FBI Director Kash Patel has intensified the monitoring of potential domestic sleeper cells associated with Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization backed by Iran. This increased vigilance comes in the wake of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, which began earlier this month. However, both the White House and the FBI have chosen not to comment on the matter. Concerns over threats from Iranian operatives have heightened among current and former U.S. administration officials, particularly following the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani on orders from former President Trump in January 2020.
These worries intensified late last year when federal prosecutors charged an operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) along with two U.S.-based individuals for allegedly planning to surveil and assassinate critics of the Iranian regime. The IRGC operative reportedly stated that he was pressured by unnamed IRGC officials to devise an attack against Trump. For years, U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been on high alert regarding Iran’s potential to orchestrate or inspire attacks within the United States. This concern has substantially escalated since Soleimani’s death, prompting the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies to allocate considerable resources to counter this threat.
There are various potential targets for such attacks. Recently, individuals have faced charges for plotting to kill Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, and Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad, both known for their criticisms of the Iranian government. Although Bolton received Secret Service protection in 2021, Trump revoked that protection earlier this year. In light of escalating tensions, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned that the president would decide on the matter within two weeks, noting a “substantial chance of negotiation” with Iran.
Iran has indicated it would retaliate if the U.S. chooses to take military action.