The fate of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was not yet known on the evening of Sunday, May 19, after their helicopter crashed in northwest Iran. Nevertheless, a message of support and an offer of assistance were sent by Saudi Arabia to the Islamic Republic of Iran. This gesture reflects the climate of détente that the leader of the Sunni world and his Shiite rival have sought to maintain since the agreement reached in March 2023, now against a backdrop of regional escalation following the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In the hours following the official announcement of the two leaders' deaths on Monday, other messages of condolence poured in, from both Iran's traditional allies in the "axis of resistance" to Israel as well as its traditional Sunni rivals. These messages were devoid of alarmism. Their deaths should not alter the Islamic Republic's foreign policy in the region: neither in its support of Hamas and its allies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, nor in its desire to maintain détente with the Gulf states.
Sober messages of "solidarity" were shared by the Emirati President, Mohammed bin Zayed, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. They had first met President Raisi, along with their Arab and Muslim partners, at a special summit on the situation in Gaza, in Riyadh, in November 2023. More emphatic messages were echoed by Iran's allies. Lebanon and Syria declared three days of national mourning.
The Lebanese Hezbollah mourned the death of the "martyred president [who] was for us a big brother and a solid support," a "protector of the resistance movements," also paying tribute to Amir Abdollahian. Protected by Iran and Hezbollah, Hamas hailed the late Iranian president as "a supporter of the Palestinian resistance," underlining "his unwavering efforts on behalf of the Palestinians" since the start of the war in Gaza.
These messages exaggerate the roles both men played in the "axis of resistance" and in Iran's expansionist policy. Rather, they are a mark of respect for the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, the real decision-maker in Iran, who has lost two of his most loyal servants within the country. In the region, he relies on the Revolutionary Guards and their elite foreign operations unit, the Quds Force, which are directly under his command.
Since the death of the architect of the "axis of resistance" – General Qassem Soleimani, killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020 – General Ismail Qaani has replaced him at the head of the Quds Force. This unit is now a prime target for Israel, which is seeking to eliminate the leaders of the "axis of resistance," particularly in Syria and Lebanon.
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