Axis of Resistance War Timeline

 

The current Israel-Hamas Gaza War, has already expanded to include Hezbollah attacks on Israel’s northern border, increased violence in the West Bank, Israeli airstrikes on Syria, Iran-sponsored terror groups attacking American forces in Iraq and Syria, and the Yemeni Houthi Shiite army launching missiles and drones at Israel (shot down by the U.S. Navy). The goal of this article is to define the Iran-driven forces (the “Axis of Resistance”) aligned against Israel and the U.S., while providing a timeline of the non-Gaza attacks that threaten to expand the Hamas-Israel war into a larger regional conflict.

 

What is the Axis of Resistance?

 

The “Axis of Resistance” is a term used by Iran and her proxies for their alliance of anti-Israel and anti-U.S. forces in the Middle East. Iran dominates this “Axis of Resistance”, which is made up primarily of Shiite and Shiite-adjacent forces.  This Axis also includes:

 

Iran: Powerful non-Arab Middle Eastern nation with a majority Shiite Muslim population.  A revolution in 1979 toppled the pro-U.S. Shah (King) of Iran. Shiite clergy called Ayatollahs, rule in Iran, and maintain a very hostile stance toward Israel and the United States.  Ever since the U.S.-Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979-1981, the U.S. and Iran have been antagonists to each other.

Iran was known as Persia for most of the country’s history.

 

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces dedicated to carrying out proxy wars against Israel and the U.S. The IRGC is heavily involved in supporting Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthi, and in carrying out terrorist attacks on Israeli and U.S. targets.

 

Hezbollah: A powerful Shiite Lebanese army and political organization that dominates Lebanon.  Hezbollah Fought a major war with Israel in 2006, and is currently (since the Hamas-Israel War began), engaged in cross-border fighting with Israel.

 

Hamas: A largely Sunni Jihadist group, Hamas is a Palestinian militia/terrorist organization that seized power violently in the Gaza Strip shortly after Israel gave up control of that area.  Hamas has engaged in almost continual conflict with Israel AKA the Gaza Wars, culminating in the October 7, 2023 invasion that began the current Hamas-Israel War. They are dedicated to destroying Israel and establishing an Islamic religious regime in Palestine.

 

Palestinian Islamic Jihad:  A junior partner of Hamas in their control of Gaza and their wars with Israel.

 

Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF): A coalition of various Iraqi militias that are based in Iraq. The PMF was formed by the Iraqi government to bring together various Shiite, Sunni, and Christian militias in order to fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) during the ISIS-Iraq War that began in 2014. 

 

Many groups in the  PMF are heavily aligned with Iran, with significant connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Command (IRGC). Many of the components are Shiite militias that frequently launch attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. These groups include the Badr Organization, the Hezbollah Brigades, and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

 

Islamic Resistance in Iraq: An umbrella brand including militia groups such as  Kataib Hezbollah (KH), Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada,  all of whom frequently launch attacks on U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq. The groups within the IRI are also members of the PMF.

 

Houthi Army in Yemen: The Houthi are a Shiite population in Yemen that has been engaged with the Yemeni government and their foreign allies in a brutal civil war since 2014.  The primary foreign intervention in this war on the government side is Saudi Arabia, which has been a major foe of Iranian power in the Middle East for decades.  The U.S. supported the anti-Houthi forces for most of that war. In 2016, Houthi forces attacked a U.S. Navy ship, provoking American retaliation.

 

Syria: Long ruled by the Assad dynasty of dictators, Syria has been in a continual state of war with Israel since Syria (and other Arab nations) invaded Israel in 1948. Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a brutal civil war. The Assad regime only survived due to massive infusions of troops and other help from Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. 

 

Timeline of the Axis of Resistance War on Israel and the U.S. since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023

*Note that the emphasis here is on actions primarily outside of the Gaza area.

Oct. 7, 2023-Hamas attacks Israel, killing at least 1400 people, mostly civilians. About 200 hostages are taken back to Gaza.

 

Oct. 8, 2023-Israel formally declares war on Hamas.

U.S. announced that U.S. Naval forces will support Israel in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

 

Oct. 8, 2023-Hezbollah begins small-scale cross-border attacks with rocket and artillery strikes at Israeli-held Shebaa Farms.

 

Oct. 12, 2023-Houthi in Yemen declare they will join war if America intervenes.

 

Oct. 12, 2023-Israeli air strikes damage runways in Syria at two major airports (Damascus and Aleppo).

 

Oct. 14, 2023-Israeli air strikes damage runways in Syria at Aleppo airport.

 

Oct. 18, 2023-U.S. troops at al-Tanf base in Syria targeted by drones launched by Iran-allied Shiite militia. U.S. forces shot down one drone, but the other drone hit the base, causing minor injuries.

 

Another drone targeted the U.S. base at al-Asad in western Iraq. U.S. force shot down this drone as well.

 

Rockets hit the Baghdad airport, where U.S. and coalition forces are based.

 

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

 

Oct. 19, 2023–USS Carney, in the northern Red Sea, shot down four cruise missiles and 15 drones over a period of nine hours launched by Houthi forces in Yemen. The attack  appeared headed toward Israel. 

 

Oct. 24, 2023–The Pentagon announced that since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, U.S. forces in the Middle East had been attacked 14 times.  U.S. troops in Iraq were attacked 11 times, and troops in Syria 3 times. A total of 24 American troops were injured in these attacks.  One civilian contractor died of a heart attack.

 

Oct. 26, 2023–The U.S. struck two targets in Syria in retaliation.  Two Air Force F-16s, accompanied by MQ-9 drones, dropped more than 30 precision-guided bombs on a weapons storage facility and an ammunition storage facility near Abu Kamal, Syria. These targets belonged to  Shiite militias and the IRGC. This was the first instance that the U.S. publicly stated that an Iranian base was targeted in this conflict.

 

Oct. 27, 2023–Shiite militias responded to the American airstrikes by launching drone attacks on U.S. forces in western Iraq. The drones were shot down, with no U.S. casualties.

 

*This timeline will be updated as events unfold.