Lebanon Tightens Border Checks Over Suspected IRGC Passport Scheme

Lebanese security agencies have recently intensified checks at border crossings and Beirut airport after receiving information that Iran was trying to insert IRGC personnel using Lebanese passports tied to deceased citizens. The passports reportedly matched official names, numbers and civil records but carried photographs of the actual travelers. Screening is focusing on arrivals from Iraq, West Africa and South America as investigators examine possible document issuance or alteration. The suspected route was intended to bring fighters, military experts and technicians into Lebanon, including to reinforce the Iranian-backed Hezbollah presence around Ali al-Taher in the south.