Mobs attack home of Iranian opposition leader.(Front)

By Brian Murphy and Nasser Karimi

The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran

Pro-government crowds swarmed outside the battered home of an Iranian opposition leader Friday after militiamen attacked with firebombs and beat a bodyguard unconscious in a brazen message of intimidation .

The assault on Mahdi Karroubi's five-story residence late Thursday - just hours before major state-backed rallies - displayed the growing tactics of trying to isolate and harass top opposition figures after relentless crackdowns appear to have driven protesters from the streets.

Karroubi, 72, a cleric and former parliament speaker, has been the most public protest leader in recent months - and has paid the price with repeated damage to his car and tense confrontations with backers of the Islamic state. But the latest backlash, described by a pro-reform website, was by far the most aggressive.

Mobs of militiamen - known as Basij - began breaking down the front door of Karroubi's residence before being driven back by warning shots from guards, according to the Sahamnews website, which supports Iran's pro-reform movement.

Karroubi was home at the time, but was not injured, his son Hossein said .

Media restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities blocked journalists from reaching the site and independently verifying the accounts. A video posted on the Internet by a group backing the opposition showed smashed windows and graffiti on the walls and door panel of the house .

Hossein Karroubi said dozens of hard-liners continued to damage the opposition leader's home Friday and that police were not responding to the scene. Some security cameras outside the building were torn down, he said.