Iran has been pressuring Hezbollah to fight alongside it should hostilities erupt with Israel.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Iran-backed Hezbollah is now operating under the direct control of officers from Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to sources cited by Saudi outlet Al-Arabiya, as Israel carried out airstrikes in Lebanon and regional tensions continue to rise.
The sources told Al-Arabiya that IRGC officers, some of whom recently arrived in Lebanon from Iran, have assumed responsibility for restructuring Hezbollah’s military capabilities. They said the officers have been briefing fighters across the country as Iran prepares for a potential war with the United States and Israel.
According to the report, IRGC personnel were meeting with members of Hezbollah’s missile unit at a location in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley that was struck by Israel overnight. The strikes were part of a wave of Israeli air attacks that wounded at least 50 people and killed 12, including a senior Hezbollah officer, targeting what the Israel Defense Forces said were Hamas and Hezbollah command centers in Lebanon.
The Hezbollah-aligned sources cited by Al-Arabiya said a broader Israeli military offensive against Hezbollah is inevitable and “only a matter of time.”
Separately, the Lebanese outlet Nidaa al-Watan, which is critical of Hezbollah, cited what it described as “prominent political sources” calling on Beirut to declare neutrality in the event of a war between the United States and Iran.
The sources said Lebanon should refuse to allow Hezbollah to draw the country into a conflict with Israel.
The Ynet news site reported earlier this week that Iran has been pressuring Hezbollah to fight alongside it should hostilities erupt with Israel. The report added to growing signs of coordination between Tehran and the Lebanese group amid escalating regional tensions.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem addressed the issue last month, saying the group would not remain neutral in the event of a war. While his remarks stopped short of an explicit threat against Israel, they underscored Hezbollah’s alignment with Iran in a broader regional confrontation.
The latest reports come as Israel continues to target Hezbollah infrastructure and command sites in Lebanon, with the IDF saying the strikes are aimed at preventing attacks and degrading the operational capabilities of Iran-backed groups operating along Israel’s northern border.