Hossein Yekta: Senior IRGC Official Sent to Lebanon to Strengthen Hezbollah

General:

In early October 2026, Hossein Yekta – the name by which he is commonly known – a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) associated with recruitment and ideological indoctrination, arrived in Lebanon. He joined a delegation supporting the families of Hezbollah’s fallen operatives.[1] According to Lebanese sources, his visit was intended to bolster morale and ideological commitment alongside efforts to rebuild Hezbollah’s military strength.[2]

A report published on October 8 claimed that Yekta met with senior Hezbollah political and military figures and conveyed Iranian directives to revive the “unity of fronts” (وحدة الساحات) and strengthen coordination among the “components of the resistance axis” (أضلاع محور المقاومة). According to Iraqi security sources cited in the same report, the Quds Force sought to establish mutual military commitments among its allies in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen ahead of a possible renewed confrontation with Israel and the United States. However, it remains unclear whether all parties agreed or whether the Iranian directives took effect.[3]

Yekta’s public activity reinforces our assessment that he is not part of the core military cooperation between the IRGC and Hezbollah. For the same reason, there is also insufficient evidence to establish his affiliation with the Quds Force.

Who Is Hossein Yekta?

Mohammad Hossein Hosseini Yekta (محمد حسین حسینی یکتا), is a native of Qom and, according to European sanctions records, was born in 1967.[4] Open-source information identifies Yekta as a senior IRGC commander who plays a central role in recruitment and ideological indoctrination within the organization. His official website describes his activities to disseminate the “resistance narrative” in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, indicating sustained public involvement in propaganda outside Iran.[5]

Yekta maintains an official website featuring his biography, a photo gallery, audio and video recordings, his work, and updates on his activities. He also operates a personal Telegram channel. According to the biography on his official website, Yekta fought in the Iran-Iraq War early in his career and sustained an eye injury. He subsequently studied at a religious seminary in Qom and developed cultural activities and ties in countries across the region. Yekta served as secretary of the central headquarters of Rahian-e Noor (راهیان نور), which organizes tours for schoolchildren and university students to wartime sites, and published his memoirs in the book Red Squares (مربع‌های قرمز).[6] He lectures on cultural and social aspects of the Islamic Revolution and recounts war stories.

Later in his career, he headed the Khatam al-Owsiya Headquarters (خاتم‌الاوصیا – “Seal of the Prophet’s Successors”), which serves as the cultural front of the Islamic Revolution and is responsible for networking among cultural activists.[7] He also headed the Baqiyatallah Cultural and Social Headquarters (بقیهالله). Its mission is to create platforms for the presence, organization, and expansion of grassroots groups in ways that serve the Revolution’s needs.[8] He was also appointed by former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to head the Karamat-e Imam Razavi Foundation (کرامت امام رضوی), which assists disadvantaged populations and pilgrims, creates employment opportunities, provides welfare and social services, and promotes initiatives in disadvantaged areas.[9]

His website also credits him with involvement in establishing media and propaganda bodies, including the Owj (اوج) Arts and Media Organization, an IRGC-funded and affiliated organization that produces content, films, and programs reflecting the Revolution’s ideology.[10] These bodies also include the Seraj (سراج) Cyberspace Organization, which is active in gaming, mobile app development, media production, and cyber activism,[11] and the Ofogh (افق) television network, whose stated objectives include disseminating the discourse of the Islamic Revolution, presenting the legacy of the Iran-Iraq War, promoting the resistance axis, and advancing an Iranian-Islamic way of life.[12]

According to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a U.S. organization that uses research, advocacy, and the promotion of economic and diplomatic pressure to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Yekta played a decisive role in commanding and training the Iranian regime’s apparatus of repression, including during the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests. He also oversaw the regime’s money laundering activities intended to finance IRGC operations, ranging from support for terrorist organizations abroad to repression within Iran. Yekta is also described as a member of the so-called “Habib Circle,” the highest-level informal security and intelligence network, headed by Mojtaba Khamenei.[13]

The European Union added Yekta to its sanctions list on March 16, 2026. The official statement of reasons identifies him as a senior IRGC commander involved in recruitment and ideological indoctrination and states that he publicly supported shooting protesters during the protests that erupted in December 2025. The EU determined that he was responsible for serious human rights violations.[14]

The Visit to Lebanon

Tasnim News Agency reported on October 1 that Yekta had arrived in Beirut with Alireza Panahian (علیرضا پناهیان), an Iranian Shiite cleric and preacher, as well as Iranian media figures and public personalities, to convey a message of solidarity between Iran and Lebanon. During the visit, Panahian presented gifts to the families of two Hezbollah members killed in combat on behalf of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei.[15]

A video published on October 1, which drew criticism in Lebanon, showed Hossein Yekta leaning over the bank of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, washing his hands and face before prayer. In the video, he addresses the youth of the resistance: “With Allah’s help, this pre-prayer ablution in the Litani River, before the eyes of the Israelis – a river stained with the blood of the martyrs – will be the prelude to prayer in Jerusalem. As our martyred leader [referring to Ali Khamenei] said: You, the young people, will pray in Jerusalem again”.[16]

As previously noted, on March 5, 2026, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced that, to safeguard national sovereignty, national security, and public order, the Lebanese government would take all necessary measures to prevent any security or military activity by IRGC members in Lebanon and would seek their arrest under the authority of the judiciary in preparation for their expulsion from the country. At the same time, the entry visa requirement for Iranian nationals was reinstated.[17]

Reports from sources opposed to Hezbollah portrayed the visit as an encroachment on Lebanese sovereignty under the cover of social and religious activity. Questions were also raised as to whether Hossein Yekta had been granted an entry visa or had entered the country clandestinely.[18]

According to additional reports, the delegation arrived in Lebanon at the direction of the leadership in Tehran to bolster Hezbollah’s support base and strengthen the ideological commitment of its operatives. Further visits to the families of fallen members were also reported, including the family of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.[19]

Yekta’s Activities in Support of Hezbollah and His Most Recent Visit to Dahiyeh

An example of Yekta’s cultural activity in connection with Hezbollah is the “gold donation” ceremony to assist Lebanese citizens and Hezbollah, held in Tehran on October 12, 2024, with the participation of Iranian women. Yekta spoke at the ceremony, stating: “This act by the women who have come today to donate their gold to Hezbollah in Lebanon and to the Lebanese people is a response to the words of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, who said that this is a religious duty. Every action we take today in accordance with the words of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution is an arrow to the heart of the enemy and boosts the fighters’ morale”.[20]

Yekta’s previous documented visit to Lebanon took place in January 2026. On his official Telegram channel, he posted a video of the celebrations that erupted in Dahiyeh on January 26 of that year to mark Israel’s withdrawal from several communities in southern Lebanon at the end of the 60-day period stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. He wrote: “We are now in Dahiyeh, and we see the gleam of victory in the people’s eyes. The difficult days are over, and tonight the blood of the martyrs of the resistance front has made its mark”.[21]