Iran's Proxy Groups in Syria and Lebanon on High Alert

Following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, in Tehran, which occurred hours after the killing of Fouad Shukr, a senior military advisor of Hezbollah in an Israeli airstrike near southern Beirut, reports indicate that some of Iran's proxy groups in Syria and Lebanon have been put on high alert, along with the evacuation of certain positions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, reported on Friday, August 12, that Tehran-backed militia groups in Syria have canceled leaves and ordered all their forces to return to bases after the alert was declared. The Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar and Al-Arabiya network also reported that Hezbollah has raised the alert level of its forces and evacuated some of its posts in the Dahieh area, southern Beirut. According to these reports, Hezbollah has also advised residents of some buildings near its positions to move to 'safer places.' Biden: The elimination of Haniyeh has not helped the ceasefire in Gaza. The reason for these actions has not been officially clarified; however, these actions follow Iranian officials and Hezbollah leaders deeming revenge for the killings of Ismail Haniyeh and Fouad Shukr as certain. Iranian officials have accused Israel of assassinating the head of Hamas's political bureau in Tehran, a group designated as 'terrorist' by the U.S. and Europe. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have yet to confirm or deny this accusation from Tehran. Reuters reported on Thursday, citing five sources, that senior Iranian officials held a meeting with representatives of groups supported by the Islamic Republic in the region to discuss a possible response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Concurrently, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has also deemed a retaliatory response to the killings of Fouad Shukr and Ismail Haniyeh as 'inevitable.'