We are now 12 days into the ongoing rebellion in Iran, and while Iran seems to erupt into protests pretty regularly, this time seems different. The people are taking to the streets, and even re-naming some of those streets after American President Donald Trump. The regime hasn't been able to tamp this thing down, and in Tehran, in government offices and wherever the aging mullahs hang out, there have to be a lot of furrowed brows and sweaty foreheads.
Things may be escalating; in what sure appears to be a sign of desperation, there are indications that the regime may be bringing in Hezbollah fighters and Iran-backed Iraqi militias to try to get things under control.
As anti-regime protests spread across Iran for a 12th straight day, the Islamic Republic has reportedly turned to foreign militias for support, with two independent sources confirming that roughly 850 Hezbollah, Iraqi militia and Quds Force-linked fighters crossed into Iran to bolster the regime’s security forces.
The reported movement marks a significant escalation in the regime’s response, signaling a willingness to rely on allied foreign militias with combat experience to help suppress domestic dissent.
"This is nothing new for the regime. It is the logical extension of a playbook the ruling clerics have used since 1979 to outsource repression to ideologically loyal militias and then integrate them into the state’s coercive infrastructure," Iran expert Lisa Daftari told Fox News Digital.
This, for my money, is the real point of this move:
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the reported use of foreign proxy forces could reflect growing concerns within the regime about internal cohesion among Iran’s own security services.
"Since protests dating back to 2009, there were always allegations of Arabic being heard on the street," Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. "As the contest between the state and the street continues to heat up, all eyes will be on Iran’s security forces to see if they defect or disobey orders to crack down. The problem is, so is the regime. And to that end, the Islamic Republic may have devised a failsafe for itself against popular anger. Foreign proxies. Whether Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, or the Afghan Fatemiyoun, their function would be the same: to fire on Iranians when other Iranians won’t."
Could the regime's attempt (or intention) to bring in foreign fighters be a sign that the regime's internal forces are starting to crack? Remember, while Iran is an Islamic nation, it's not an Arab nation. Iran's population is predominantly Persian, with a different ethnic background and a different language from that found in the Arab states. Historically, the two groups haven't gotten along all that well. Would bringing in Hezbollah and possibly Iraqi militia forces get things under control - or just make them worse?
Read More: Watch As Iranians Rename Tehran Street for Trump Amid Protests
President Trump Vows US Intervention If Iran Kills Peaceful Demonstrators: ‘Locked and Loaded’
There's another factor to consider. President Trump has said the United States would intervene if Iran turns deadly force on its own people. Identifying and interdicting any mass movement of Hezbollah and Iraqi irregulars towards Iran wouldn't be the biggest job the United States Air Force ever undertook, and in dealing with Hezbollah and like groups, there's an old saying that applies: "JDAM means never having to say you're sorry."
It's still too early to predict any outcome in this affair. But things are sure interesting, and look likely to become rather more so.
This is a developing situation. Stay tuned.
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