Lebanon's Iran-backed group Hezbollah is using all its propaganda tools to show support for the Islamic Republic and misrepresent the current nationwide protests in Iran.
Trying to show the realities in Iran differently and discredit the protests, Hezbollah organized rallies in support of the regime in Tehran with students from its private educational system – the Mahdi schools.
Lebanese activists have published videos of children from Al-Mahdi schools carrying photos of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Qasem Soleimani, the slain commander of Quds force, the extraterritorial wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Hezbollah held ceremonies at the schools in which children were used to show "obedience to religious authority" and “condemning the Western conspiracy” against the Islamic Republic and its "achievements," the Lebanese website al-Modon reported.
Mahdi schools are a cornerstone of Hezbollah’s “Society of Resistance,” featuring a standard modern technology-heavy curriculum mixed with its Islamic doctrine.
Iran has been engulfed in widespread antigovernment protests since September 19, after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman was killed in the custody of hijab police.
Oslo-based organization Iran Human Rights said on Saturday that at least 185 people have been killed in the uprising ignited by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The NGO added that about 20 of the killed were minors.
The protests first erupted in Mahsa Amini’s hometown Saqqez and capital Tehran and soon spread to all over the country and garnered support from Iranian expatriate communities around the world as well as foreign governments and officials.