An Iranian official has announced plans to open registration for sending forces to Lebanon in the coming days, following the Israeli army’s claim of killing Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah.
Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, head of the “Support for the Islamic Revolution in Palestine” committee within the Iranian presidency, told the Iranian news outlet Didban Iran that “with public registration, officials will certainly grant permission to deploy forces to Lebanon and the Golan Heights.”
Akhtari added, “We can send forces to Lebanon to fight Israel, just as we did in 1981.”
This development comes days after Israel announced the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah. Prior to this, two Israeli officials and a Western diplomat had confirmed that Hezbollah had urged Iran to launch an attack on Israel as fighting with the Israeli army intensified. However, Iran has so far refrained from joining the conflict, according to a report by Axios.
The Israeli officials noted that in recent conversations with Hezbollah, Iranian representatives expressed their reservations about engaging in the battle against Israel at this time and have not provided a positive response.
On Saturday, the Israeli army issued an official statement declaring the death of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and senior Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli army spokesperson, confirmed on the social media platform “X,” stating, “Hassan Nasrallah has been killed.” Another spokesperson, Captain David Abraham, also confirmed to AFP that Nasrallah had been “eliminated.”
Minutes before the official announcement, Israeli media reported that Israeli security agencies had obtained evidence confirming the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, during a Friday night operation.