NICOSIA [MENL] -- The Iranian opposition asserted that the Teheran regime has used Hizbullah to quell Arab unrest near the Iraqi border.
The Ahwaz Human Rights Organization reported that Iranian authorities brought scores of Hizbullah operatives to southeastern Iran to quell Arab riots that began on April 15. The organization said Arabic-speaking Hizbullah fighters attacked protesters in the Khuzestan province in late April.
"The Lebanese Hizbullah -- which is trained in Khuzestan -- appears to have been conscripted into the crackdown," the British-based group said in a statement. "Among those attacking demonstrators were Arabic speakers with distinctly Lebanese accents, according to reports on the ground."
This was the first time that the Iranian opposition reported the use of Hizbullah in quelling unrest in Khuzestan. Hizbullah was said to have been used to combat student demonstrators in 1999 and 2002.