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Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/08/19/iran-influence-middle-east-iraq-syria/91308168007/
Iran Was a Regional Threat. War with the U.S. Changed That.
(USA Today) Aviva Klompas - Over decades, Tehran built a constellation of armed partners stretching from Lebanon and Gaza to Syria, Iraq and Yemen, what Iranian officials proudly called the "axis of resistance." The strategy threatened Israel, expanded Iranian influence across the region, and allowed Tehran to challenge its adversaries while keeping much of the fighting far from its own borders. One of the war's most consequential outcomes has been the steady dismantling of the regional network through which Tehran projected power across the Middle East. Today, much of that architecture has been degraded. Hamas remains in control of parts of Gaza, but much of its senior leadership has been killed, large portions of its military infrastructure have been destroyed, and its ability to rearm and reorganize has been sharply constrained by Israel's operational presence in significant areas of Gaza. Hizbullah remains dangerous, yet it is no longer the force it was before the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. The group has also lost much of its senior leadership, including longtime Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, along with key commanders, weapons stockpiles and infrastructure. Hizbullah now faces growing pressure inside Lebanon from a population increasingly unwilling to see the country's future subordinated to Iran's regional ambitions. In Syria, the collapse of the Assad government and the emergence of a new political order have severely disrupted the supply lines connecting Tehran to Hizbullah and deprived Iran of one of the central pillars of its regional strategy. In Iraq, Iranian-backed groups face growing demands that armed groups answer to the Iraqi state rather than to Tehran. Only the Houthis retain something approaching their previous freedom of action. The result is that Iran increasingly finds itself playing defense following the gradual unraveling of the network through which Iran projected power across the Middle East. The writer, speechwriter for former Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor (2013-15), is CEO and cofounder of Boundless, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting antisemitism.