Israel is considering the possibility of a direct conflict with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in Syria and its proxies in Lebanon, Iran International has learned.

Our reporters in Israel have learned from reliable sources that the Israeli military is preparing a month-long exercise to gauge its readiness to fight Iranian forces and proxies on its borders with Syria and Lebanon.

Iran maintains its Revolutionary Guard Qods (Quds) forces in Syria as well as large contingents of Afghan and other militias who have fought for a decade under Iranian command to defend Bashar al-Assad’s rule. But since at least 2017, these forces have tried to position themselves at the border with Israel to open a front, similar to Hezbollah on the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Israel has repeatedly warned in the past five years that it will not tolerate the entrenchment of Iranian forces in Syria, specially near its borders. It has launched hundreds of air raids against suspected Iranian targets, weapons depots, and arms shipments in Syria and from there to Lebanon.

Iran International has also learned that Israel is planning to hold the military drills in May to prepare for large-scale conflict and to confront possible attacks by Iranian forces in case of an Israeli strike against Tehran’s nuclear installations.

Israel has repeatedly said that the Vienna nuclear talks between Iran and the West do not provide the assurance it needs for preventing Tehran from pursuing a nuclear weapons option. It has said that it reserves the right to deal with the Iranian nuclear program through its own means, which would be a military strike to derail Iran’s uranium enrichment and other aspects of the nuclear program.

In case of such a strike, forces commanded by Iran would most probably retaliate against Israel from Syria and Lebanon. This would be a convenient option for Iran, instead of direct missile attacks against Israel that could expand the conflict into a full-fledged regional war, possible involving the United States.

Israeli officials and media have been discussing the real possibility of attacks from Syria and Lebanon in case of a strike against Iran. In such a scenario, Israelis have hinted at large-scale retaliation not only against aggressor forces but also at targets throughout Syria, including Syrian government assets.

Israel holds Assad’s government responsible for whatever takes place in territories under its control.

Although relations between Israel and the Biden Administration are as close as ties former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoyed with Donald Trump, but in recent weeks there have been signs of more military coordination and contacts.