IRGC members using identities of deceased Lebanese citizens to enter country secretly - report
US officials suspect Lebanese security personnel are helping Iranian operatives obtain passports and other documents, Al-Arabiya reports
Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have allegedly been using the identities of deceased Lebanese citizens to enter Lebanon secretly, according to a US source cited by Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya.
Washington has been monitoring the movement of IRGC personnel between Iran and Lebanon for several months, the report said. The alleged operatives are believed to have obtained entry documents bearing the names of deceased people, primarily individuals associated with Hezbollah's support base.
The report did not specify how many IRGC members may have entered Lebanon using the alleged scheme.
The United States also suspects some officials within Lebanon's General Security directorate of facilitating the Iranian operatives' arrival through Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport and the Port of Beirut.
Those officials allegedly helped provide the operatives with passports and other official Lebanese documents after their arrival, according to the US source.
Al-Arabiya's report did not present publicly verifiable evidence supporting the allegations. Lebanese authorities did not immediately respond to the claims, and the accusations could not be independently confirmed.
The report comes months after the Lebanese government moved to prohibit IRGC activities on its territory. In March, Beirut also reportedly ordered the arrest or expulsion of members of the organization present in the country.
The IRGC has long maintained close ties with Hezbollah, Iran's principal ally in Lebanon. Tehran has provided the group with financial, military and political support for decades.
If confirmed, the allegations could indicate an effort by Iran to circumvent Lebanon's restrictions and preserve an operational presence in the country despite growing pressure on Hezbollah and its regional allies.