iranSupreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene reportedly warned Hezbollah leader syed hassan Nasrallah According to Reuters Iranian sources expressed grave concerns about Israeli infiltration within Tehran’s senior ranks, forcing him to flee Lebanon just days before his death in an Israeli airstrike.
Following an attack on Hezbollah’s communications equipment on September 17, Khamenei, citing intelligence, sent an emissary to urge Nasrallah to seek refuge in Iran. israel He had henchmen within Hezbollah involved and intended to assassinate him. The messenger was Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoshan, a high-ranking Iranian commander. Revolutionary GuardsWho was present with Nasralla during the bombing and was also killed.
Khamenei has been in a secure location in Iran since Saturday and ordered the launch of about 200 missiles on Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for the deaths of Nasrallah and Nilforoshan, according to a senior Iranian official. This military response was also linked to earlier Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, although Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.
On Tuesday, Israel launched a “limited” ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which oversees MossadDid not respond to requests for comments.
Nasrallah’s killing followed weeks of targeted Israeli attacks that had already destroyed key weapons sites and decimated Hezbollah’s leadership structure.
As described by multiple sources, Iran is concerned about both Khamenei’s security and declining trust between Hezbollah and Tehran. This turmoil complicates the operational effectiveness of the axis of resistance to Iran, a coalition of anti-Israel armed groups backed by Tehran, of which Hezbollah has been its most important member since its establishment in the 1980s.
According to four Lebanese sources, the turmoil complicates Hezbollah’s ability to select a new leader, as the ongoing infighting raises fears for the safety of any successor.
“This is a significant loss for Iran, because it has lost its most important investment in decades,” said Magnus Ranstorp, a Hezbollah expert at the Swedish Defense University. “This has shaken Iran to its core, revealing deep infighting not only within Hezbollah, but also affecting Khamenei’s trusted military advisers.”
Ranstorp said Hezbollah’s declining military capabilities could push Iran toward new attacks on Israeli embassies and personnel abroad, reminiscent of its former proxy warfare strategies.
Iran made arrests
Nasrallah’s death has prompted Iranian authorities to investigate possible infiltrators within their ranks, particularly among Revolutionary Guards and senior security officials. They are particularly concerned about members who have traveled abroad or who have family living outside Iran.
Suspicion arose over the departure of some Guard members to Lebanon, notably one who inquired about Nasralla’s whereabouts. The man and several others have been arrested amid growing concerns over Iranian intelligence.
The killing has created distrust within both Tehran and Hezbollah, with one official saying, “The trust that held everything together has disappeared.” Another source close to the Iranian establishment commented that Khamenei “doesn’t trust anyone anymore.”
Alarms about possible Mossad infiltration had already been raised after Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli airstrike in July while he was meeting with an IRGC commander in Beirut.
Unlike the killing of Haniyeh, Israel publicly accepted responsibility for Venus’s death, a significant loss given Hezbollah’s ability to develop advanced weapons and their important role in operations against Israel.
Iran’s apprehensions about Israeli infiltration have persisted for a long time. In 2021, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that the head of an intelligence unit targeting Mossad agents was actually working for Israel, referencing a major 2018 operation in which Israel obtained sensitive Iranian nuclear documents. Had done.
pager explosion prompt warnings
Khamenei warned Nasrallah to relocate to Iran after Hezbollah’s communications equipment was destroyed in deadly explosions on 17 and 18 September, which were widely attributed to the Israeli action. Despite this, Nasrallah remained confident of his security and relied on his inner circle, dismissing Tehran’s concerns.
Khamenei sent a second message via Nilforoshan last week, again urging Nasrallah to leave Lebanon, but Nasrallah insisted on staying.
In response to the Pager blasts, Tehran convened high-level meetings to assess Hezbollah’s security, although the details of these discussions are unknown. Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched its own investigation to root out potential Israeli spies, leading to the interrogation of hundreds of members.
Sheikh Nabil Kouk, a senior Hezbollah official, was leading the investigation until he was killed in an Israeli strike shortly after Nasrallah’s assassination. The purpose of the investigation was to identify individuals associated with the compromised communications equipment.
The depth of this investigation has increased significantly in light of recent killings, with reports indicating that Hezbollah has detained hundreds of people for questioning.
The shock of losing Nasrallah and the revelations of the incursion have thrown Hezbollah into turmoil, with seven sources confirming the scale of Israel’s penetration. Mohannad Hedge Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center referred to it as “the largest intelligence intrusion by Israel since the establishment of Hezbollah.”
Israel’s ongoing military actions come after nearly a year of cross-border confrontation, which escalated on October 7, 2023 after Hezbollah supported Hamas attacks on Israel, resulting in heavy losses on both sides.
