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A Final Curtain on the "Axis of Resistance"?

(Responsible Statecraft) Elfadil Ibrahim - Tehran's grip on Lebanon is loosening. The visit to Beirut of Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reflected Iran's efforts to adapt as its influence wanes and Hizbullah's power diminishes after its punishing war with Israel last fall. Araghchi's public statements avoided direct mentions of Hizbullah, a marked departure from previous speeches that celebrated its centrality to the "Axis of Resistance." Significantly, he acquiesced to Beirut's insistence that all reconstruction aid flow through state channels, unlike after the 2006 war with Israel, when Iranian funds were channeled directly through Hizbullah, bypassing the Lebanese state. Araghchi also had a less publicized meeting with Hizbullah's new secretary-general, Naim Qassem, and laid a wreath at the grave of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, where he proclaimed: "The Zionist regime's defeat is an inevitable matter." Hizbullah's traditional logistical lifeline, the overland corridor through Syria, which Iran used to funnel weapons and cash to the group via Iraq, was severed with the collapse of the Assad regime in Dec. 2024. In a significant shift, the new Syrian government has engaged in security cooperation with Lebanon explicitly aimed at closing illegal crossings and tightening monitoring of smuggling by Hizbullah. With international reconstruction aid now explicitly tied to weakening Hizbullah's influence, there is limited space for the group to restore its previous financial and operational standing.
2025-06-12 00:00:00
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