As the conflict between Israel and Iran dramatically escalates, with the US considering whether to intervene to back its long-time ally, a pressing question has emerged: will Tehran's proxies rush to the rescue of their patron?
Hostilities between Iran and Israel have reached unprecedented levels, entering a seventh day of confrontation, after Israel launched attacks last Friday on Iran claiming to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The strikes prompted a series of retaliatory missile barrages from Iran.
Sources in Iran's proxy groups have shared differing views on whether they will join the fight with Iran. A Hezbollah source says it will remain on the sidelines, regardless of whether the US intervenes, while Yemen's Houthi rebels are the only proxy to have announced attacks against Israel in support of Iran.
The proxy groups, however, have stressed their autonomy from Tehran.
The so-called Axis of Resistance is an Iran-led network that includes Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and armed groups in Iraq, whose aim is to deter Israel from conducting military action and countering its influence in the region. Many of these groups have fought against Iran's enemies in their respective countries.
The groups launched attacks against Israel as part of a support campaign for Hamas and the Palestinian people after the Gaza war broke out on October 7, 2023. But months of fighting with Israel, which holds clear military dominance, has considerably eroded the operational capacity of the axis.
Hezbollah, once a formidable militia and Iran’s most powerful proxy, was battered by nearly 14 months of conflict with Israel that ended in November, leaving much of its chain of command dismantled and its arsenal decimated. The group has made it clear that it does not intend to take part in any retaliatory action to support Iran.
Lebanese MP Hassan Fadlallah described Iran as a “key regional power” that is capable of defending itself, in an interview with pro-Hezbollah outlet Al Mayadeen. “It does not ask others to fight on its behalf,” he said.
The group is under pressure to disarm and faces growing discontent from those in Lebanon who accuse it of dragging the cash-strapped country into a war it could not afford, and causing damage worth several billion dollars.
Once a kingmaker, Hezbollah is now grappling with a loss of influence within the Lebanese political scene. A Lebanese official told The National that the army sent a message to Hezbollah, urging it not to intervene in the Iran-Israel conflict and warning against dragging the country into yet another devastating war. “They said they wouldn’t,” the official said.
“We’re doing everything we can, calls, meetings, to prevent any escalation,” the official added. “This is not our war."
Some fear a potential US intervention against Iran might compel Hezbollah to join the fight. Statements attributed to an Iranian official suggested that, if the US became directly involved – an idea President Donald Trump has been publicly floating for days – Hezbollah would join forces with Tehran.
A Hezbollah source firmly denied the claim. “I don't think the statement is true … who is this source? Iran can defend itself,” the source told The National. The sources confirmed that it was a Hezbollah decision, not an Iranian decision. “Unfortunately the media fabricates fake news."
Cautious but ready
In Iraq, which is home to several Tehran-backed militias that, unlike Hezbollah, remain largely intact, a senior militant leader told The National that the decision to open a front would depend “on developments".
“The current situation calls for caution and wisdom, but also readiness to respond if Iran comes under full-scale attack,” he said.
The militant said US intervention could be a game-changer in how the groups perceive their role in the conflict. “We advise the United States not to get involved in the war – it has tried before and ended in failure," he said. "Any American aggression against Iran will directly affect Iraq, and Iraqis have the right to defend their sovereignty, religious beliefs and dignity."
He warned that any attempt at regime change in Iran – which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown increasing interest in, beyond merely destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities – would lead to regional chaos.
“Iraq lies between two blazing arenas, and the resistance factions will not stand idly by," he added.
Yemen’s Houthis are the only proxy group to have announced joint military co-operation with Tehran since the recent escalation. The Houthis have launched attacks against Israel and ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023.
On Sunday, the group said it fired ballistic missiles at Israel in support of “the oppressed Palestinian and Iranian peoples".
A Yemeni source in the capital Sanaa said there was “no joint operations room between the Iranians and the Houthis", but rather continued co-ordination.
“When Houthis are required to strike, they carry out the strike independently," the source added. "This is what we’ve observed in the nature of their operations. This is also what Sanaa and Iranian officials have affirmed since the beginning of the operations, that Yemen acts on its own, deciding when it is in its interest to escalate, de-escalate, or strike a particular area."
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
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UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
