Six days into the war between Israel and Iran, the Islamic Republic’s armed terror proxies in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen have largely refrained from joining the fight, despite vocal support and threats. While Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias have condemned Israel’s actions, they have so far held their fire—each for its own reasons. Only the Houthis in Yemen have continued sporadic launches toward Israel, though at a lower rate than before the war.
The situation, however, could shift if the United States escalates its involvement.
Hezbollah cautious amid domestic pressures
Hezbollah, which suffered significant blows during its campaign against Israel—waged in what it claimed was “support for Gaza”—has taken a restrained stance. Though it condemned the initial Israeli strike in Iran and denounced U.S. involvement, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has not threatened retaliation. The group is facing mounting political pressure in Lebanon, including calls to disarm, and has reportedly received explicit warnings against dragging the country into a broader war.
“We stand with Iran politically, in the media, and publicly," senior Hezbollah figure Mahmoud Qamati stated Sunday. "Iran has not asked us for military support—it can defend itself.”
He added that Israel’s claim of monitoring Hezbollah’s movements was a pretext to justify continued strikes on Lebanon. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah echoed this message, saying Iran has never demanded others fight on its behalf: “When attacked, its sovereignty and dignity prevent it from relying on anything other than its own strength and leadership.”
Iraqi militias restrained amid political shifts
Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq have also remained quiet, partly due to shifting dynamics in Syria and Iraq. The fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime and weakening of the Iranian axis in Syria have forced these militias to retreat from cross-border operations. Now concentrated within Iraq, they face limitations on launching attacks, particularly with the Iraqi leadership wary of endangering state stability.
Though some drones were reportedly observed near U.S. bases in Iraq in recent days, according to a senior source quoted by Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar, they crashed before reaching their targets. Another militia source said they were merely trying to “remind Washington that Iraq is not an open arena” and stressed that if the conflict widens, Iraq “will not remain neutral.” For now, however, they are aligned with Iran’s call for restraint.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is reportedly pressuring militia leaders to avoid provocative rhetoric. On Sunday, the pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah issued a statement asserting that Iran does not need military assistance to deter “the Zionist entity.” However, the group warned that if the U.S. joins the war, it will target American interests and bases across the region. They called on Baghdad to expel U.S. forces and shut down the American embassy—framing Washington as “the most dangerous threat to Iraq’s security and regional stability.”
The muted responses from Hezbollah and the Iraqi militias do not appear to stem from a lack of capacity but rather from political considerations and external constraints. Lebanese channel MTV, a critic of Hezbollah, remarked: “Is it a lack of weapons or a lack of a green light? Only the coming days will tell. For now, the Lebanese are enjoying neutrality.”
Houthis continue threats, but hold back
Among Iran’s proxies, only the Houthis in Yemen continue to fire toward Israel, albeit less frequently. Houthi political council member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told Al Jazeera that Israel “crossed all red lines” by attacking Iranian nuclear sites, and warned: “Any aggression against an Arab or Muslim country will be met with an inevitable Yemeni response. We will support Iran just as we supported our brothers in Gaza.”
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Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council, said late Sunday that Iran has the right to strike back at any nation attacking or aiding Israel: “It has enough capabilities to respond, and it maintains extensive agreements and relations with many countries.”
While the Iranian regime’s regional proxies remain in the background for now, shifting dynamics—including U.S. military involvement—could quickly alter their calculus.