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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Abby Sewell

Why some key Tehran allies have stayed out of the Israel-Iran conflict

Yemen Mideast Wars - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Hezbollah has long been considered Iran’s first line of defense in case of a war with Israel. But since Israel launched its massive barrage against Iran, triggering the ongoing Israel-Iran war, the Lebanese militant group has stayed out of the fray — even after the U.S. entered the conflict Sunday with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

A network of powerful Iran-backed militias in Iraq has also remained mostly quiet.

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