‘Iran’s Axis of Evil wants to destroy us’, says Netanyahu; what is he referring to?

Eight Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in combat operations in Lebanon on Wednesday (October 2), its first casualties after its military crossed the border to attack Hezbollah with its ground forces.

In a condolence message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We are at the height of a difficult war against Iran’s Axis of Evil, which wants to destroy us. This will not happen because we will stand together and with God’s help, we will win together. We will return our abductees in the south, we will return our residents in the north, we will guarantee the eternity of Israel.”

What is this “Axis of Evil” the Israeli prime minister has referred to?

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The original ‘Axis of Evil’

The term “Axis of Evil” seems to have first been used by US President George W Bush in 2002, five months after the Al-Qaeda-linked suicide terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. The countries that Bush referred to were Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.

These three nations were relatively small, “failed” states, according to some analysts. A lot has changed during the last 22 years. Iraq, after being invaded by the US, is no longer a part of the group.

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The present Axis

The present Axis includes countries with larger economies and bigger militaries. They would seem to be connected by a common enemy – the US-led Western nations. They have had sanctions imposed against them by the West, and they are authoritarian nations controlled by strong individuals.

Today’s list of countries that Netanyahu is probably alluding to are Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea.

When Iran launched about 200 ballistic missiles against Israel on Tuesday (October 1), it did so with the confidence that it would be supported by two of its allies that are nuclear powers and members of the United Nations Security Council – Russia and China.

The alliance between China, Russia, and Iran during recent years – in addition to having a common enemy in the US and its Western allies – has been an enhanced economic cooperation.

China has entered into a 25-year strategic agreement with Iran that is worth more than $300 billion. China’s partnership with Russia has been increasing over the years, and it supports Russia in its war with Ukraine. The three countries have been increasing trade, developing trade routes and payment systems that will avoid Western sanctions, and trade in arms and ammunition.

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Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’

Since the Islamic revolution of 1979, Iran has developed what it calls an ‘Axis of Resistance’ in the region. This includes the militant groups that Iran has nurtured over the years financially and with arms and military training – Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen, and the Shiite Muslim groups in Iraq.

The Syrian government is probably the only state that is formally part of Iran’s Axis of Resistance. Syria plays host to several Iran-backed militias.

Hezbollah, or “Party of God” in Arabic, emerged in the 1970s during the civil war in Lebanon. It became the most powerful force among Iran’s allies after Hassan Nasrallah took charge of the group and built it into a fighting machine with the support of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Hamas came into being after the first Palestinian intifada (uprising) in 1987, and took over control of Gaza from the PLO.

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have been trained and armed by the Iranians and seized their country’s capital in 2014.

The bond among Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ is their common enemy – Israel and the United States.