Lebanon has stepped up the deployment of its army and security forces in the southern city of Nabatiyeh amid reports that Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisers may be present there, according to Lebanese security sources, as Beirut seeks to prevent any military activity that could provide Israel with a pretext for further operations.

The heightened security presence coincided with President Joseph Aoun’s visit to Nabatiyeh  and followed the circulation of security information about the alleged presence of Iranian advisers in the city, according to information obtained by Erem News.

Lebanese authorities are concerned that the presence of the advisers could be used to justify a new Israeli operation following the end of fighting around the Ali al-Taher heights, the sources said.

A Lebanese security source told Erem News that the reinforcement of the army, Internal Security Forces, General Security and State Security, along with checkpoints and patrols throughout Nabatiyeh , was intended to establish a visible State presence and prevent military activity outside official institutions.

The measures also seek to restrict the movement of Iranian personnel or advisers believed to be in the area and encourage them to leave, the source said.

From Ali al-Taher to Nabatiyeh

Lebanese political and security assessments circulating behind the scenes suggest that some of the Iranian advisers may belong to the same group that was present alongside Hezbollah commanders at a facility in Ali al-Taher before Israeli forces captured the heights and destroyed its network of tunnels, according to the security source.

The source said the presence of Iranian advisers alongside Hezbollah military commanders in Nabatiyeh is also linked to assessments within Hezbollah that Israel could shift the focus of its operations toward the city and its surroundings after concluding its campaign at Ali al-Taher.

That possibility has prompted Hezbollah to prepare for an expansion of Israeli operations, the source said.

Nabatiyeh has gained added strategic importance since Israel took control of the Ali al-Taher heights, an area containing an extensive network of tunnels and military positions that Israel said belonged to Hezbollah’s Badr sector.

The heights overlook routes linked to Nabatiyeh and the Iqlim al-Tuffah region, raising fears that the end of the battle there could shift Israeli military pressure toward areas farther inside southern Lebanon.

During the Ali al-Taher fighting, sources and media reports said Iranian advisers were inside the tunnel network alongside Hezbollah members. Hezbollah denied the reports, while an Israeli official said after the area was captured that Israeli forces had found no Iranians inside the facility.

The Lebanese security source said, however, that the failure to find Iranian personnel does not rule out their previous presence. Assessments circulating in Beirut indicate that they may have left before the final phase of the Israeli operation, the source said.

Iranian military personnel working alongside Hezbollah would not be unprecedented. International reports during the war documented the presence of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Quds Force officers serving as advisers to Hezbollah, as well as an Iranian role in rebuilding parts of the group’s military and command infrastructure after it suffered heavy losses.

Beirut moves to clear potential pretexts

The reports about Iranian advisers coincide with a broader security push by the Lebanese authorities.

Aoun chaired an expanded security meeting devoted to the situation in southern Lebanon, with particular focus on the Nabatiyeh area. The meeting was attended by the army commander, the directors general of General Security, State Security and the Internal Security Forces, the director of military intelligence and the heads of intelligence agencies.

The Lebanese presidency explicitly linked the security deployment in Nabatiyeh to Lebanon’s position in negotiations with Israel.

“Any security vacuum in the south constitutes a pretext for attacks,” Aoun said.

The statement suggests that Beirut views the deployment as more than a domestic security operation. Lebanese authorities are seeking to demonstrate that Nabatiyeh is firmly under state control and that the army and security agencies can prevent the city from being used as a base for military activity that Israel could cite as justification for further advances.

On the ground, the army has expanded its presence throughout the city, while General Security, State Security and the Internal Security Forces have established additional checkpoints and conducted patrols.

General Security Director General Maj. Gen. Hassan Choucair also inspected the agency’s center in the University District, near Debsheh Hill and the Ali al-Taher heights.

A test for the Lebanese State

Military and strategic affairs researcher Mohammad Youssef al-Nour said the developments in Nabatiyeh represented more than a routine security deployment, describing them as a test of the Lebanese state’s ability to prevent Hezbollah from giving Israel new grounds for military action.

“After Ali al-Taher, Nabatiyeh has become extremely sensitive,” al-Nour told Erem News. “Any non-Lebanese military presence or Revolutionary Guard activity in the city would put Nabatiyeh and its residents at serious risk.”

“The State cannot simply deploy the army for appearances. It has to prove in practice that it alone controls security and military decisions,” he added.

Al-Nour said the deployment also sends a message to the international community and mediators that Lebanon is taking steps to prevent its territory from being used for military purposes.

“That makes it harder for Israel to claim that there is a security vacuum forcing it to act on its own,” he said.