Secretive: Is Iran Training Hezbollah in Qom, Iran and Why?
Iran is seeking to escalate the current conflict in the Middle East region, aiming to turn it into a more volatile situation to fulfill its plan to control several strategic points in the area. One of the most prominent militias supported by Iran is Hezbollah, which is currently engaged in proxy warfare against Israel.
With Iran’s support for Hezbollah with missiles and advanced weapons, Hezbollah is being transformed into a major force in the region. Iran is achieving this by training Hezbollah forces to use Iranian drones, which can be deployed in the event of a war in southern Lebanon, amid attempts by Arab nations to calm tensions with Israel.
Drones: Iran’s Future Weapon
Iran has been using drones for a long time, having started manufacturing and developing drones since 2006. Drones have become Iran’s most significant strategic weapon and were used in recent strikes against Israel. Tehran is working to develop its drone capabilities despite US sanctions imposed on it.
It is reported that the center for manufacturing and developing drones is located just five miles from the city of Qom, Iran, and has expanded from a runway of 500 meters to 1500 meters.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered the concentration, reinforcement, and development of drone manufacturing activities by the country’s main manufacturer, the “Qods Aviation Industries” company.
Hezbollah Training
Reports have revealed that Iran has trained Hezbollah fighters to carry out drone attacks on northern Israel at a highly secretive base called the Ganjineh Center, despite recent US sanctions on Iran for weapon development.
The Ganjineh Center, which has remained secret until now, hosts groups that are currently wreaking havoc across the Middle East, including Hezbollah and the terrorist Houthi militias from Yemen. The center is also used to train and test drones such as long-range UAVs, which can fly up to 1000 miles within 24 hours.
The base also serves as a training center for drone pilots, and according to reports from within the system, militants are trained in small groups consisting of a handful of fighters. Since the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Western countries have imposed sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with drones allegedly used for civilian targets.
Iran puts these capabilities in the hands of its network of regional actors to influence their behavior and cause significant harm to some of its regional rivals. The current time is ripe for using this tactic by attacking Israel.
Lebanese strategic researcher Dr. Ali Nasser believes that Hezbollah is part of the Iranian forces and is the primary tool for Iran to control the northern region through Hezbollah and the southern region through the Houthis. Therefore, supplying Hezbollah with drones is a reality in light of the current escalation in the region and Iran’s support from China and Russia against the United States and Israel. Iran wants escalation.
Nasser added that Iran has many enemies, including Israel, and others, and it never engages in direct warfare. Instead, it provides its external fronts with everything from weapons to intelligence, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard leaders are also present in militia leadership positions.
