As President Donald Trump weighs whether to authorize U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, American law enforcement agencies have intensified surveillance of Iran-backed operatives within the United States, according to multiple sources who spoke to CBS News. The monitoring comes amid growing concerns over possible retaliatory actions by Iran or its proxies in the wake of Israel’s ongoing Operation Rising Lion. U.S. officials say FBI Director Kash Patel has increased efforts to identify and monitor potential Hezbollah-linked sleeper cells operating domestically. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization, has long been viewed by counterterrorism officials as a direct extension of Iranian military influence. The heightened threat posture reflects years of U.S. intelligence concerns regarding Iran’s ability to orchestrate or inspire attacks on American soil. Those concerns were reignited after the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, an operation ordered by President Trump. Since then, law enforcement agencies including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have devoted significant resources to tracking Iran-linked activity within the U.S. Federal prosecutors have already brought several high-profile cases to court. Late last year, an operative tied to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — along with two U.S.-based associates — was charged with plotting to surveil and potentially assassinate critics of the Iranian regime, including American citizens. The IRGC agent allegedly admitted that senior Iranian officials had directed him to develop an attack plan targeting President Trump himself. The list of potential targets has expanded in recent years. U.S. prosecutors have brought charges in separate plots to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton and prominent Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad, both vocal opponents of the Islamic Republic. Bolton was placed under Secret Service protection in 2021, though that protection was revoked earlier this year by the Trump administration. Now, as the possibility of a direct strike on Iranian nuclear infrastructure looms, fears of Iranian retaliation — whether through coordinated plots or lone-wolf operatives — are once again front and center for law enforcement. President Trump is seriously considering targeting Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, potentially aligning with Israel’s ongoing campaign against Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure. On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president would decide within two weeks, noting there remains “a substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place” with Iran. Iranian officials, meanwhile, have issued warnings that any U.S. strike will be met with forceful retaliation — raising the stakes of what many observers fear could spiral into a broader conflict with global implications. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)