The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was the culmination of a remarkably bad year for the Iranian regime.
The Islamic Republic suffered serious setbacks in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, weaken the power of the so-called Axis of Resistance. Its currency officially became the lowest currency in the world and when Israel decimated its proxy forcesThe United States elected a president whom Iran despises so much that it has tried to assassinate him for years.
Here is a look back at the setbacks suffered by Ayatollah Ali Khameini and his regime over the past year:
The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was the culmination of a remarkably bad year for the Iranian regime. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)
April: The counterattack on Israel causes no damage
In April, Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Syria, prompting Iran to retaliate with more than 300 drones and missiles aimed at Israel. But Israel worked with the US, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to shoot down almost every missile and drone.
May: President dies in helicopter crash
The late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash while visiting a remote area. Iran blames thick fog for the crash. Raisi was a protégé and potential successor of Iran’s supreme leader Khameini.
July: Hamas commander deposed
As Iran installed a new president this summer, Israel infiltrated to take out Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh as he visited Tehran for the inauguration. While Haniyeh was staying in a VIP government guesthouse, Israel detonated a remote-controlled bomb.
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October: Hamas chief and architect of October 7 attack killed
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) moved out Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar after meeting him on a routine patrol in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar was the mastermind of the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and one of the most wanted men of the war.
Hamas has lost thousands of fighters and much of its leadership to Israel’s attacks and is far from being the threatening force on Israel’s borders that Iran had hoped.
The IDF eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar after meeting him on a routine patrol in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. (AP)
November: Trump is elected
Iran’s currency plunged to all-time lows following news of Trump’s election and expectations that he might reimpose a “maximum pressure” policy.
The Iranian rial has fallen 46% this year, officially making it the world’s least valuable currency.
Iran has long vowed revenge for Trump’s approval of the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in 2019 – and US intelligence revealed Tehran’s plans to kill the president-elect.
After Trump administration When the country withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, it imposed tough sanctions on the regime to stop funding for proxies abroad and banned U.S. citizens from trading with Iran or handling Iranian money.
It also punished companies in other countries that did business with Iran by excluding them from the dollar.
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President Joe Biden They often refrained from enforcing such sanctions, eager to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table to prevent its acquisition of nuclear weapons and fearful of driving up global oil prices.
Iran’s currency plunged to all-time lows following news of Trump’s election and expectations that he might reimpose a “maximum pressure” policy. (AP images)
Iran gained access to more than $10 billion through a Ministry of Foreign Affairs The lifting of sanctions allowed Iraq to continue buying energy from Iran, which the Biden administration says is necessary to keep the lights on in Baghdad.
November: Hezbollah signs ceasefire with Israel
After a series of cross-border attacks by the Lebanese militant group, Israel focused much of its efforts this fall on destroying Hezbollah. Israel targeted Hezbollah’s leadership and detonated hundreds of pagers that the group had been using to communicate. In late November, Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire requiring it and Israel to end their armed presence in southern Lebanon.
Both sides claimed the other had broken the fragile ceasefire, which was said to have held for weeks.
December: Assad falls
Syrian rebels routed Iran’s Quds Force, an extension of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, as they captured Damascus and ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Iranian forces had been in Syria to support Assad since the civil war broke out in 2011, but had grown weaker elsewhere in the Middle East since the war broke out.
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Syria’s new government will be led by Sunni Muslims who are hostile to Iran’s Shiite government. And Iran an important supply line lost It had armed Hezbollah in the fight against Israel via Syria.
