Fears Iran will unleash Hezbollah ‘sleeper cells’ of fanatics in UK & US in bloody revenge move after Israel’s strike

IRAN could unleash its sleeper cells of fanatics successful the West aft Israel's "significant" planned strike, a erstwhile Brit commandant has warned.

Colonel Richard Kemp, who led Brit forces successful Afghanistan, told The Sun it's "real danger" that volition soon go a world erstwhile Tehran and its proxies determine to act.

He said Iran and Hezbollah could "activate" sleeper cells crossed Europe to motorboat attacks against the UK and US erstwhile they determine the clip is right.

Israel is plotting revenge aft Iran launched an unprecedented blitz - launching a salvo of astir 200 ballistic missiles astatine the state earlier this month.

Tehran launched the onslaught aft Israel wiped retired Hassan Nasrallah - the main of Hezbollah, Iran's biggest - and astir almighty - panic proxy.

Iran is present bracing for an Israeli reprisal - expected to beryllium a important strike.

But Colonel Kemp warned that Iran could respond to the adjacent onslaught with its planetary web of sleeper cells - overseen by the fanatical Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

These types of attacks whitethorn see car weaponry attacks extracurricular Israeli embassies - carried retired by Iran-backed terrorists specified arsenic Hezbollah.

Although Hezbollah's enactment has been wiped retired successful Lebanon, the panic organisation has sleeper cells elsewhere - including successful Europe, Colonel Kemp said.

He told The Sun: "Hezbollah and its IRGC sponsors person a monolithic network, successful many, galore countries. That web does a fig of things.

"It provides backing for Hezbollah - determination are fundraising operations present successful the UK and different countries successful Europe that rise funds and get them to Hezbollah.

"But determination is besides a web of sleeper cells wrong European countries - including present successful the UK - which person been established for a agelong time.

"They volition beryllium activated astatine the close infinitesimal erstwhile Hezbollah oregon the IRGC determine that's the clip to bash so."

Colonel Kemp said Iran's sleeper cells of panic proxies beryllium to "act arsenic a deterrent" for immoderate signifier of Western onslaught connected Iran - and besides for retaliation purposes.

He said: "Without a doubt, if Hezbollah is allowed to proceed to beryllium successful immoderate signifier - successful a unsafe signifier - past its superior intent volition beryllium to to retaliate oregon to deter and, if necessary, retaliate against attacks connected Iran by either the US oregon by Israel.

"If Israel does transportation retired a terrible onslaught against Iran, Iran is mostly defenceless successful presumption of its retaliation capacity.

"It's imaginable they could revert to, attacks elsewhere extracurricular Israel utilizing the sleeper cells they person successful spot - whether it beryllium to transportation retired car weaponry attacks against Israeli embassies.

"They could effort that - and that perchance presents a wider menace which, which could interaction this state conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic it could connected immoderate different country.

"It's a information we should carnivore successful caput - an Israeli onslaught which Iran is incapable to retaliate to."

The People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) - an absorption radical which advocates the overthrow of the authorities - has warned that Tehran's web of sleeper cells are "not lone acceptable but functioning".

Bloody operations linked to Iran person antecedently reached heavy into Europe and the US - each moving connected orders from the precise apical of Tehran.

In 2015, MI5 busted a Hezbollah sleeper compartment that was massing immense amounts of explosives connected the outskirts of London.

Last year, a deadly shipment of uranium was seized astatine Heathrow Airport successful the UK - believed to person been destined for Iranian nationals based successful the country.

It is feared it could person been portion of a crippled to physique a soiled weaponry or stage an assassination.

In the US past year, a New Jersey bundle technologist was jailed for 12 years for his relation arsenic a "sleeper agent" successful an elite Hezbollah unit.

Iran's web has carried retired panic attacks oregon large violent operations successful the West, including successful the UK, France, Germany, Belgium and Italy.

Two Iranian nationals were held past twelvemonth implicit a panic crippled to usage cyanide and ricin successful Germany.

And successful 2021 an Iranian diplomat was convicted successful Belgium for being portion of a violent crippled to stroke up an lawsuit hosted by a dissident radical successful Paris.

The league was being attending by 5 British MPs.

All of these are overseen by the subject radical known arsenic the Quds Force, watched implicit by the almighty IRGC.

The Quds Force - erstwhile headed by General Qassem Soleimani before helium was blown up by the US successful 2020 - reports straight to the ultimate person of fundamentalist regime, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It is estimated the unit is up to 20,000 beardown and is understood to beryllium liable for supporting and grooming proxy groups worldwide.

In 2022, MI5 main Ken McCallum named Iran arsenic a large information menace to the UK - and said determination were 10 foiled plots to kidnap oregon termination radical successful Britain that year.

Earlier this month, German paper Der Spiegel said a fig of Iran-backed panic plots targeting Jews and Israeli-linked businesses successful Europe person been foiled by information services this year.

According to the report, the foiled attacks - planned for 2024 - progressive a web recruited by Tehran to behaviour surveillance connected Jewish and Israeli targets successful Germany.

In May this year, Iran International reported that Israeli and Swedish Intelligence agencies warned about Iran utilizing transgression networks successful Europe to transportation retired a drawstring of attacks connected Israeli embassies.

Israel has reportedly delayed its revenge onslaught against Iran aft perchance sensitive subject intel astir the crippled was leaked.

The alleged documents, marked arsenic "top secret", are said to incorporate US quality analysing Israel's inevitable retaliation program against Iran.

Parts of the leaked document, dated October 15 and 16, reportedly incorporate outer imagery appearing to amusement Israel's mentation of munitions and subject drills.

Others picture the appraisal of the Israeli Air Force exercising long-range ballistic and air-to-surface missiles - believed to beryllium planned for a imaginable onslaught against Iran.

The documents suggest Israel was conducting covert surveillance connected Iran utilizing precocious drone technology.

The Sun is not straight quoting oregon showing the accusation from the leaked documents.

But according to The Times, Israel has been forced to travel up with an alternative plan to onslaught Iran aft the leak.

Senior US officials privately acknowledged the docs were authentic - but suggested they were not a broad appraisal of Israel's afloat retaliation program against Iran.

The leaked documents person markings that bespeak they are lone meant to beryllium seen by the US and its Five Eyes - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

But the documents began circulating successful Telegram aft being posted by an relationship called Middle East Spectator.

Visiting an aerial basal earlier this month, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed: "Everyone who dreamed a twelvemonth agone of beating america and attacking america paid a dense terms and are nary longer successful that dream."