Iranian hardline students leave to fight Israel
binauralsounds
Posts: 1,357
Wednesday July 26, 12:14 PM
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A group of hardline Iranian students left for Lebanon on Wednesday pledging to help Hizbollah fight Israeli forces there, witnesses said.
Iranian hardliners have made great public show of recruiting volunteers for "martyrdom-seeking operations" in recent years, but there is no record of any of these Iranian volunteers taking part in attacks in Iraq, or against Israel.
"The Prophet Mohammad's army is on its way to fight against the Zionists," chanted some 50 volunteers at Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, where a large tree-lined area is dedicated to Iran's "martyrs" killed in the 1980-88 war with Iraq.
"A group of 200 volunteer students will be dispatched to Lebanon via Turkey. We are leaving Tehran today by bus," Amir Jalili, a spokesman for the group, told Reuters.
"We hope Turkey will let us pass the border and go to Syria. If not we will come back to Tehran."
Iran is a sworn enemy of Israel and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the Jewish state to be "wiped off the map". But while Israel accuses Iran of arming Hizbollah, Tehran says it only gives the Lebanese group moral support.
The volunteers stressed theirs was a private initiative, not backed by state authorities. The group, calling itself the Justice-Seeking Movement of Students, said they had no military training. Some 50 students boarded buses from Tehran, but more were to join them from other cities at the border, they said.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said such groups have no official sanction and say they can operate only "as long as their ideas are limited to theory."
"We are an independent group. We want to help our Shi'ite brothers," said Hadi, a 23-year-old French literature student, carrying pictures of Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who has vowed to take the war deeper into Israel.
"We want to fulfil our religious duty. If officials ban us from going to Lebanon, we will obey," said another spokesman Morteza Assadi before getting on the bus to go to the border.
Members of the hardline Basij militia at the cemetery said they had no intention of taking action against Israel without the green light from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has the last word on all matters in Iran.
"It is our religious duty to help our Muslim brothers. But we need our leader's approval first," said Mohammad, a Basij militiaman witnessing the gathering.
Although Iran did fund and support Lebanese Hizbollah during the 1980s, Tehran insists that it has not contributed troops or weapons in the latest violence. Israel rejects this, arguing Iranian armaments have been fired against it.
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A group of hardline Iranian students left for Lebanon on Wednesday pledging to help Hizbollah fight Israeli forces there, witnesses said.
Iranian hardliners have made great public show of recruiting volunteers for "martyrdom-seeking operations" in recent years, but there is no record of any of these Iranian volunteers taking part in attacks in Iraq, or against Israel.
"The Prophet Mohammad's army is on its way to fight against the Zionists," chanted some 50 volunteers at Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, where a large tree-lined area is dedicated to Iran's "martyrs" killed in the 1980-88 war with Iraq.
"A group of 200 volunteer students will be dispatched to Lebanon via Turkey. We are leaving Tehran today by bus," Amir Jalili, a spokesman for the group, told Reuters.
"We hope Turkey will let us pass the border and go to Syria. If not we will come back to Tehran."
Iran is a sworn enemy of Israel and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the Jewish state to be "wiped off the map". But while Israel accuses Iran of arming Hizbollah, Tehran says it only gives the Lebanese group moral support.
The volunteers stressed theirs was a private initiative, not backed by state authorities. The group, calling itself the Justice-Seeking Movement of Students, said they had no military training. Some 50 students boarded buses from Tehran, but more were to join them from other cities at the border, they said.
Iranian officials have repeatedly said such groups have no official sanction and say they can operate only "as long as their ideas are limited to theory."
"We are an independent group. We want to help our Shi'ite brothers," said Hadi, a 23-year-old French literature student, carrying pictures of Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who has vowed to take the war deeper into Israel.
"We want to fulfil our religious duty. If officials ban us from going to Lebanon, we will obey," said another spokesman Morteza Assadi before getting on the bus to go to the border.
Members of the hardline Basij militia at the cemetery said they had no intention of taking action against Israel without the green light from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has the last word on all matters in Iran.
"It is our religious duty to help our Muslim brothers. But we need our leader's approval first," said Mohammad, a Basij militiaman witnessing the gathering.
Although Iran did fund and support Lebanese Hizbollah during the 1980s, Tehran insists that it has not contributed troops or weapons in the latest violence. Israel rejects this, arguing Iranian armaments have been fired against it.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
I concur!
It will only make things worse than they already are....
Thats like tossing around the name "hero" in the US.
Can't Israel offer us some proof of this? Or are they just trying to further stir the shit storm?
the latter...
