Iran’s proxies

Iran has several terror proxies across the Middle East including: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, Shi’ite militias in Syria and Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen. 

Hezbollah, a Shi’ite terrorist organization, emerged in Lebanon in 1982 in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War as a militia propped up by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy that helps disseminate and carry out its extremist ideology throughout Lebanon and the world. Iran provides Hezbollah with over $700 million a year and trains them through the elite IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) Quds Force, which supports and cultivates Iranian-backed proxies across the Middle East. Hezbollah has been led by Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. 

Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni Islamist terror organization, was initially founded in 1987 as a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza. Since 2007, Hamas has controlled Gaza. Although Hamas is a Sunni organization, Hamas’ location in Gaza and its proximity to Israel makes it an ideal ally—and proxy—for Iran. Iran provides the terror organization with approximately $80 million annually. Despite Hamas’ responsibility over the civilian population of the Gaza Strip, most of the money provided by Iran goes to funding terror attacks and operations against Israel, instead of helping Palestinian civilians. In addition to monetary support, Iran supplies weapons and ammunition, including rockets, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, and mortars to Hamas to be used for attacks against Israel. 

Islamic Jihad (IJ) is the terrorist organization in Gaza with the longest and closest ties to Iran. Founded in 1981, IJ was heavily inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Iran. IJ’s relationship with Iran was strengthened in the late 1980s, after the group’s leadership moved from Egypt to Lebanon, where Hezbollah was already based. There, IJ cultivated a partnership with the IRGC and Hezbollah, which provided it with training and arms. Today, Iran continues to supply IJ with weapons and approximately $70 million annually in funding which have been and continue to be used to target Israeli civilians through various terror attacks and operations. 

The Houthis are an extremist Shia-Islamist movement and terrorist army.  Backed by Iran, this organization controls approximately one-third of Yemen’s territory and more than two-thirds of the country’s population. It has emerged as a prominent player in the Israel-Hamas war, which began on October 7 with a mass murder attack by Hamas on Israelis.

Iran has played a central role in financing and arming the Houthis, turning them into a powerful and destabilizing force in the region. Tehran's support includes providing advanced weaponry such as ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles, as well as facilitating training through operatives from Hezbollah, its proxy in Lebanon. This assistance has enabled the Houthis to expand their military capabilities and challenge the Saudi-led Sunni Muslim coalition that has intervened in Yemen to support its internationally recognized government.