Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been relocated to a secure site within the country, accompanied by increased security protocols, according to two regional officials who spoke to Reuters. Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced on Saturday that it is on heightened alert for a potential broader conflict following its claim of having killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. The military expressed hope that Nasrallah’s reported death would prompt a shift in Hezbollah’s strategy.

Sources indicated that Iran is maintaining ongoing communication with Lebanon‘s Hezbollah and other regional proxy groups to assess the next steps following Israel’s announcement of Nasrallah’s death in a strike in southern Beirut on Friday.

Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated during a media briefing that the military’s action against Nasrallah might influence Hezbollah’s future operations. However, he cautioned that it would take time to diminish the capabilities of the Iran-backed group.

“We have observed Hezbollah conducting attacks against us for the past year. It is reasonable to expect that they will continue their assaults or attempt to do so,” he remarked.

Shoshani noted that there have been no new directives issued to Israeli civilians regarding preparedness for home front threats, as existing guidelines already place much of the nation on high alert.

“Hezbollah has been escalating tensions for a year… Iran’s involvement is evident; they support Hamas, Hezbollah, and other proxies. They even launched a direct attack against us in April,” he added.

“Are we prepared for a broader escalation? Yes. We have been engaged in a multi-front conflict for a year. Our forces are on high alert, and our intelligence operations are actively monitoring for such threats.”