Just one day before Israel launched its large-scale strike on Iran, Qaani had declared that Iran’s regional axis remained strong and ready to fight in its defense. That declaration proved hollow as Israel executed a wide-ranging campaign targeting key IRGC officials involved in arming, financing and coordinating with Iran’s proxy militias.
Danny Citrinowicz, a former head of the Iran branch in IDF Military Intelligence and currently a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said the so-called “Axis of Resistance” — Iran’s coalition of regional militias — began unraveling after Soleimani’s death. “Hezbollah remained strong, but internal coordination within the axis weakened. There was no central figure to synchronize its various fronts,” he said.
Citrinowicz said Qaani was “in over his head” and that Hezbollah had become the dominant force within Iran’s network. “Without Soleimani and without effective leadership, the axis lost its strategic coherence,” he said. As a result, he warned, Iran may now feel compelled to reassert itself through other means, including a possible renewed push for nuclear capabilities. “I believe the Iranians understand they must restore deterrence,” he said, “and that could mean rebuilding their nuclear program as part of their broader security doctrine.”
