Why Iran & the Axis of Resistance failed to liberate Palestine ?

Justice Council Political Analysis

The causes, in order of weight: 1. A decisive imbalance of power. Israel, backed by the US, outmatches an Axis whose attacks hurt but could not force an outcome (probable). 2. Iran's purpose. Its doctrine is deterrence and its own survival, and its partners escalate or pause in step with Iran's war rather than Gaza's (probable). 3. Division. The Hamas–Iran split over Syria, Iraqi factional rifts, a limited partnership with Russia, and no Muslim-state bloc behind Palestine (probable on structure; contested on the Syria episode).

The Axis of Resistance has not liberated Palestine, and the sources point to three reasons. First, it never had the power to overturn an Israeli military position backed by the US. Its strikes raised costs, especially on energy routes, but were not decisive. Second, its own record suggests it was built to protect Iran and wear down its enemies, not to win back territory. Third, it was divided, poorly funded under sanctions, and stood alone without great-power or Muslim-state backing, and the 2026 war left it weaker still.

The remedy

No armed axis of this size can change the outcome. What could is collective state action to enforce the 2024 ICJ advisory opinion: coordinated arms embargoes, trade measures and joint positions through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which would give the declaratory law an enforcer.

Sources

International & regional bodies

Crisis Group's tracker describes an Axis that kept fighting but was absorbing heavy blows. Iran sustained missile and drone salvos despite major losses. Hezbollah's entry brought an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon. Even after the ceasefires, Israel kept up near-daily attacks in Gaza.

Governments & official records

Washington's 'maximum pressure' memorandum (NSPM-2, 2025) orders the Treasury and State Department to deny Iran and its 'terror proxies' revenue. It does this through continual sanctions enforcement, withdrawn waivers and prosecution of proxy members.

Research institutes

Research bodies record that the Axis came out of the wider war weaker. Carnegie writes of the 'weakening of the Iranian-supported Axis of Resistance'. CFR records Israel holding about 20% of Lebanon, with over a million Lebanese displaced, and making withdrawal conditional on Hezbollah disarming.

News & reporting

The Soufan Center judges that the Axis's contribution to Iran's counterattack was 'significant, but not decisive'. In its view, the Axis lacked the scope and scale to make Washington end the war on Tehran's terms. Its main leverage came from threatening energy routes and the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint.