Check-In, get killed: Iran's operatives run out of cover

Lebanese hotels are no longer safe hiding spots for members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the country's hoteliers are making sure of it.

Pierre Achkar, president of the Lebanese Hoteliers Syndicate, announced Thursday that hotels have taken new security measures following Israeli strikes on two Beirut establishments in recent weeks. 

As reported by French-language daily L'Orient Le Jour, Achkar explained that guest data is now systematically transmitted to the General Security directorate upon check-in, allowing authorities to detect any irregularities.

The move is aimed squarely at preventing IRGC operatives, who effectively direct Hezbollah's military operations against Israel, from using hotel rooms as cover. Officially banned from Lebanon, many are believed to remain in the country under false identities.

Their strategy had been to blend in by staying in hotels located in Christian neighborhoods of Beirut, areas less likely to be targeted by Israeli strikes. It didn't work for long.

On March 8th, the Israeli army struck the Ramada Hotel in Raouché, stating it was targeting IRGC members. Four days earlier, Israel had missed its mark at the Comfort Hotel in Hazmieh, before eliminating the target days later in an apartment.

The message is clear: Beirut's hotels are no longer reliable safe houses. Israel's intelligence reach extends to every neighborhood, every check-in counter. 

For Iran's operatives in Lebanon, nowhere is truly safe anymore.