Group’s leader has accused the US and Israel of supporting jihadists in Syria and called on Arab nations to support Damascus
Hezbollah will help Syria fight back jihadists and is calling on Arab countries to support Damascus in its battle, Naim Qassem, the acting leader of the Lebanese militant group, said in a speech on Thursday.
“Aggression on Syria is sponsored by America and Israel,” he claimed, adding that Islamists “have always been their tools since 2011, when the problem began in Syria.”
The country was plunged into a protracted war in 2011, as various anti-government groups sought to topple the government of President Bashar Assad. Jihadist forces, particularly those employing foreign fighters and getting military assistance from abroad, emerged as dominant players among the opposition. Meanwhile, the US and other Western nations, which demanded that “Assad must go,” claimed that “moderate rebels” could ultimately prevail in the conflict.
Russia intervened in the hostilities in 2015, lending its airpower to Damascus. Assad’s forces restored control over most of the country, but some places, including Idlib province near the Turkish border, remain outside of its reach.
The situation deteriorated last week when the Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group (formerly known as Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra) and its allies launched a large-scale surprise attack in the northwestern part of the country. The insurgents have driven back government forces and captured significant chunks of territory in Aleppo and Idlib, also succeeding in surrounding the key city of Hama earlier on Thursday.
Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham, which translates as “Organization for the Liberation of the Levant” and is commonly known as HTS, is considered a terrorist organization by Syria, Russia, Iran, the US, and other countries.
Hezbollah’s Qassem claimed that the US is trying to “create chaos in Syria and move Syria from the resistance position to the other hostile position that serves the Israeli enemy,” but expressed hopes in Damascus overcoming it.
He also appealed to Arab nations and to the Muslim community, calling on them to help Syria fight against jihadists, and accusing Arabs of silently watching what is happening, comparing it to the war in Gaza and Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Hezbollah, which also has been designated as a terrorist group by over 20 countries, including most Western ones, began sporadically shelling Israeli territories, proclaiming solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza.
In early October, Israel invaded southern Lebanon, ramping up airstrikes on Beirut and other cities, and eliminating several high-ranking Hezbollah members, including the group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah. However, a truce took hold last week, under the terms of which the Israel Defense Forces must withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days and cede control of held territory to the Lebanese army, while an international committee will be tasked with adjudicating violation complaints.
