Iran’s Strategic Approach towards the Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

Abstract

The Middle East, a Muslim majority region in the Asian continent, has remained a centre for territorial and extraterritorial powers to secure their strategic interests significantly to access oil reserves in the region. Israel and the United States are two examples respectively. In the wake of securing strategic interests, these states tried to interfere the polity of the Muslim states that infuriated most of the Muslim leaders to such an extent that they had to go for aggressive measures to negate the influence of these interest-seekers. Iran has been leading the Muslim states in the region and has strived hard for integrating Muslim leadership. During this process of regional integration, a special focus has been paid to deal Israel-an important strategic ally of the US in the region and permanent threat for the neighbouring Muslim states. The current circumstances, causes and effects are the product of Arab-Israel wars and most of these have been cashed in by Iran for the security of its interests in the region. Iran has facilitated the Muslim states, particularly Lebanon, to counter the Israeli strategies. It has erected Hezbollah-the party of God- in Lebanon whose effective presence has always restricted Israel from advancing to the region. Since its inception in 1985, Iranian backed Hezbollah has opposed the Israeli motives in the Middle East. Ideological similarities between Iran and Hezbollah have never allowed Israel to manipulate the region. Hezbollah has been in a war-like situation with Israel and has fought a couple of wars which have not only guaranteed a guard for Hezbollah’s campaign against Israel but also have paved the way for Iran to maintain hegemony in the region. This research has been conducted with a primary objective to analyse the Israel-Hezbollah conflict and the strategic approach of Iran towards the particular conflict.