I just heard about 2,500 killed
This is not the first time Tehran has used its proxy militias to suppress the protests. In November 2022, during the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising, members of the Popular Mobilization Forces and Kataib Hizbullah were reportedly transferred from Baghdad to Mashhad to participate in the crackdown on protesters. This was also preceded by reports of troops being sent from Lebanon and other Iranian-backed countries.
This approach reflects a consistent pattern of Tehran’s policy, based on the export of tools of repression and the use of cross-border militias, both in Syria and inside Iran itself, perpetuating the image of a regime that relies on external power to survive in the face of the wrath of its people.