Khamenei vows Sinwar's death won't halt the 'Axis of Resistance'

Nearly two days after Israel announced the death of Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar, Iran's Supreme Leader offered his condolences and vowed continued support for anti-Israel forces.

"The Resistance Front, just as it did not halt its advance with the martyrdom of its prominent leaders in the past, will not experience the slightest pause with the martyrdom of Sinwar either,” Ali Khamenei said in a statement released on Saturday morning.

The term "Resistance Front" was coined by the Islamic Republic of Iran to describe militant groups and organizations across the region that receive financial and military backing from Tehran. This network includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite groups in Iraq, forming the core of Iran's proxy forces in the region.

Khamenei described Sinwar's death as "painful" for anti-Israel militant groups but stressed that it will not stop their efforts. “This front did not halt its progress with the martyrdom of prominent figures like Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Fathi Shaqaqi, Rantisi, and Ismail Haniyeh, and it will not experience the slightest pause with the martyrdom of Sinwar either, by God's will. Hamas is alive and will remain so,” the 85-year-old ruler of Iran said.

However, Iran itself is facing the specter of an Israeli attack since October 1 when it lobbed more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, in the second such barrage in six months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have vowed to retaliate, but so far it seems Jerusalem is negotiating with Washington about which targets to strike. The White House opposes an attack on Iran’s nuclear centers or its oil industry.

On Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued its first response to the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, saying that it will not weaken the fight against Israel and that others will rise to take the place of the slain militant leader.

"Undoubtedly, the physical elimination of fighters on the path of dignity and human honor will not undermine the school and path of resistance," the Foreign Ministry's statement read.

However, Khamenei's Islamic establishment has seen both Hamas and Hezbollah significantly weakened since the outbreak of fighting following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed over a thousand civilians. Israel has focused on eliminating key leaders of Khamenei’s militias. Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in July, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was taken out in a major Israeli airstrike in Beirut in September. Sinwar’s death could potentially throw Hamas into disarray.

Tehran, finding itself in a weakened position, has recently signaled that if Israel's retaliation remains limited, it will hold back from responding and allow the cycle of tit-for-tat strikes to cease.