortiz. Internationalist Brenda Estefan adds that Egypt and most Arab countries close ranks with the Palestinians, and not with Hamas, to contain public opinion.

A truck transporting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip crosses the Rafah border, in Egypt, on October 21, 2023. (EFE/EPA/KHALED ELFIQI). (KHALED ELFIQI/)

The Syrian Government plays into Iran’s hands and is an ally of Hezbollah, which is also inside Syria and can use that territory for its attacks. “Furthermore, Bashar al Assad’s government is an adversary of the US and therefore of Israel. Their position is not surprising”, says Brenda Estefan. Al Assad’s regime survived the civil war due to Iranian support, but also thanks to Russian support. “In this conflict, the Iranians want to use Syria as a platform to increase pressure on Israel and Russia is aligning itself more with Iran, which gives it fundamental support in Ukraine. I believe that we will soon see how Syria’s hostilities will become more active,” adds Ortiz.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (Photo: Reuters)

Jordan, which borders Israel and the occupied West Bank, has a difficult strategic position because it already has a large refugee population and, like other Arab countries, faces “public opinion and, in particular, some very anti-Islamic parties. -Israelis.” , so it must be balanced”, says Román Ortiz. The King of Jordan, Abdullah II, and the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, reaffirmed their refusal to welcome refugees from Gaza and demanded in recent days an “immediate” end to hostilities and accused Israel of imposing “collective punishment” on the Strip of Gaza through the “siege, inflicted starvation and forced displacement” of its inhabitants.

King Abdullah II of Jordan says there will be no Palestinian refugees in his country. (Photo: AFP) (TOBIAS SCHWARZ/)

Saudi Arabia and Israel appeared to be moving closer to a historic agreement to normalize their diplomatic relations, but the Hamas attack put an end to everything. The signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 established relations between Israel and several Arab states. “The next step would be the recognition of Israel by Saudi Arabia, essential due to its enormous economic resources and because it is home to the holy sites of Islam. “Both see Iran as a threat, which is why Tehran wanted to avoid such rapprochement,” says Ortiz. Estefan adds that Saudi Arabia has taken a pro-Palestinian turn. “Prince Bin Salman sees the option of positioning his country as a great power in the region, even above Qatar, which is also his rival.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the capital Riyadh on October 15, 2023. (Photo: AFP) (BANDAR AL-JALOUD/)

Source: Elcomercio