One week ago (I think), there was a big story all over the media. Almost all Journalists from Lebanon (including foreign networks) had reported of what they believed looked like a plane or some kind of an aircraft bursts into flames and falling from the sky of Beirut. TV stations suggested Hizbullah had shot down an Israeli air plane, Hizbullah gladly responded it did, But the Israeli air force immediately reported none of its planes is missing. The speculations continued for about 2 hours, till it was safe enough for cameras to get close to the place where this object hit. It was a huge missile called "Zilazal" made in Iran. It's a long distance missile who can get deep into center Israel (Tel Aviv for example). It is still not clear whether this was an unsuccessful launching attempt or maybe the Israeli Air force shot that missile down, or simply hit a "Zilazal" launcher.
There are other examples, but I think this is the best one.
Yeah, keep on asuming things. That will help not stiring the air-storm, right?
This is a big shit storm, especially for you Shiraz. I can't imagine being there, with the threat of one of those things hitting.
I can't believe I go to work every day and people are smiling, joking around. All this, I talk about it, they say "Oh, I don't bother myself with stuff like that." :O
That is the real sickness of humanity. When life is good, we don't give a shit. The masses just go about pleasuring themselves and whining about petty things. Broken nails, misplaced remote control, or material posessions. They aspire to be rock stars or hollywood celebrities, and follow in awe the fantastic dramas and colorful lights that enter their minds. It's the biggest distraction to reality that's ever existed. Totally warping the minds of all it's participants. It takes away there awareness of the reality our world is in. The ongoing destruction of it. Etc.. Etc..
I'm not one of those drones. Set on a narrow path with some kind of preconceived destiny. I have a perspective on this conflict and certainly the controversial history of the region. Don't forget that I care about every life involved. I'm just trying to make sense out of it myself, from another perspective. Sometimes the debate around here gets pretty heated.
When you live with apes, it's hard to be clean
You suppose to make assumptions first and than start your research, instead of doing some research and than make assumptions. They were many times you just assumed things about me/israeli people without even asking or checking things out. I'm not offended, just frustrated I have to repeat the same words over and over again, because some people around here read whatever they want to read in my posts. Do you know how irritating it is to write "I think our govt reaction was unavoidable, but yet unmeasured", and get replays like "How can you justiafay your overproportional actions?" or "How can you think your reaction is proportional"? It happened a milion times.
It won't kill anyone to litsen. After all, how many times did you actually talk to someone who lives here?
I think its pretty obvious that Hezbollah is getting its rockets and mortars and anti-tank weapons from some nation outside of Lebanon, and quite frankly, Iran and Syria are the logical suspects.
I don't know if it constitutes hard evidence per se, but the range of some of Hezbollah's weapons strongly suggests Iranian involvement. The old Katushkas could easily come from Syria or even perhaps Lebanese sources. But some of these long-range weapons, and the aerial drones? Only Iran would a) have this technology and b) be willing to sent it to Hezbollah.
Classic tactics from a totalitarian government. Divert the people's attention to an outside foreign devil, so that the government doesn't ever get called to task for its own atrocities.
I'll admit I thought your statements were in defense of the Israeli offensive. I don't talk to many people from Israel, you and whoever else posts on this board is about it. It's much easier to come in contact with Lebonese people.
Where do you live?
Canada
As do I, and if anything, I have the opposite problem of yourself. I have talked to many Jews (Israeli and and non-Israeli) about the recent problem, probably not enough Lebanese.
I work with people from Lebanon, and any given day I can get in a cab and talk to someone from the region. If I go to the gas station to buy cigarettes, I talk to people from India, if I go to a different store, they are from Iraq. And so on.. and so on.. It's a lot harder to identifiy people that are Jewish. I mean, unless they are wearing that beany thing. I have no problem asking people where they are from, but it's a bit different to say "Hey, are you Jewish?"
Good points ... I have a pretty close friend here who is a part of that community, so I interact with these people a lot, knowing that they are Jewish. Its worthwhile to hear their perspective. Most of them support Israel as a nation and an institution, but quite a few of them also think that bombing civilian areas of Lebanon is wrong.
Good to hear....I enjoy that many from both sides are rising up against the violent actions that are occurring involving their countries...
I also have a few distant relatives in Israel itself ... One of them e-mailed me the other day (hadn't spoken to her in a few years). We've been chatting ever since. The rockets cannot reach her. Yet.
Really? Well, there is one on the Train called Ruud, he is a Lebanese *resident*. Me & him had a very intersting conversation over the last page in a thread called "Hizbullah started all this" or somthing like that. I was sure everyone will find it very interesting, but apparently people here prefer to read Chomsky articals than litsen to 2 civilans from both sides, who are actually living this situation.
I'm pretty sure I read that conversation