Syrian forces in Jisr al Shughour
Photo: EPA
Syrian Opposition: Hezbollah, Iran aiding Assad
Damascus Opposition says Iran, Shiite group paying people to assist regime in brutal repression of riots
The Syrian Opposition on Tuesday accused Iran and Hezbollah of assisting President Bashar Assad in the brutal repressing of pro-democracy protesters.
The two entities, opposition sources said, were paying people to come to Syria and fight in the name of the regimes.
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The Opposition has uploaded a series of videos to YouTube, which it claims proves Iran and Hezbollah are in cahoots with Damascus.
In one of the videos, a Hezbollah operative caught in Syria denies being affiliated with the militant group and says that he was one of many "brought to Syria by Hezbollah in a 45-bus convoy… they pay, they pay $1,000 even $5,000," he said, adding that the buses also carried a considerable arsenal.
Other videos depict Iranian national who tell a similar story. Some also told the Opposition that Iran's Basij paramilitary force now had presence in Syria, for the purpose of quelling riots.
Still, the Syrian Opposition's claims – voiced since the first wave of anti-Assad protest some three months ago – could not be corroborated by an independent source.
Earlier Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also accused Iran of aiding Assad's brutal attacks against peaceful demonstrations.
Clinton accused Tehran of exporting its own brand of riot-control method, which Iran used to quash the wave of riots sweeping through it two years ago.
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