Iran has deployed a top Revolutionary Guard Corps officer in Lebanon to oversee Hizbullah operations on behalf of the Islamic Republic, a senior IDF officer revealed on Wednesday.
The officer’s name is Hossein Mahadavi, and his official title is “commander of Iran’s overseas division,” which in this case is Hizbullah. Mahadavi is believed to maintain an office in Beirut and is a senior member of the Revolutionary Guards’ Al-Quds Force, which is responsible for Iran’s overseas operations.
According to the senior IDF officer, since the Second Lebanon War, Iran
has bolstered its control over Hizbullah. “We identify more Iranian
involvement in Lebanon today,” the officer said. “It is comprehensive
and significant.”
Mahadavi’s deployment in Lebanon could be connected to the vacuum that
was left following the assassination, attributed to Israel, of
Hizbullah’s top military commander Imad Mughniyeh in Syria in 2008. In
addition to serving as Hizbullah’s top military commander, Mughniyeh
was also the chief liaison between the Lebanese group and the
Revolutionary Guards.
According to another IDF officer, Hizbullah would likely not be able to
initiate an attack against Israel today without Iranian permission.
Iran is understood to be building up Hizbullah in an effort to deter
Israel from attacking its nuclear installations.
According to the top officer, Israel still views Hizbullah
Secretary-General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah as a legitimate target and
that as a result the senior terror chief, four years after the war in
Lebanon, still spends most of his time in underground bunkers and
maintaining contact with his subordinates by video conference.
Part of Mahadavi’s job is to oversee Hizbullah daily operations and to
serve as a liaison between Teheran and Beirut. According to the IDF,
all of Hizbullah’s fighters spend a period of time undergoing military
training in Iran.