Khamenei Warned Hezbollah of Israeli Plot to Kill Him Before He Was Killed in Attack: Israeli Infiltration in Iran’s Government Creates Deep Concerns

The immediate aftermath of the attack on Hezbollah’s booby-trapped communication devices on September 17 saw Khamenei sending a message via an envoy, urging Nasrallah to leave for Iran.

Citing intelligence reports that suggested Israeli operatives had infiltrated Hezbollah and were plotting to assassinate him, a senior Iranian official disclosed this information to Reuters.

The envoy who delivered the warning was identified as Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Tragically, Nilforoushan was with Nasrallah in his bunker during the Israeli airstrike that ultimately claimed both their lives.

Khamenei, who has been in a secure location in Iran since the attack, ordered a retaliatory barrage of approximately 200 missiles to be fired at Israel just days later.

This was portrayed as retaliation for the deaths of Nasrallah and Nilforoushan. The Revolutionary Guards issued a statement linking the attack to the deaths and also referenced the earlier killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, along with Israel’s ongoing military actions in Lebanon.

Despite these serious developments, the Israeli military initiated what it termed a “limited” ground incursion against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on the same day.

Iran’s foreign ministry, alongside the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which oversees the country’s foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, did not respond to requests for comment on the situation.

The assassination of Nasrallah came on the heels of two weeks of precise Israeli airstrikes that targeted Hezbollah’s weapon sites, effectively dismantling half of the group’s leadership council and significantly weakening its military command structure.

Iran’s fears surrounding the safety of Khamenei and the erosion of trust within both Hezbollah and Iran’s ruling establishment have been heightened, as revealed by conversations with multiple sources.

The situation has led to serious concerns about the effective functioning of Iran’s Axis of Resistance alliance, which comprises various anti-Israel militant groups.

Since its establishment in the 1980s with Iranian support, Hezbollah has been the most formidable member of this alliance.

The turmoil within Hezbollah has made it increasingly challenging for the group to choose a new leader. Sources indicate that there are fears that ongoing Israeli infiltration could place any successor at great risk.

Magnus Ranstorp, a Hezbollah expert at the Swedish Defence University, commented, “Basically, Iran lost the biggest investment it had for the past decades.” He added that the severe damage inflicted upon Hezbollah diminishes Iran’s capacity to exert pressure on Israel’s borders.

“The incident shook Iran to the core, showcasing how deeply infiltrated it is: they not only killed Nasrallah but also Nilforoushan,” he stated. Nilforoushan was known to be a trusted military advisor to Khamenei.

Following Nasrallah’s assassination, Iranian authorities have intensified their investigations into potential infiltrations within their own ranks.

This includes scrutinizing members of the powerful Revolutionary Guards and senior security officials, particularly those who travel abroad or have family members living outside Iran.

Concerns about specific members of the Guards have emerged, particularly those who had traveled to Lebanon. Questions arose when one of these individuals began inquiring about Nasrallah’s whereabouts and the duration of his stays in certain locations.

The individual has since been arrested, along with several others, after alarm bells rang within Iran’s intelligence community. The suspect’s family had relocated outside of Iran, although the authorities have not publicly identified them.

The recent developments have fostered mistrust between Tehran and Hezbollah, creating fractures within the group. “The trust that held everything together has disappeared,” one official noted, with a third source adding that Khamenei “no longer trusts anyone.”

Alarm bells had previously been raised within Tehran and Hezbollah regarding possible Mossad infiltrations, particularly after the July assassination of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr during an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

Following that incident, Hamas leader Haniyeh was also killed in Tehran, further heightening fears of Israeli intelligence operations.

Unlike the death of Haniyeh, Israel publicly claimed responsibility for the killing of Shukr, who, despite being a low-profile figure, was described by Nasrallah as a central character in Hezbollah’s history.

Shukr had been pivotal in developing Hezbollah’s advanced weaponry and had been overseeing operations against Israel for the past year.

The concerns surrounding Israeli infiltration within Iran’s upper echelons date back years. In 2021, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that the head of an Iranian intelligence unit designed to target Mossad agents was, in fact, an agent of the Israeli spy agency.

As the fallout from Nasrallah’s assassination continues, Hezbollah faces a dilemma in selecting a new leader, with fears that doing so might make that individual a target for Israeli attacks.

“Appointing a new secretary-general could be dangerous if Israel assassinates him right after,” warned one analyst.

In the wake of these significant events, Hezbollah is grappling with internal challenges, leading to a comprehensive investigation aimed at rooting out Israeli spies within its ranks.

The future of the group and its relationship with Iran hangs in the balance as they navigate this tumultuous period marked by uncertainty and fear.