Iran orders Hezbollah to prepare for wider war that includes Israel

Iran continues to consider Hezbollah its most important regional asset.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Iran has instructed Hezbollah and other regional proxies to prepare for a broader and more severe conflict as fighting between the United States and Iran intensifies, Lebanon’s Nidaa Al Watan newspaper reported Friday.

The instructions were delivered during meetings in Tehran held on the sidelines of the recent funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed when the US and Israel launched the war with Iran at the end of February, the newspaper reported.

Iranian officials told leaders of the “Axis of Resistance,” including Hezbollah, to prioritize military preparations and warned that the current period of waiting was ending.

The directive came after consecutive days of US strikes on Iranian infrastructure and retaliatory Iranian drone attacks across the Persian Gulf.

The US military struck bridges, airports and military targets inside Iran, while Tehran attacked US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar and targeted commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a similar warning, suggesting that Iran’s regional proxies could expand their attacks.

“Now that the American enemy seeks to ignite further war, impose even heavier costs, and suffer even greater disgrace, it should know that the noble Iranian nation and the Axis of Resistance have unforgettable lessons in store for it,” he said.

Iran continues to consider Hezbollah its most important regional asset. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is reportedly attempting to resupply the Lebanese terrorist group with advanced drones, including first-person-view systems and fiber-optic hardware.

Israel has largely remained on the sidelines during the latest exchanges between Washington and Tehran.

However, the reported Iranian directive raises the possibility that Hezbollah could become more directly involved in the fighting, potentially drawing Israel into the escalating conflict.

The order to prepare for wider operations signals that Tehran is seeking to place its regional proxy network on a stronger military footing as the confrontation with the United States expands beyond attacks inside Iran.