Khamenei Told Hassan Nasrallah to Flee to Iran for His Safety

Reuters reported, citing three sources in Iran, that Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, had warned Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, a few days before his death in an Israeli attack to flee Lebanon and go to Iran. Reuters added that Khamenei is now deeply concerned about Israeli influence within the high ranks of government in Tehran. One source, identified by Reuters as a 'senior Iranian official,' stated that Khamenei sent a message to Nasrallah via a transmitter immediately after the explosion of Hezbollah's pagers and radios on September 17 and 18, urging him to go to Iran. This official, whose name was not disclosed by Reuters, added that the Supreme Leader referenced intelligence reports indicating that Israel has agents within Hezbollah and intends to kill him. The attacks were widely attributed to Israel, although Israel did not claim responsibility for them. Associated Press reported that the pagers were recently purchased following Nasrallah's order to Hezbollah members to stop using their mobile phones. The Iranian official also mentioned that the messenger of Khamenei was Abbas Nilforushan, the deputy operations chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was killed during the Israeli attack alongside the Hezbollah leader. He noted that despite Khamenei's warning and concerns about potential infiltrators in Hezbollah, Nasrallah was completely confident in his security and inner circle. Khamenei attempted a second time to warn Nasrallah through Nilforushan to leave Lebanon for Iran, but according to this senior Iranian official, Nasrallah insisted on staying in Lebanon. Following the pager explosions, several high-level meetings were held in Tehran to discuss the security of Hezbollah and Nasrallah, but it was not disclosed who attended these meetings. Meanwhile, three sources in Lebanon told Reuters that Hezbollah initiated extensive investigations to purge Israeli spies and interrogated hundreds of its members after the pager explosions. The report indicated that a similar panic has gripped senior officials of the Islamic Republic in Iran. According to a second senior Iranian official, the death of Nasrallah prompted Islamic Republic officials to thoroughly investigate potential infiltrations among themselves, from the Revolutionary Guards to senior security officials. The first official emphasized that these investigations are particularly focused on individuals who travel abroad or have relatives living outside Iran. He stated that the Islamic Republic became suspicious of several members of the Revolutionary Guards who had traveled to Lebanon and added that concerns heightened when one of these forces began asking about Nasrallah's whereabouts. This official noted that the individual in question, along with several others, has been detained, but their families have been moved abroad. Reuters, citing a third source close to the Iranian government, reported that Ali Khamenei 'no longer trusts anyone.' The United States warned the Islamic Republic about retaliatory attacks following Nasrallah's death.