Iran in the Levant

The author argues that to expand its influence in the Levant, Tehran goes by with a fourfold strategy that relies on both soft and hard power: upholding an anti-Israel discourse, supporting its most trusted regional partner, Hezbollah in Lebanon, backing Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and maintaining a strong state-to-state relationship with Baathist Syria. Although these policies are viewed as ideological in Washington, Tel Aviv and Riyadh, they are actually based on the pragmatic desire to guard what Iranian leaders perceive to be their national interest. For instance, by tapping into the region’s anti-Israel sentiment, Iran hopes to gain influence in the heart of the Sunni Arab world, a significant feat for a Shia and Persian nation. As this chapter aims to demonstrate, Iran’s Levantine ambition largely seeks to counter pressure coming from the USA, Israel and Sunni Arab regimes, which currently hold adversarial positions toward the Islamic Republic. At the same time, we should not overestimate the Islamic Republic’s sway in the region. Iran is a powerful actor with various means of influence, but it faces significant constraints, some of which have become even more important since the onset of the Arab uprisings in 2011.