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Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |||
Hezbollah seizes hills from al-Qaida in Syrian province bordering Israel | |||
2015-05-26 | |||
Hezbollah fighters have captured two hilltops from al-Qaida's Syria wing Nusra Front in areas close to the Lebanese border and have killed dozens of enemy combatants, Hezbollah-run Al-Manar television reported on Monday. It said in a newsflash that the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group had captured the hilltops of Quba'a and Naqar in Syria's southwestern Quinetra province, which lies in sensitive territory close to Lebanon and Israel. Iranian-backed Hezbollah has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad in his country's civil war. The group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah,
Nasrallah told thousands of supporters via video link that Hezbollah was willing to increase its presence in Syria when needed and that the fight was part of a wider strategy to prevent groups like Nusra Front and Islamic State from taking over the region. "Our presence will increase whenever it should... Yes, we are not present in one place in Syria and not the other. We will be everywhere in Syria," he said during a celebration to mark the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Lebanon.
Nasrallah went on to accuse its domestic rivals from the Sunni Future Movement of supporting the jihadist groups and warned that “they will be the first victims,” according to Al-Manar. He addressed the Christians, asking who would protect them from this threat. Nasrallah called on the peoples of the region to unite against the Jihadists. The Hezbollah leader also warned that the US could not help them against the jihadists. "Soon, it will be the ISIS anniversary of occupying Mosul... The international coalition led by the United States, what have they done? Let’s not talk politics or intentions, but what have they done?" said Nasrallah, according to The Daily Star. The head of the Future Movement, former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, countered Nasrallah’s speech saying that the state is responsible for protecting the country, not Hezbollah.
“Defending the land, sovereignty and dignity is not the responsibility of Hezbollah, neither in Arsal, nor in its outskirts, or in any other area,” said Hariri. Hariri also rejected Nasrallah’s call for unity in Lebanon and the region to fight the jihadists: “The popular mobilization equation has no place in Lebanon. We will not cover any call for it under any circumstances,” he said. “But if what is required is to disengage Lebanon from the fires in the region, the issue is very simple. We go back to the state, unite around its authority and support the Army and the legitimate security forces in protecting the borders and facing the dangers of terrorism, wherever it comes from,” added Hariri, according to the report. | |||
Posted by:Steve White |