Iranian Officers Reportedly Take Command of Hezbollah as Regional Tensions Escalate
Officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have assumed a leading role within Hezbollah as preparations intensify for a potential confrontation involving the United States and Israel, according to a report by Saudi outlet Al-Arabiya. At the same time, Lebanese political figures were said to be voicing alarm over the possibility that their country could be pulled into a broader regional war.
Citing sources described as close to Hezbollah, Al-Arabiya reported that several IRGC officers recently arrived in Lebanon from Iran and are now overseeing efforts to restore the group’s military strength. Hezbollah’s capabilities were heavily damaged during 14 months of hostilities with Israel that concluded with a ceasefire in November 2024, and the Iranian officers have reportedly been tasked with rebuilding those assets.
The unnamed sources said the Iranian personnel have been conducting direct briefings for Hezbollah members throughout Lebanon. They also claimed that IRGC officers were meeting with operatives from Hezbollah’s missile division at a facility in the Beqaa Valley that was struck overnight by Israeli forces. The wave of airstrikes reportedly left at least 50 people wounded and 12 dead, including a senior Hezbollah commander. The IDF said the strikes targeted Hamas and Hezbollah command centers.
Sources aligned with Hezbollah told Al-Arabiya that a broader Israeli assault on Lebanon is inevitable and could occur at any time.
The developments unfolded as US President Donald Trump has bolstered American military deployments in the region and has repeatedly warned that those forces could be used against Iran. Initially, his threats focused on Tehran’s harsh suppression of anti-regime protests last month, but more recently they have centered on Iran’s nuclear activities.
Hebrew-language media outlets have reported that Israel is preparing to coordinate military action with the United States and believes it could come under Iranian attack if Washington launches strikes on Iran.
The Kan public broadcaster reported last night that Israeli officials have detected preparations by Hezbollah, particularly within its rocket units, to carry out attacks in the event Iran is targeted. According to the report, Hezbollah could join forces with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels in striking Israel.
Haaretz, citing unnamed Israeli military officials, reported that recent Israeli air raids against Hezbollah positions were designed to weaken the organization’s operational capacity in anticipation of possible hostilities. On Friday, at least 10 people were reported killed and 50 injured in Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon after the Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted Hezbollah command centers.
Channel 12 news reported that Trump was leaning toward attacking Iran, but had agreed to a request from his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to give Iran another day or two to submit a proposal in the indirect US-Iran nuclear negotiations that commenced earlier this month.
An unnamed US official was quoted by the network saying that the 10- to 15-day deadline Trump gave Iran on Thursday was “not scientific.”
Trump has demanded Iran give up entirely on its nuclear enrichment program, but is reportedly open to letting the Islamic Republic preserve some “token” enrichment capabilities.
Last month in Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem addressed pro-Iran demonstrators and declared that the group would not remain neutral if the United States attacked Iran, though he did not directly threaten Israel.
In a separate report this week, the Ynet news site, without citing sources, said Iran was urging Hezbollah to join it in combat should war break out with Israel. The report added that the IDF has formulated a plan to “significantly strike” Hezbollah and has conveyed to the group “that if it decides to intervene, this time the blow will be very painful.”
Yesterday, Lebanese outlet Nidaa al-Watan, which is critical of Hezbollah, cited “prominent political sources” as saying that Beirut must formally declare neutrality in the event of a US-Iran conflict and prevent Hezbollah from drawing Lebanon into another war with Israel.
“Hezbollah thought it could confuse Israel and the US by saying it would not be neutral if Iran were struck, so Israel responded by saying that as soon as it’s informed by Washington of the zero hour, it will preemptively strike Hezbollah. Israel won’t let Hezbollah have the initiative,” Nidaa al-Watan quoted its sources as saying. “Hezbollah will drag Lebanon into this war.”
Hezbollah, once a dominant power within Lebanon’s political system, has seen its influence reduced since January 2025, when Lebanon’s US- and Saudi-backed President Joseph Aoun, a former army chief, took office. Aoun has pledged to enforce the state’s exclusive authority over weapons, an implicit challenge to Hezbollah’s vast independent arsenal.
{Matzav.com}