According to officials from Iran-backed factions and analysts speaking to the Associated Press, thousands of fighters from Iran-supported groups in the Middle East are ready to come to Lebanon to join Hezbollah in its fight against Israel if the ongoing conflict escalates into a full-scale war. Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah stated in his speech that militia leaders from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and other countries have previously offered to send tens of thousands of fighters to assist Hezbollah. However, he noted that the group already has more than 100,000 fighters. Nasrallah added, "We thanked them, but we have vast numbers."
He clarified that the current battle only employs a portion of Hezbollah's human resources, referring to the specialized fighters launching rockets and drones. Nonetheless, this could change if a comprehensive war breaks out. Nasrallah hinted at this possibility in a 2017 speech where he mentioned fighters from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan would "be partners" in such a war.
Officials from Iranian-backed Lebanese and Iraqi groups claim that fighters from across the region will join Hezbollah if a war erupts along the Lebanese-Israeli border. Thousands of these fighters are already deployed in Syria and can easily infiltrate the porous border. An Iranian-backed group official in Iraq told the Associated Press in Baghdad: "We will fight alongside Hezbollah if a full-scale war breaks out." The official spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive military matters. He declined to provide further details.
Another official from Iraq noted that some Iraqi advisors are already present in Lebanon. In this context, an official from an Iran-backed Lebanese group, who also requested anonymity, mentioned that fighters from Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade, the Pakistani Zainabiyoun Brigade, and the Houthis might come to Lebanon to participate in the war.
