Israeli report to sway US away: Hezbollah and Iran forge new paths for weapons flow into Lebanon

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi 

Following Israel's inability to shape the direction of ongoing U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, Israeli intelligence has intensified efforts to portray Iran as an enduring regional threat. 

The Alma Center for Security Research released the latest in a series of reports and claims that members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are currently present in Lebanon, working alongside Hezbollah to rebuild its military capabilities.

According to the report, the IRGC and Hezbollah are charting a new roadmap to ensure the continued flow of weapons and funds to Lebanon following the effective closure of the Iraq-Syria corridor.

The report outlines two alleged smuggling paths. 

The first is a direct maritime route from Iran through the Red Sea, Suez Canal, and Mediterranean Sea to Lebanon. The second is a mixed sea-land route, moving from Iran to Sudan by sea, then overland through Libya and Egypt, before reaching the Mediterranean and finally Lebanon.

Given increasing restrictions on traditional land, sea, and air routes through Syria, the report highlights a growing Iranian interest in Sudan as an alternative logistical hub. It also underscores Egypt's strategic significance in the alleged network, noting that the 1,200-kilometer border between Egypt and Sudan remains largely unmonitored. 

Much of this region consists of desert terrain, which offers ideal conditions for clandestine movement, facilitated by existing local smuggling infrastructure, according to the report.

Israeli officials are said to be sharing these findings with their American counterparts to sway Washington away from any positive momentum in the nuclear talks, by emphasizing an ongoing and evolving "Iranian threat" to regional security—particularly to Israel.