00:04imagine you are the united states you have the world's biggest military you have aircraft
00:11carriers stealth bombers hundreds of overseas military bases and allies spread across the globe
00:17now imagine facing an enemy that doesn't even need to attack you directly instead it has friends
00:25friends who can fire missiles launch drones attack ships target military bases and keep an entire
00:33region on the edge that's exactly what iran has spent the last four decades building when america
00:40or israel confront iran they are often not fighting just one country they are facing a network and two
00:47names stand out in that network hezbollah and the houthis who are they why does iran support them
00:55and why have they become such a headache for both israel and the united states let's understand this
01:02intriguing association some still call it a nexus here's something many people don't realize
01:09iran knows it cannot match america tank for tank or fighter jet for fighter jet so instead of building
01:17the world's biggest army iran built something else a network of allies military experts often call it
01:25the axis of resistance instead of fighting every war itself iran supports armed groups across the
01:31middle east these groups operate in different countries but share one common objective opposing
01:38israel and reducing american influence in the region among all these groups two have become the most
01:45influential hezbollah in lebanon and houthis in yemen let's begin with the hezbollah the name means
01:55party of god it emerged in the early 1980s during israel's military presence in southern lebanon
02:02at that time iran had just gone through its islamic revolution its new leadership wanted to expand its
02:09influence across the region the newly formed revolutionary guard helped train fund and
02:15organize hezbollah over the years the group transformed itself today it isn't just an armed
02:22organization it also has political influence in lebanon runs schools hospitals social welfare programs
02:29and commands one of the most heavily armed non-state forces in the world many western countries including
02:36the united states designate hezbollah as a terrorist organization some countries distinguish between
02:43its political and military wings while others do not for iran hezbollah serves an important strategic
02:50purpose if israel attacks iran israel also has to consider the possibility of pressure from its northern
02:58border that creates a second front making military planning far more complicated
03:07now let's travel nearly 2 000 kilometers south to yemen the houthis began a local movement representing
03:15yemen's zaidi shia community for years their struggle was mainly inside yemen but over time the
03:23relationship with iran grew stronger iran denies directing houthi operations but u.s un and other western
03:30assessments say tehran has provided varying levels of political support training intelligence and the
03:37military assistance over the years to the houthis so why does yemen matter now because geography is power
03:46the houthis operate close to one of the world's busiest shipping routes the red sea and the bab al-mandeb
03:52strait every day hundreds of commercial ships pass through these waters if shipping is disrupted the
03:59effects are left worldwide freight costs rise insurance premium increases supply chains slow down
04:06energy markets react in other words a conflict in yemen can influence prices in new york london or for
04:14that matter los angeles so how houthis help iran so here's where iran's strategy becomes clear
04:22whenever tensions rise iran doesn't necessarily have to act first or to react its regional partner
04:29can create pressure elsewhere one group may target shipping another may increase military pressure on
04:35israel others may threaten american military facilities across the region this creates multiple flashpoints
04:42instead of a single battlefield military planners sometimes call this strategic depth instead of
04:50defending only iran's borders iran benefits from having allied groups operating hundreds or even
04:56thousands of kilometers away that forces israel and the united states to divide their attention
05:03resources and military planning so one would ask why does it matter to the united states well for washington
05:11this creates a unique challenge the united states may have unmatched military power but military strength
05:17alone doesn't solve every problem protecting aircraft carriers military bases commercial shipping regional
05:24allies and diplomatic missions simultaneously requires enormous resources every additional deployment costs
05:32money every interceptor missile launched against drones or rockets costs money every military operation
05:39adds pressure on budgets logistics and political decision making that doesn't mean america is losing far from it
05:48but it does mean that relatively smaller groups can create disproportionate challenges by stretching attention across multiple fronts
05:58iran's relationship with hezbollah and khudis isn't simply ideological it's strategic
06:03for decades iran has invested in these partnerships because they strengthen its deterrence the message
06:10is simple if iran comes under pressure the consequences may not remain confined to iranian territory they could
06:19spread across the wider region that calculation has shaped middle eastern geopolitics for decades now and it
06:26continues to influence events today so who are hezbollah's and the houthis they are more than just an armed group
06:35they are central players in regional strategy that has evolved over decades but for iran they provide influence far beyond
06:44its borders for israel they create security challenges on multiple fronts and for the united states they demonstrate that modern
06:53conflicts are no longer fought only between
06:56nations states means energy andye but they ladder creating within etubility they invest in the nation states today war's involved
06:59networks partners technology
07:01economics and geography understanding hezbollah and the hoodis isn't
07:07just about understanding two organizations it's about understanding
07:11how the balance of power in the Middle east has changed and why even the world's
07:16strongest militaries must now contend with conflicts that extend far beyond the conventional battlefields
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