U.S. officials say Iran may have sent out an “operational trigger” to activate sleeper agents around the world amid the ongoing conflict with the U.S. and Israel.
The warning comes after encrypted communications, believed to originate from Iran, were intercepted following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli strike on February 28.
According to a federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies and reviewed by ABC News, the intercepted message seemed directed at “clandestine recipients.” The memo added that the message could “be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country.”
While officials emphasized that there is no operational threat tied to a specific location, they urged heightened situational awareness.
“While the exact contents of these transmissions cannot currently be determined, the sudden appearance of a new station with international rebroadcast characteristics warrants heightened situational awareness,” the memo said.
While authorities say there are no specific credible threats to the public at this time, counterintelligence experts have warned that the ongoing war in Iran raises the potential for retaliatory attacks on U.S. soil.
“If ever there’s going to be a Hezbollah cell or a Hamas cell act in the United States in a violent way, it’s now,” Chris Swecker, a former assistant FBI director, told Fox News after the conflict began.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that U.S. counterterrorism and intelligence teams have been placed on high alert, with agents “working 24/7, as always, to address and disrupt any potential threats” within the country.
