Report: IRGC running Hezbollah, preparing it for war with Israel if US strikes Iran |
Officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have effectively taken charge of Hezbollah in anticipation of a war with the US and Israel, Saudi outlet Al-Arabiya reported Saturday, as Lebanese officials were said to assail the possibility of their country getting dragged into battle.
The IRGC officers, some of whom recently arrived in Lebanon from Iran, are tasked with rebuilding Hezbollah’s military capabilities, which were significantly degraded in the 14-month fighting with Israel that ended with a November 2024 truce, Al-Arabiya said, citing sources close to Hezbollah.
The Iranian officers have also been personally briefing Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon, said the unnamed sources cited by Al-Arabiya. They added that IRGC officers were meeting with members of Hezbollah’s missile unit at a site in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley that was bombed by Israel overnight, amid a wave of airstrikes that wounded at least 50 people and killed 12, including a senior Hezbollah officer. The IDF said the strikes targeted Hamas and Hezbollah command centers.
According to the Hezbollah-aligned sources, a wider Israeli military offensive against Lebanon is only a matter of time.
The report came as US President Donald Trump has amassed military forces in the region and repeatedly threatened to use them against Iran, first over the Islamic Republic’s brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters last month and more recently over its nuclear........