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

Fox News - WorldCenter-RightEN 3 min read 100% complete by Efrat LachterJanuary 8, 2026 at 04:50 PM

AI Summary

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As anti-regime protests continue in Iran, the Islamic Republic has reportedly deployed foreign militias to aid in suppressing the unrest. Sources indicate that approximately 850 fighters from Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, and Quds Force-linked groups have entered Iran. This deployment marks an escalation in the regime's response, signaling a reliance on foreign forces to quell domestic dissent. Experts suggest this move reflects the regime's historical pattern of using loyal militias for repression and potential concerns about the reliability of Iran's own security forces. The foreign fighters are intended to act as a failsafe, firing on Iranian protestors if domestic forces are unwilling to do so. Reports also indicate that Iraqi Shiite militia reinforcements were deployed to Iran earlier in January for similar purposes.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Afghan Fatemiyoun 40% Foundation for Defense of Democracies 40% Behnam Ben Taleblu 50% Basij 50% Revolutionary Guard 50% Lisa Daftari 50% Quds Force 60% Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units 60% Iraqi Shiite militias ×270% Islamic Republic ×270% Hezbollah ×480% Iran ×790%

Keywords

anti-regime protests 100% foreign militias 90% repression 80% hezbollah 70% security forces 70% iraqi militias 70% domestic dissent 60% islamic republic 60% proxy forces 50% internal cohesion 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

Fox News - World

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Iran

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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anti-regime protests foreign militias repression hezbollah security forces iraqi militias domestic dissent islamic republic proxy forces internal cohesion

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