TEHRAN, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Iran's Basij volunteer militia gathered in central Tehran on Thursday to mark the 30th anniversary of Basij Day.

Female members of Iran's Islamic Basij militia attend a ceremony to mark Basij week in Tehran, capital of Iran, Nov. 26, 2009. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz) Photo Gallery>>>

    The crowd of the Basij, which means mobilization in Farsi, both men and women clad in military uniform and organized in military lay-out, carried placards and chanted slogans against the United States and Israel.

    Iran's Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday on the eve of Basij Day that due to the influence and might of Iran and Islam in the region, Israel is no longer "a threat in the region," according to the satellite Press TV.

    The Basij, founded by the founding father of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khomeini in November 1979, is a large and omnipresent paramilitary organization with multiple roles.

    The forces which act as the eyes and ears of Iran's Islamic regime are present in schools, universities, state and private institutions, factories and even in the villages.

    In November, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assigned the Basij forces to fight the threat of soft regime change plots.

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