The US State Department has released a video of an alleged Iranian military training base in Lebanon, located near the border with Syria. Washington believes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force – which oversees Tehran’s military activities abroad – is attempting to establish a permanent presence in Lebanon, where Iranian proxy Hizbullah remains the foremost power. The move would allow Iranian troops to provide advanced training to Hizbullah personnel and tens of thousands of Shi’ite mercenaries who have been imported to Syria to fight on behalf of the Assad regime. Iran intervened in the Syrian war almost immediately after it erupted and has since established military facilities and infrastructure in that country. This has effectively created a new front in the Islamic Republic’s conflict with Israel, which has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to hamper the Iranian build-up and prevent the transfer of sophisticated weaponry to Hizbullah. Meanwhile, the IRGC’s new chief, Hossein Salami, has released a statement saying that Iran was preparing for a “full confrontation” with its “enemy” the United States, as tensions between the countries continue to rise. Many argue that the standoff has already manifested itself in violence, including this week’s sabotage of four commercial vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and intensified fighting in Yemen between a Saudi-backed coalition of Sunni nations and Tehran-sponsored Sh’iite Houthi rebels.