On November 30, a report was broadcast on Al-Mayadeen, a channel associated with Hezbollah, from the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon (see: link). In the video of the report, starting from 1 minute and 30 seconds, members of the Iranian Red Crescent are seen near the ruins in the city. Iranian presence and involvement are not surprising.
Previously, Wikileaks document leaks revealed that the Iranian Red Crescent also serves as a cover for the activities of the Quds Force and its various units, as well as for the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS). The Ministry of Intelligence is one of the two main intelligence organizations in Iran, alongside the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence organization. The Ministry of Intelligence is subordinate to the Minister of Intelligence and the President.
The Iranian pattern of using civilian organizations, particularly humanitarian and medical ones, for intelligence and military activities, is known from Syria, Yemen, and Iraq (see, for example, our article from June 2020 – Organizations and Societies Serving Quds Forces in Syria by Dr. Yossi Mansharof).
This pattern is also known from Lebanon itself. The teams sent by the Iranian Red Crescent to Lebanon during the war against Israel in 2006, ostensibly to help the civilian population, were in fact Quds Force personnel who came to Lebanon to assist Hezbollah. These teams ostensibly brought medical equipment shipments, which actually served as a cover for military equipment and weapon deliveries.
This Iranian pattern is also known from the 1990s and is not exclusive to the Middle East. In an April 2019 interview with Iranian media, former senior Revolutionary Guard, Saeed Qasemi, revealed that during the aid Iran provided to Muslims in Bosnia during the war there (1992 to 1995), members of the Revolutionary Guards present in Bosnia used the cover of the Iranian Red Crescent to provide military training to Sunni Jihadist activists in Bosnia.
We do not know if those filmed in the Al-Mayadeen report above are from the Ministry of Intelligence or belong to the Quds Force. However, in our assessment, the Iranians will increase their presence and involvement in all military and civilian aspects of Hezbollah’s activities. Hezbollah has suffered significant damage, and the Iranians are determined to rebuild it. In terms of military recovery, the Iranians will operate in Lebanon with a low profile, utilizing civilian organizations they send to Lebanon for civilian rehabilitation (like the Iranian Red Crescent) as a cover for their military and intelligence activities.
