Why in News? Iran recently launched an attack on Israel, in retaliation for an Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus, Syria.

What is Iran’s Axis of Resistance? It is a group built up over decades of Iranian support to resist Israel and U.S. influence in the Middle East. It consists of-

1. Hamas- a Sunni Islamist militant group operating in Gaza since 2007. It opposes Zionism, the 19th-century political project that advocates for an ethnic homeland for the Jewish people.
2. Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)- Aims to establish an Islamic state in Palestine.
3. Lebanon’s Hezbollah- Hezbollah, meaning “Party of God”, is a Shiite militant organization set up by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to fight Israeli forces that invaded Lebanon.
4. Yemen’s Houthis- a militant group that has been fighting the civil war in Yemen for a decade. They control northern Yemen, including Sana’a. They have been attacking ships going through the Red Sea.
5. Syria-Supports Iran and Iran-backed forces have been deployed across much of Syria.
6. Shi'ite groups of Iraq- with ties to Iran emerged as powerful players after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Why is Iran Backing Them? Iran has long been critical of Israel’s creation in 1948, seeing it as a means for the US to influence the region for its strategic interests. Further, as a Shia-majority nation in a region where most powers such as US ally Saudi Arabia are Sunni-majority, Iran has attempted to assert itself with the help of these non-state actors forming the ‘axis of resistance’ as they provide the Islamic Republic with strategic depth, wide regional influence and access while insulating its leadership from the risk of their actions.