BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 20 (UPI) -- Iran, which has spent decades nurturing a network of well-armed proxies to expand its influence in the region and shield itself from direct military confrontation, now finds itself on its own in the war that Israel had long been preparing to launch. Iran's military proxies -- especially Hezbollah , once considered its most powerful -- have been significantly weakened by Israel and no longer pose a serious threat, according to military and political analysts.