Iran is arming 'freedom armies' in the Middle East, a military website quoted a top commander of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards as saying on Sunday. "Today, not only our armed forces are self-sufficient but the freedom armies of the region also get part of their weaponary from us," said Hossein Hamedani, the deputy commander of Iran's volunteer Basij militia.
His comments appeared on the public relations website of the Revolutionary Guards. Like those of the Revolutionary Guards, commanders of the militia are appointed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hamedani, whose military rank was not provided, did not elaborate what he meant by 'freedom armies'. But Iran has dubbed Palestinian groups such as Hamas and the hardline Islamic Jihad as well as the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah as 'freedom armies' since all have vowed to fight Tehran's regional arch-foe, Israel. Tehran has always maintained that its support to these groups is merely 'moral' and that it does not provide them with any military means, despite claims to the contrary by Washington. |