Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group founded in the 1980s, with Iranian support, during the Lebanese Civil War. It emerged in response to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and has since become a major political and military force within the country.

The Houthis are a Zaydi Shia-led political and armed movement that emerged in northern Yemen in the 1990s, officially known as Ansar Allah. They rose to prominence by fighting against the Yemeni government, citing political and economic marginalization, and seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, triggering a ongoing civil war and a major international conflict.

Iran, historically known as Persia, is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, with a rich history spanning thousands of years from the ancient Achaemenid Empire to the modern Islamic Republic established in 1979. Its cultural landscape is marked by significant sites like Persepolis, the magnificent ruins of a ceremonial capital from the 6th century BCE, and the stunning Islamic architecture of Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Square.

Israel is a country in the Middle East, established as a modern state in 1948 following a United Nations partition plan. It is a historic homeland for the Jewish people, with deep cultural and religious ties to the land spanning millennia, including sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Tel Aviv is a major coastal city in Israel, founded in 1909 as a modern Jewish suburb of the ancient port of Jaffa. It is known for its vibrant culture, Bauhaus architecture (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and status as a global center for technology and innovation.