Iran appears to be preparing allied armed groups across the region for a possible new round of fighting, raising fears in Lebanon that the country’s southern front could once again become a battlefield, according to Lebanese political sources and reports of Iranian activity in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had used the period of calm created by its memorandum of understanding with Washington to prepare the ground with allied groups across the region for intensified attacks if necessary.

Iran has sent advisers to Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon to discuss plans, the newspaper reported, citing evidence gathered by Arab intelligence services, including communications between Tehran and allied groups in those countries.

The developments have heightened concerns in Beirut as Hezbollah continues to reject demands that it surrender its weapons and as tensions persist around the Israeli-occupied areas of southern Lebanon.

Gen. Esmail Qaani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, visited Iraq last week and asked Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions not to comply with a government demand that they hand over their weapons by the end of September, according to sovereign political sources cited by Al Markazia.

The visit came as Tehran appeared to be reassessing its regional posture.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who is also visiting Baghdad, said on Saturday that he remained in contact with “fighters on the front lines in Lebanon.”

Those statements, combined with remarks by an Iranian official that Tehran had shifted from a defensive posture to an offensive one, have reinforced the assessment among Lebanese sources that Iran may be preparing for another round of confrontation.

That prospect is particularly worrying for Lebanon, where the possibility of renewed fighting on the southern front remains a major concern.

Hezbollah has hardened its position, according to the sources, refusing to surrender its weapons and seeking to undermine the negotiations between Lebanon and Israel and bring them to an end.

The group has also refused to hand over the Ali al-Taher facility to the Lebanese army.

More recently, Israeli forces have come under attack in the area, although Hezbollah has not formally claimed responsibility for those incidents.

The sources said Hezbollah’s conduct could indicate that it is preparing the ground for a return to fighting once Tehran decides the time is right.

“In effect, it is preparing the ground to resume the fighting once the zero hour arrives and Tehran sets the date for its return to war,” the sources said.

That prospect would coincide with what they described as an ironic convergence of interests: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also keenly awaiting an opportunity to resume military action against Hezbollah if circumstances allow.

For now, the United States is restraining Israel from taking further steps that could trigger a wider confrontation, according to the sources.

But uncertainty remains over how long that restraint will last — and when Tehran might instruct Hezbollah to resume full-scale fighting.

The memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States has also expired without being extended, adding another element of uncertainty to the regional situation.

“No one knows when Iran will tell Hezbollah to ‘go,’” the sources said.

The possibility of renewed escalation is therefore being taken seriously in Lebanon, where fears of another war have intensified as Hezbollah maintains its position and Israel continues military operations in the south.

The sources argued that the concerns are legitimate and that an escalation could come soon unless Lebanon’s political authorities intervene to break the current deadlock.

They called for greater pressure on Hezbollah to retreat from its position, at least regarding the Ali al-Taher facility, which has emerged as one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the south.

They singled out Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri as a possible channel for such efforts, noting that he does not want another round of fighting.

According to the sources, Berri may be the only figure capable of persuading Hezbollah to step back and preventing a renewed conflict.

Such an intervention, they said, could help avert further bloodshed among Lebanese, particularly within the country’s Shiite community, at a time when Lebanon remains vulnerable to being drawn once again into a broader regional confrontation.