Iran-Israel Conflict
Historical Roots and the "Axis of Resistance"
Iran and Israel do not share a border, yet they have been in a state of shadow war for decades — fought through proxies, cyberattacks, assassinations, and covert operations. Iran's Islamic Republic, established in 1979, formally adopted the position that Israel (which it calls the "Zionist entity") has no right to exist. Iran's strategy of "strategic depth" uses non-state armed groups — Hezbollah (Lebanon), Hamas (Gaza), the Houthis (Yemen), and Shia militias in Iraq and Syria — collectively described as the "Axis of Resistance" — to encircle and pressure Israel without direct state-to-state confrontation.
- Iran–Israel proxy conflict theatres: Lebanon (Hezbollah, founded 1982 with Iranian support), Gaza (Hamas, supported since 2000s), Yemen (Houthis, major support from 2014), Iraq and Syria (various IRGC-backed militias)
- Iran's Quds Force (IRGC extraterritorial wing) coordinates proxy networks; its founding commander General Qasem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020
- Operation True Promise I (April 2024): Iran's first-ever direct missile and drone attack on Israeli territory in retaliation for an Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus
- Operation True Promise II (October 2024): Second direct Iranian missile barrage against Israel
- The 2026 U.S.-Israel joint attack marked a fundamental escalation — the first direct conventional war between the two states
- Iran's three tools of pressure: proxies, Strait of Hormuz threat, and ballistic missile programme
● Tracked since March 04, 2026 · last seen March 27, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes