Skip to main content

Former IRGC leader claims Iran's border to Lebanon's shores

The Lebanese presidential elections are of a piece with Iran's regional strategy.
EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran

Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hassan Firouzabadi (R) and former Revolutionary Guards commander Yahya Rahim-Safavi salute during a military parade to commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, in Tehran September 22, 2010. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: ANNIVERSARY MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXSIL4
Read in 

Yahya Rahim Safavi, the former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the current military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in May 2014, “[Iran’s] real borders are not what they appear, but extend to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in southern Lebanon.”

His words triggered a storm of criticism and questions in Lebanon and the Arab region for a variety of reasons.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.