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The fall of Bashar al-Assad of Syria was the crescendo of a remarkably bad year for the Iranian regime.
The Islamic Republic suffered major blows in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, decreasing the power of his so-called Axis of Resistance. Its currency officially became the most valued in the world and when Israel decimated its proxy forcesthe US elected a president whom Iran despises so much that it spent years trying to assassinate him.
Here’s a look back at the blows dealt to Ayatollah Ali Khameini and his regime over the past year:
The fall of Bashar al-Assad of Syria was the crescendo of a remarkably bad year for the Iranian regime. (Office of Iran’s Supreme Leader via AP, file)
April: Counterstrike in Israel does no damage
In April, Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Syria, prompting Iran to strike back with more than 300 drones and missiles aimed at Israel. But Israel worked with the US, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to shoot down almost all of the missiles and drones.
May: the president dies in a helicopter crash
Late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash while visiting a remote area. Iran has attributed the crash to dense fog. Raisi was a protégé and potential successor to Iran’s supreme leader, Khameini.
July: Top Hamas commander deposed
As Iran inaugurated a new president this summer, Israel swooped in to remove Hamas commander Ismail Haniyeh while he was visiting Tehran for the inauguration. While Haniyeh was staying at a VIP government guesthouse, Israel detonated a remote-controlled bomb.
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October: the head of Hamas and architect of the October 7 attack is dead
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) came out The head of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar after encountering him on a routine patrol in the Gaza city of Rafah. Sinwar masterminded the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and was one of the most wanted men in the war.
Hamas has lost thousands of fighters and much of its leadership ranks to Israeli attacks and is nowhere near the threatening force on Israel’s borders that Iran hoped it would be.
The IDF eliminated Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar after encountering him on a routine patrol in the Gaza city of Rafah. (AP)
November: Trump elected
Iran’s currency fell to an all-time low on news of Trump’s election and the expectation that he might resume a “maximum pressure” policy.
The Iranian rial has fallen 46% this year, making it officially 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 plots by Tehran to kill the president-elect.
After the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, imposed tough sanctions on the regime to stop its funding of powers abroad, barring US citizens from trading with Iran or handling Iranian money.
It also punished entities in other countries that did business with Iran, cutting them off from the dollar.
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President Joe Biden he often waived enforcement of those sanctions, eager to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons and fearful of raising global oil prices.
Iran’s currency fell to an all-time low on news of Trump’s election and the expectation that he might resume a “maximum pressure” policy. (AP Images)
Iran gained access to more than $10 billion through a Department of State sanctions relief that allowed Iraq to continue buying energy from Iran, something the Biden administration believes is necessary to keep the lights on in Baghdad.
November: Hezbollah signs a ceasefire with Israel
In the fall, Israel redirected much of its efforts toward hitting Hezbollah after a series of cross-border attacks by the Lebanese militant group. Israel attacked Hezbollah’s leadership and detonated hundreds of pagers the group had been using to communicate. In late November, Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire in which both Israel and Hezbollah must end their armed presence in southern Lebanon.
Both sides have claimed the other has broken the fragile truce, but it has apparently held for weeks.
December: Assad falls
Syrian rebels sent Iran’s Quds Force, an extension of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, on a run as they captured Damascus and ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Iran’s forces had been in Syria supporting Assad since civil war broke out in 2011, but had been reduced since the outbreak of war elsewhere in the Middle East.
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Syria’s new government will be led by Sunni Muslims, hostile to Iran’s Shiite government. And Iran lost a key supply line through Syria he had used to arm Hezbollah in its fight against Israel.
