Iran's main strategic allies are the Syrian government led by Assad and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Syria's main incentive for their relations with Iran was to find a new counterforce to its main enemies, Israel and Iraq. The relationship between Hezbollah and Iran can be explained in political and religious terms, as Hezbollah shares Iran's Shiite Islamist ideology, and in financial terms as Iran has played a role in funding Hezbollah's military wing. Additionally, Yemen's Houthis have an alleged relationship with Iran.