Iranians off to join 'holy war'
2006-07-26 22:01
Tehran - Surrounded by yellow Hezbollah flags, more than 60 Iranian volunteers set off on Wednesday to join what they called a holy war against Israeli forces in Lebanon.
The group - ranging from teenagers to grandfathers - plans to join about 200 other volunteers on the way to the Turkish border, which they hope to cross on Thursday.
They plan to reach Lebanon via Syria on the weekend.
Organisers said the volunteers were carrying no weapons, and it was not clear whether Turkey would allow them to pass.
Iranians, however, can enter Turkey without a visa and stay for three months.
Iran says it will not send regular forces to aid Hezbollah, but apparently it will not attempt to stop volunteer guerrillas.
Iran and Syria are Hezbollah's main sponsors.
"We are just the first wave of Islamic warriors from Iran," said Amir Jalilinejad, chair of the Student Justice Movement, a non-government group that helped recruit the fighters.
"More will come from here and other Muslim nations around the world.
"Hezbollah needs our help."
One of the volunteers, 72-year-old Hasan Honavi - who has combat experience from the 1980-88 war with Iraq - said: "God made this decision for me.
"I still have fight left in me for a holy war."
- AP