Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a warning on Twitter tonight in Hebrew, asserting that his axis of resistance will endure even if the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad falls.
“The enemies think that after Syria the resistance is over – they are gravely mistaken,” Khamenei stated.
Despite Iran’s recent struggles, especially its failure to protect Assad’s regime, Khamenei’s message underscores the resilience of Iran’s broader geopolitical strategy. Assad’s government, which collapsed earlier this month when Syrian rebels entered Damascus, had been a crucial part of Iran’s “axis of resistance.” Syria’s proximity allowed Iran to use its territory to transport arms to Hezbollah, a proxy terrorist group operating in Lebanon. The loss of Assad means that Iran will face greater challenges in arming Hezbollah and rebuilding the group’s capabilities after suffering significant losses at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in recent months.
Over the past year, Iran has encountered major setbacks in its regional influence. Both Hamas and Hezbollah, two of Iran’s key proxies, were severely weakened after their attacks on Israel. Iran’s military capabilities have also been strained; two major ballistic missile strikes against Israel were unsuccessful. Following the second strike, Israel retaliated by destroying much of Iran’s air defense and missile production infrastructure, further exposing Iran’s vulnerabilities to military action.
{Matzav.com}