Iran regime said to unleash Hezbollah and Iraqi militias as uprising spreads

As anti-regime protests dispersed crossed Iran for a 12th consecutive day, the Islamic Republic has reportedly turned to overseas militias for support, with 2 autarkic sources confirming that astir 850 Hezbollah, Iraqi militia and Quds Force–linked fighters crossed into Iran to bolster the regime’s information forces.

The reported question marks a important escalation successful the regime’s response, signaling a willingness to trust connected allied overseas militias with combat acquisition to assistance suppress home dissent.

"This is thing caller for the regime. It is the logical hold of a playbook the ruling clerics person utilized since 1979 to outsource repression to ideologically loyal militias and past integrate them into the state’s coercive infrastructure," Iran adept Lisa Daftari told Fox News Digital. 

IRAN’S KHAMENEI LASHES OUT AT PROTESTERS AS NATIONWIDE ANTI-REGIME UNREST GROWS

Iranian protesters effort to instrumentality power of 2 cities successful occidental Iran arsenic nationwide unrest continues, with demonstrators chanting 'Death to Khamenei' successful the streets. (Getty)

"From the Basij and Revolutionary Guard, which were built to crush interior dissent nether the banner of defending the revolution, to today’s deployment of overseas proxies similar Hezbollah and Iraqi Popular Mobilization units, the authorities is signaling erstwhile again that it treats its ain colonisation the mode it has agelong treated determination battlefields. The connection is wide — The mullahs don’t attraction astir the Iranian people. They are consenting to spell to immoderate grade to blur the enactment betwixt home policing and transnational militancy to sphere their grip connected power."

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a elder chap astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the reported usage of overseas proxy forces could bespeak increasing concerns wrong the authorities astir interior cohesion among Iran’s ain information services.

"Since protests dating backmost to 2009, determination were ever allegations of Arabic being heard connected the street," Ben Taleblu told Fox News Digital. "As the contention betwixt the authorities and the thoroughfare continues to vigor up, each eyes volition beryllium connected Iran’s information forces to spot if they defect oregon disobey orders to ace down. The occupation is, truthful is the regime. And to that end, the Islamic Republic whitethorn person devised a failsafe for itself against fashionable anger. Foreign proxies. Whether Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, oregon the Afghan Fatemiyoun, their relation would beryllium the same: to occurrence connected Iranians erstwhile different Iranians won’t."

Members of Shiite extremist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army parade successful Baghdad's Shiite vicinity of Sadr metropolis 03 April 2004.  (Ahmed Labib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Earlier reporting from Iran International besides indicated that Iraqi Shiite militia reinforcements were deployed to Iran successful aboriginal January to assistance successful suppressing protests. Estimates placed the fig of fighters astatine astir 800, with militants reportedly crossing the borderline nether the pretense of spiritual pilgrimages earlier gathering up astatine a basal successful Ahvaz and being dispatched to assorted regions.

The U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq Ghulam Isaczai replied to a Fox News Digital question astir the Iraqi militias, saying helium had nary cognition of the substance and that it was "new to him."

Iran’s nationwide uprising entered its twelfth time connected Thursday arsenic protests and convulsive clashes were reported successful much than 200 cities crossed 26 provinces, underscoring the breadth of unrest driven by economical illness and long-standing governmental grievances.

TRUMP SIGNS 'MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN' HAT ALONGSIDE LINDSEY GRAHAM

Burning debris lies adjacent to an overturned dumpster successful the mediate of a thoroughfare during unrest amid demonstrations successful Hamedan, Iran, connected Jan. 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted aft shopkeepers successful Tehran's Grand Bazaar unopen their businesses to protestation the crisp autumn of Iran's currency and worsening economical conditions, with clashes reported successful respective provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying aggregate radical were killed successful the violence, marking the largest protests to deed the Islamic Republic successful 3 years. (Mobina / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Videos circulating Thursday showed demonstrators tearing the Iranian emblem successful bluish Iran arsenic protests fueled by soaring inflation, currency devaluation and heavy discontent with the country’s theocratic enactment continued to spread.

Rights groups and autarkic monitoring organizations accidental astatine slightest 38 radical person been killed and much than 2,200 arrested since demonstrations began successful precocious December. 

While protests initially centered connected Tehran, confrontations person expanded into occidental provinces, including Kermanshah, Lorestan, Ilam and Kurdish regions. Iranian authorities person responded by deploying galore information forces, imposing net blackouts and enforcing curfews successful immoderate areas successful an effort to suppress the unrest.

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Hezbollah members salute and rise the group's yellowish flags during the ceremonial of their fallen comrades Ismail Baz and Mohamad Hussein Shohury, who were killed successful an Israeli onslaught connected their vehicles, successful Shehabiya successful southbound Lebanon connected April 17, 2024.  (AFP via Getty Images)

The unrest comes arsenic Iran’s system continues to deteriorate. Tehran has warned suppliers against hoarding and terms gouging arsenic the rial collapses against the dollar, exacerbating nationalist vexation and fueling regular demonstrations.

International interest is mounting arsenic analysts pass that sustained nationwide unrest combined with the reported deployment of overseas militia forces could redefine Iran’s interior instability and transportation broader determination information implications, peculiarly arsenic U.S. warnings and sanctions unit intensifies.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.