Thousands of fighters march through Tehran in show of force against Israel, US
With Iran’s proxies weakened, vehicles with missiles, artillery parade streets, black-clad women carry rifles; Pezeshkian lauds Aoun’s election, says Lebanon unity will ‘defeat’ Israel
Thousands of fighters affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps paraded with heavy weapons and vehicles through the streets of Tehran on Friday showing their readiness to face “threats.”
The parade by paramilitary Basij volunteers came after the weakening of the Iranian proxy groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza after war erupted with the Palestinian terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, as well as the fall of the Iran-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Vehicles mounted with rocket launchers, artillery and naval commandos moved through the streets, while fighters in combat gear marched on foot with rocket launchers, and black-clad women carried rifles.
Some dragged mock coffins adorned with Israeli flags, as Hezbollah flags flew along with Iranian and Palestinian banners.
IRGC commander General Mohammadreza Naghdi singled out Iran’s enemies, the United States and Israel, telling the gathering that America was “behind all the misfortune in the Muslim world.”
As for Israel, “If we can destroy the Zionist regime and withdraw the American bases in the region, one of our big problems will be resolved,” he said.
Another IRGC commander, General Hassan Hassanzadeh, told state television that one aim of the rally was to “support the population of Gaza and Palestine.”
“We also want to show that the Basij are ready to confront all threats from enemies of the Islamic revolution,” Hassanzadeh added.
The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw thousands of terrorists burst across the border into Israel killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Vowing to destroy Hamas and free the hostages, Israel launched its ongoing military campaign against the Palestinian terror group in Gaza.
The next day Hezbollah began attacking along Israel’s northern border. That conflict also spiraled into an open war that ended with a fragile ceasefire at the end of November after Israel largely decimated Hezbollah’s leadership and resources.
In addition, other Iranian proxies, such as militias in Iraq and Yemen’s Houthis rebels, have also fired missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war started.
Also Friday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian welcomed the election of his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun after the country went more than two years without a head of state, saying unity would “defeat” Israel.
“There is no doubt that reinforcement of stability and unity will defeat the greed of the Zionist enemy against Lebanese territory,” Pezeshkian said in a message to Aoun published by the official IRNA news agency after his election on Thursday.
He added that Iran was ready to further develop cooperation with Lebanon “in all areas.”
Israel was also swift to congratulate Beirut on picking Aoun, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed hope for “good neighborliness” as the new Lebanese leader indicated that he would keep Hezbollah on a tight leash and uphold the fragile truce that ended its fight with Israel in late November.
Aoun was widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild following Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed terror group.
