Iran's Supreme Leader said on Sunday that Iran does not need proxies if it decides to take direct military action, rejecting claims that groups like Hezbollah and Hamas operate under Tehran's command.
"They keep saying that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxies in the region. This is another falsehood. The Islamic Republic does not have proxies. Yemen is fighting because of its faith. Hezbollah fights because its faith-driven power brings it to the battlefield. Hamas and Islamic Jihad fight because their beliefs make them to do so. They do not act as our proxies. If we ever decide to act, we do not need proxies,” Khamenei said addressing a group of eulogists at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Hussainiya.
Khamenei’s remarks come on the backdrop of significant losses by Iran-backed armed groups across the region over the past year. In September, a precision Israeli strike in Beirut killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several senior commanders.
Israeli military sources estimate that around 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed since October 2023, while Reuters reports the figure could be as high as 4,000.
Meanwhile, Hamas has also faced significant challenges in Gaza. Over a year of Israeli bombardment has caused severe damage to the group’s infrastructure, reportedly killing more than 17,000 operatives since last year’s offensive began, according to Israeli military sources.
The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was the latest serious blow to Tehran’s regional influence.
Israel launched a large-scale air attack against Iran in October, devastating its air defenses and several military installations without encountering any serious defense or retaliation.
“Iran will have no role whatsoever, and it shouldn’t, frankly. Iran’s had decades now of the most predatory and destructive behavior and presence in Syria, and during the war itself, of course, mustered foreign militias, its own IRGC forces, Hezbollah fighters, and really preyed upon and really viciously brutalized the Syrian people. So, it’s hard for me to imagine Iran having any role whatsoever. Why should it?”
Leaf contrasted Iran’s influence with Turkey's role as a neighboring country, stressing the US goal of fostering a stable and sovereign Syria free from external manipulation and criminal activities.
“Türkiye obviously has a very sizable role. It has sizable influence. It has, historically, and it’s a neighboring state, and it has national security interests and all sorts of other interests,” she added.
The remarks align with comments by Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of Syria’s opposition group Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who said in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that his faction had ended Iran’s foothold in the region.
Sharaa, whose Islamist group recently helped topple forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, said: “Syria’s opposition has set the Iranian project in the region back by 40 years.” He added, “By removing Iranian militias and closing Syria to Iranian influence, we’ve served the region’s interests—achieving what diplomacy and external pressure could not, with minimal losses.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian defended Tehran’s extensive expenditures in Syria. Speaking to a state-linked publication on Friday, Ahmadian justified the financial and military support for Assad’s government, estimated to have reached $30–50 billion over the past decade.
“We have no regrets about the costs incurred in Syria because our presence and expenses were for our own security,” Ahmadian said. He emphasized that Iran’s involvement was not meant to replace the Syrian army but to bolster an ally vital to Iranian interests.
Iran maintained a significant military presence in Syria, primarily supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Tehran provided financial aid, weapons, and military advisers, alongside the deployment of its own forces and allied militias, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and various Iraqi and Afghan groups. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) played a central role in Iran's military operations in Syria, overseeing both direct combat and logistical support. Iran's military expenditure in Syria include funding for military operations, and the training of local forces aligned with Assad.
With Leaf’s candid critique of Iran and Sharaa’s proclamation of a major victory against Tehran’s influence, the country seems to be charting a new course.
