It has been observed that Iraqi Hasd al-Shaabi and Lebanese Hezbollah are assisting Iran’s Basiji forces in their crackdown on protesters across the country.
Sources claim that plain-clothes men speaking Arabic with a Lebanese accent were seen attempting to quell riots in various Iranian cities, including the capital, Tehran. They join the hundreds of police, Basiji, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps troops who have played a key role in trying to put an end to the protests. (Hezbollah Forces Helping Iran)
Since mid-September, when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed in police custody after being detained by the country’s morality police for not properly covering her head with a hijab, there have been widespread protests against the regime in Iran.
At the beginning of October, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that the death of Amini was a “vague incident” and that the country’s current protests do not reflect the true will of Iranians.
He stated, “Any incident is exploited… to incite against this state because the Iranian state is a target.” People took to the streets as a result of the exploitation of this hazy incident.
Over 200 protesters are thought to have been killed since the protest started, though the exact number of those killed is unknown. Social media posts and photos show security forces violently beating protesters and firing live fire at crowds.
The Iran Human Rights Organization, based in Oslo, claims that twenty of the victims were minors.
The protests have also resulted in the deaths of several Basiji forces and the injuries of dozens more.
Iran suppressed protests with the assistance of Hezbollah and other Arabic-speaking proxies, though this was uncommon.
BBC Persian reports that during the 2009 protests, riot police and plain-clothes officers with Arabic accents were seen repressing Iranians who were protesting the presidential election results.
The men were said to belong to Hezbollah or Palestinian terror groups like Hamas, according to the report. Both organizations heavily rely on Tehran for weapons and funding. (Hezbollah Forces Helping Iran)
Iran sends over $1 billion to its proxy groups, including over $500 million to Hezbollah in Lebanon, hundreds of millions to the Houthis in Yemen, over $100 million to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, and tens of millions to pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, despite the economic difficulties faced by its own citizens.
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