Several dozen officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have fled Beirut over the past 48 hours amid fears they could be targeted, according to two senior Israeli defense officials and a third source familiar with the situation cited by Axios.

The officers were primarily members of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force, who had been operating in Lebanon as military advisers to Hezbollah and exerting significant influence over the group’s operations.

Israeli officials say the IRGC’s involvement in Hezbollah’s military planning has increased substantially over the past two years, as Israel systematically eliminated many of the group’s most experienced commanders. According to the officials, Tehran stepped in to fill the resulting leadership vacuum.

They also claim Hezbollah’s depleted ranks were initially reluctant to open a new front with Israel but eventually joined the conflict on March 1 under strong pressure from Iran.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army issued a public ultimatum to Iranian regime representatives still in Lebanon, warning that they would be targeted “wherever they are found” if they did not leave the country within 24 hours.

Israeli defense officials said several dozen IRGC members have departed Lebanon since the warning, with some having operated from the Embassy of Iran in Beirut.

A small contingent has remained behind, however, to maintain the Quds Force’s presence in Lebanon and continue coordinating with Hezbollah.

“We expect the IRGC exodus from Lebanon to continue over the next several days,” an Israeli defense official said.