As hostilities between Iran and Israel spiral, and Washington contemplates stepping in to defend its longtime ally, the future role of Tehran’s regional proxies has become a critical and unsettled question.

While the so-called Resistance Axis stretches across Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, its various armed factions appear far from aligned in their response. Some are urging caution. Others remain defiant. And only one, the Houthis of Yemen, has launched direct attacks in what it says is support for both Palestinians and Tehran.

Hezbollah, long seen as the crown jewel of Iran’s proxy network, has signaled it will sit this one out, even if the United States intervenes militarily.

"Iran can defend itself," a Hezbollah official told The National, denying that the group had pledged to join the fight. "This is a Hezbollah decision, not an Iranian decision and unfortunately the media fabricates fake news."

Behind closed doors, Lebanese officials appear to be reinforcing that position. According to one government source, the Lebanese army has communicated directly with Hezbollah, urging the group not to drag the country into war.

“They said they wouldn’t,” the official said. “We’re doing everything we can, calls, meetings, to prevent any escalation. This is not our war."

In Iraq, however, the situation is more fluid. A senior figure in one of the country’s Iranian-backed militias struck a different tone, suggesting that military action remains on the table, depending on how events unfold.

“The current situation calls for caution and wisdom, but also readiness to respond if Iran comes under full-scale attack,” the commander said.

That stance, he warned, could change dramatically if Washington joins the battlefield.

“We advise the United States not to get involved in the war – it has tried before and ended in failure. Any American aggression against Iran will directly affect Iraq, and Iraqis have the right to defend their sovereignty, religious beliefs and dignity."

The Iraqi militant cautioned that any attempt at regime change in Tehran would ignite widespread instability.

“Iraq lies between two blazing arenas, and the resistance factions will not stand idly by," he said.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis are so far the only group to have actively taken up arms in the latest round of escalation. They have been launching drone and missile strikes against Israel and Red Sea shipping lanes since the Gaza war began in October 2023. On Sunday, the group said it had fired ballistic missiles at Israel, framing the move as an expression of solidarity with “the oppressed Palestinian and Iranian peoples."

Yet even the Houthis appear to be operating with a degree of autonomy. A source in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, emphasized that while there is coordination with Tehran, operational decisions are taken independently.

“There is no joint operations room between the Iranians and the Houthis," the source said. "When Houthis are required to strike, they carry out the strike independently. This is what we’ve observed in the nature of their operations. This is also what Sanaa and Iranian officials have affirmed since the beginning of the operations, that Yemen acts on its own, deciding when it is in its interest to escalate, de-escalate, or strike a particular area."