CNN: Hezbollah Could Strike Israel Independent of Iran

Hezbollah fighters carry the casket of slain top commander Fuad Shukr, during his funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1, 2024. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)
Hezbollah fighters carry the casket of slain top commander Fuad Shukr, during his funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1, 2024. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)
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CNN: Hezbollah Could Strike Israel Independent of Iran

Hezbollah fighters carry the casket of slain top commander Fuad Shukr, during his funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1, 2024. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)
Hezbollah fighters carry the casket of slain top commander Fuad Shukr, during his funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburbs on August 1, 2024. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group looks increasingly like it may strike Israel independent of whatever Iran may intend to do, sources familiar with the intelligence told CNN on Thursday.
Last week, Israel killed the top military commander for Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, in Lebanon.
One of the sources said “Hezbollah is moving faster than Iran in its planning and is looking to strike Israel in the coming days."
Iran, meanwhile, appears to still be working out how it plans to respond to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas leader and former Palestinian Prime Minister, in Tehran, multiple officials have told CNN.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, could act with little to no notice, given Lebanon’s proximity to Israel as its direct neighbor to the north, which is not true of Iran, a second source familiar with the intelligence told the US news agency.
It is not clear how or if Iran and Hezbollah are coordinating on a possible attack right now, the person added.
On Thursday, Israel warned of a "disproportionate response" if Hezbollah attacks civilians or military bases in central Israel.
A German news agency reported that Israeli media conveyed concern that Hezbollah might attack Israeli military bases in the center of Tel Aviv.
Israel told the US that if Hezbollah harms Israeli civilians as part of its retaliation for the assassination of its top military commander, Israel’s response would be “disproportionate."



Iranian Officials: Quds Force Chief Out of Contact since Beirut Strikes

FILE PHOTO:  Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, speaks during a ceremony, in Tehran, Iran April 14, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, speaks during a ceremony, in Tehran, Iran April 14, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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Iranian Officials: Quds Force Chief Out of Contact since Beirut Strikes

FILE PHOTO:  Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, speaks during a ceremony, in Tehran, Iran April 14, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, speaks during a ceremony, in Tehran, Iran April 14, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran's Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, who travelled to Lebanon after the killing last month of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike, has not been heard from since strikes on Beirut late last week, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.

One of the officials said Qaani was in Beirut's southern suburbs, known as the Dahiyeh, during a strike on Thursday that was reported to have targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine but the official said he was not meeting Safieddine.

The official said Iran and Hezbollah had not been able to contact Qaani since then.

Israel has been hitting multiple targets in Dahiyeh as it pursues a campaign against Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

The second official also said Qaani had travelled to Lebanon after the killing of Nasrallah and the Iranian authorities had not been able to contact him since the strike against Safieddine, who was widely expected to be the next Hezbollah chief.

Hezbollah has made no comment so far on Safieddine.
The Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, oversees dealings with militias allied with Tehran across the Middle East, such as Hezbollah.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan was killed with Nasrallah in his bunker when it was hit on Sept. 27 by Israeli bombs.