Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels share one thing: They are not countries, and yet without official “state” status, they are wreaking havoc on major powers.
For decades we have talked about the danger of “non-state actors” in the world, conjuring up images of ragtag groups or gangs menacing governments. But these groups are proving to be far more committed and militarily savvy than in the past.
In the Middle East, we are facing a triple threat from increasingly sophisticated groups that are rising in power and reach, acting as proxies for official governments and flexing their muscles in deadly ways.
Hamas has been most in the news. Its name is an acronym for “The Islamic Resistance Movement” in Arabic. A militant group, with a political party, Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2006. Its charter lays out a clear goal of destroying the state of Israel and establishing Islamic law.
Worried that the Palestinian cause was not getting enough attention in 2023, and determined to stop a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Hamas launched a deadly attack against civilians on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking hundreds of hostages of many nationalities, and lighting a match in the Middle East.
The resulting invasion of Gaza by Israel’s military has left more than 30,000 Palestinians dead and one-fourth of the population facing starvation and famine.
An Israeli strike last week killed senior Hamas commander Marwan Issa. We don’t use the word “president” or “premier” for Issa. Many describe him as the “mastermind” of the Oct. 7 attack.
Some Israeli hostages have been released, but many remain trapped in Gaza. Recently a Hamas official told CNN that the group cannot provide “any assurances about the well-being of Israeli hostages.”
The same official denied that Hamas raped women in captivity — something a United Nations team found “clear and convincing information” occurred.
Enter Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group Shia Muslim organization based in Lebanon, on Israel’s northern border, whose name means “Party of God.” It came along in the early 1980s and grew into a full political party now controlling parts of Lebanon. Like Hamas, Hezbollah relies on Iran for its funding. It has been branded a “terrorist organization” by the United States and others in the West.
This week a Lebanese man illegally crossed the border into the United States, saying he was affiliated with Hezbollah and hoping to make a bomb.
How closely aligned are Hamas and Hezbollah?
The day following Hamas’s assault on Israel, Hezbollah fired rockets into the northern part of Israel, leading to constant volleys of drones.
Hezbollah and Israel are on a war path. Last week Israel carried out strikes deep into Lebanon, raising the death toll to 240 and leading to a barrage of Katyusha rockets fired by Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, menacing the seas are the Houthi rebels, known as Ansar Allah (or “supporters of God”). They have a strong military presence in Yemen, and they also receive funding from Iran.
The Houthis rose to prominence in 2014 during a civil war that left an immense humanitarian crisis in its wake.
Despite Western attempts to rein in the Houthis, they continue to be a menace even against U.S. aircraft carriers, attacking more than 40 ships in the last few months with their own sea drones, anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles — all loaded with explosives. That is a lot of firepower for a non-state.
So, what should be done to minimize the impact of these groups?
First go to the source: Iran.
The administration needs a dual strategy of sticks and carrots with Iran; engage as it has been quietly doing to pressure them to call off their proxies, but be prepared, if they do not, to continue sanctions or move to military strikes on oil facilities or cyberstrikes on infrastructure.
Second, we need a more vigorous anti-disinformation campaign to call out the falsehoods of countries like China, Iran and Russia. At the third Summit of Democracy taking place in South Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made this a centerpiece of his speech:
“We need greater transparency into who owns media companies, who owns the distribution networks – so that political or foreign entities can’t purchase a news organization and restrict or advance certain views without the public knowing who’s behind it.”
Third, we need to avoid creating our own violent ideologies and begin engaging in the kind of dialogue and discourse befitting a democracy — devoid of insults, ugly rhetoric and physical harm against innocents. We must revert to the days of commonality, community and conversation in a rational way. We must watch and learn.
Tara D. Sonenshine is former U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and currently a senior fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.