When Israel and the United States conducted an intensive bombing campaign in Iran last year, Tehran’s regional network of armed proxies and partners largely stood on the sidelines.
But the so-called axis of resistance is expected to enter the fray and back Iran if US President Donald Trump follows through on his threats and authorizes military action against the Islamic republic, experts say.
Iran views a potential conflict with the United States as an existential threat, unlike the war in June, said Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
That means Tehran is “ready to go all in and use whatever capacity it has, in terms of its own military capabilities, and at the same time the asymmetric capacity of the axis of resistance” to ensure its survival, said Azizi.
There are already signs that Iran’s allies in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen are preparing for war in the event of a US attack on Tehran.