Soldiers from Iran killed in Lebanon

TEL AVIV – Iranian soldiers were found among the bodies of Hezbollah gunmen killed by Israel during the past few days of the Jewish state's military campaign in Lebanon, a senior Israeli military official told WorldNetDaily.

The official, who did not release the number of Iranian bodies found, said Israel has killed dozens of Hezbollah fighters since Monday and about 480 since the fighting began July 12 following a Hezbollah attack against a military patrol unit and the kidnapping of two soldiers. He said Israeli intelligence has so far identified about 200 of the dead Hezbollah gunmen.

The information follows scores of reports the past few weeks that Iranian soldiers have been aiding Hezbollah terrorists from Lebanon in their attacks against Israel, including help with the firing of rockets into Israeli population centers.

It also comes after WND broke the story about the bodies of Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers who were killed by the Israeli army in Lebanon and transported to Syria, then flown to Tehran, according to senior Lebanese political sources.

The Lebanese sources said between six and nine deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers were brought in trucks last month into Syria for flight back to Iran. They said the bodies were transported at the same time tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians were fleeing the country into Syria.

WND previously reported Israeli security officials said they have "concrete information" hundreds of Iranian soldiers stationed at Hezbollah positions in Lebanon have helped to fire missiles into the Jewish state.

The Israeli officials said Iranian guards directed the firing last month of a radar-guided C–802 missile that hit an Israeli navy vessel off the coast of Lebanon, killing four soldiers. Israel says Iran acquired the missile from China.

The officials said the Iranian soldiers' duties include keeping custody of long-range missiles within Hezbollah's arsenal, including Zalzal rockets which are said to have a range of 125 miles, placing Tel Aviv within firing range.

Jordanian officials told WND they are "100 percent sure" Iranian Revolutionary Guard unit soldiers have fired rockets into Israel. They also said the Syrian army has provided Hezbollah with intelligence information on the locations of strategic Israeli targets to aid in Hezbollah rocket fire.

A Ba'ath party official operating out of the Golan Heights told WND he has information Iranian soldiers have been firing rockets into Israel.

Israel has long maintained Iranian Revolutionary Guard units have traveled regularly to south Lebanon to help train local Hezbollah fighters in terrorist tactics and to fortify Hezbollah positions along Israel's northern border.

At times, Revolutionary Guard soldiers could be seen operating openly at Hezbollah outposts in plain view from the Israeli side, military officials say.

Iran and Syria are the largest financial sponsors of Hezbollah. Israel says many Hezbollah rockets were made in or upgraded by Iran.

Earlier, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel has information Hezbollah was trying to transfer the two soldiers it kidnapped to Iran.

Hezbollah has fired over 1,000 rockets into northern Israeli towns the past two weeks. Dozens of rockets have slammed into Haifa, Israel's third largest city. Fifteen Israelis have been killed in the attacks, which have prompted over two million citizens – about one-third of the Jewish state – to live under the threat of rockets.

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