San Diego Military & Defense Monitor — Special Report
The Southern Flank: Border Vulnerability, Sleeper Cells, and the Iranian Threat Approaching from Mexico Fifteen miles south of Naval Air Station North Island lies the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere. As U.S. forces wage war against Iran, that proximity — and three decades of documented Hezbollah infrastructure in Latin America — has moved from background concern to active operational threat. Drawn from DHS reports, CBP data, DOJ filings, RAND research, and breaking intelligence alerts Published: March 11, 2026 Key numbers 15 mi Distance: NAS North Island to Tijuana–San Diego border crossing 1,740 Iranian nationals encountered at U.S.-Mexico border, 2020–2025 700,000+ Iranian-descent population in Southern California — largest outside Iran 27+ Iran-linked plots connected to U.S. documented by Washington Institute researchers 2,500+ Iranian nationals arrested in...