As President Trump deliberates whether to authorize U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, federal law enforcement, as of Friday, June 20, 2025, is intensifying efforts to identify and neutralize Iran-affiliated operatives within the United States.
This is according to sources familiar with the matter who disclosed this to CBS News.
Heightened Domestic Surveillance
Since Israel’s sweeping Operation Rising Lion began on June 13, targeting multiple Iranian nuclear and military sites, the FBI, led by Director Kash Patel, has ramped up surveillance of potential sleeper cells linked to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is a U.S.-designated terrorist group backed by Iran
Authorities are especially concerned that these dormant networks could be activated in response to U.S. intervention.
History of Threats and Plots
The stakes are high. Following the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, federal agencies remained on red alert for retaliatory threats on American soil.
Late last year, prosecutors charged an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operative and two Americans over a plot to surveil and potentially kill Iranian dissidents and critics in the U.S.
The charges suggest senior IRGC guidance—and even assassinations of U.S. officials, including President Trump—were on the table .
In 2011, Iran-linked operatives attempted to hire assassins to kill the Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil, revealing a longstanding pattern of Tehran-directed attacks
Hezbollah’s Secret Network: Unit 910
At the core of this threat is Hezbollah’s covert “Unit 910”, also known as the Islamic Jihad Organization.
Specializing in setting up sleeper cells outside Lebanon, including in the U.S., Unit 910 has carried out surveillance of airports, military installations, and Israeli and Western targets
In a 2017 FBI case, Lebanese-Americans Ali Kourani and Samer el Debek were convicted for carrying out surveillance in major U.S. cities on Hezbollah’s behalf.
Kourani openly acknowledged to agents that he was a “sleeper cell” operative working for Iran-backed Hezbollah
Unit 910 is not a relic.
It is operating in plain sight.
Open-source intelligence shows that Hezbollah continues to cultivate sleeper networks in North America, Europe, and Asia.
These cells are reportedly trained in espionage, weapons acquisition, and even the storage of explosives disguised as innocuous items
The Activation Risk
With tensions escalating, experts fear Iran may unleash asymmetric responses, including activating sleeper cells in the U.S. or elsewhere in the West
While short on missiles themselves, Iran’s leadership might see domestic terror as a means to retaliate for hits on its nuclear facilities
Such fears prompted the FBI to convene all 56 regional offices in a high-stakes video briefing led by the Counterterrorism Division.
Field agents were told to track suspicious surveillance at military bases, airports, and major infrastructure, pulling extra shifts, and reallocating agency resources.
FBI Director Kash Patel at the Helm
Director Kash Patel, a close Trump ally and former National Security Council official, is personally overseeing the expanded surveillance initiative.
Notably, he was previously targeted in a cyber-espionage campaign believed to involve Iranian hackers
U.S. Domestic Counterterrorism Measures
Beyond the FBI’s internal ramp-up, the Department of Homeland Security and federal prosecutors are deploying new tools:
Targeting front organizations, charities, and community groups with reported ties to Iran.
Monitoring unusual financial flows, communications, and dormant real estate assets.
Executing sting operations and seeking cooperation with state-level and international intelligence partners.
The Justice Department emphasizes that these sleeper networks are not hypothetical.
Multiple plots, some thwarted, some active, have been documented.
Scenarios include cyber sabotage, attempted assassinations, and infrastructure attacks
Why Now Matters
President’s Pending Decision
Trump must decide within two weeks whether to strike complementing Israel’s campaign. If U.S. forces are used, it’s likely to mobilize these sleeper cells.
Completing the U.S. Threat Arsenal
The U.S. holds exclusive capability to target deep-dwelling sites like the Fordow enrichment plant, making any military move uniquely provocative
Public Warning Campaign
Homeland Security has issued alerts urging businesses and infrastructure operators to red-flag suspicious behavior—reflecting a degree of public threat preparedness.
Bottom Line
The FBI’s surveillance sweep reflects a deep-seated concern: Tehran and its proxies have spied, plotted, and attempted violence on American soil before, and they remain capable of doing so again.
Whether Trump orders strikes or not, the country’s domestic security apparatus reportedly stands at the ready, working overtime to stay one step ahead of covert threats rooted halfway across the world, but with American consequences.