Report: Hizbullah Fighters Advance to Syria-Jordan Border
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Hizbullah fighters have been advancing swiftly into southern Syria and have reached the flashpoint southern town of Daraa near the border with Jordan, media reports said on Tuesday.
A source close to Hizbullah told the Kuwaiti al-Qabas newspaper that Hizbullah fighters played a significant role in helping the regime troops to take full power of the strategic town of Kherbet Ghazleh near the highway linking the capital Damascus with Jordan.
The source pointed out that Hizbullah fighters are not just groups backing the army regime but comprehensive fighting units that includes a full logistic team.
It said that Hizbullah's military leadership is organizing the transfer of the units and providing them with weapons.
Last week, rebels withdrew from Khirbet Ghazaleh area after several days of fighting.
Government forces conducted house-to-house searches Monday as troops reopened the highway, restoring the supply line between Damascus and the contested provincial capital of Daraa.
Hizbullah Chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged recently that members of his group are fighting inside Syria and suggested Iran and other states could intervene to support the Syrian regime against rebel fighters.
The party, a staunch backer of Bashar Assad's regime, had announced several burials in past months, without elaborating on the circumstances of its members' deaths.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the opposition say the army is backed by elite fighters from Hizbullah.
Hizbullah's involvement in Syria's spiraling conflict has been condemned by the Syrian opposition, which views it as a "declaration of war," and by the March 14 alliance in Lebanon.
Since it began in March 2011, Syria's conflict has fueled local tensions between the communities in Lebanon, with bouts of street fighting and kidnappings.
14 May 2013, 10:42
120
ehh bravo soon enough syria will be cleaned and gov restored. nothing will stand in front of elite HA. good work Sayed...empire Iran/syria/leb back on track.
14 May 2013, 11:23
131
For the upset voter, hope your wishes come true and the fight will come to you in Lebanon.
15 May 2013, 06:53
10
I agree with you jc .......... thumbs up from me.
I wish war would be nowhere, but if war is a must then let it be outside Lebanon.
14 May 2013, 11:17
26
FT - Do you really believe that they are fighting the Al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda? The dominant rebel faction in al-Qusayr and Homs is the Farouq brigade which had several encounters with Al-nusra. In the Dar'a area, Al-Nusra has very small presense.
14 May 2013, 11:25
36
hitler would have loved to have you as a pet flamethrower.your capacity to rationalize (its more of a failed attempt) the irrational is uncanny.
14 May 2013, 13:19
53
Russia's decision to ship sophisticated SAMs to Syria has changed the equation ... Assad's forces have thrown back the FSA and Al Nusra and the only hope for the GCC and NATO was a no-fly zone. NATO could use Israel as a de-facto air power within severe limits but the Russian move complicates that ...
Erdogan is now becoming very unpopular in Turkey ... He submitted to the GCC-NATO plan for the ousting of Assad and now looks like a lackey. Not so long ago Erdogan was seen as a rising star in ME politics. No more for now ... Look for Erdogan to now push for a political settlement and soon ... He is choking on the GCC-NATO leash at home ...
With the commitment of Russia to air cover and deployment of their Pacific Fleet in the Mediterranean and Iran sending men and material the Civil War in Syria looks all but over for the FSA and Al Nusra. That the FSA and Al Nusra did not see this spring offensive until too late will be their undoing.
14 May 2013, 14:32
52
The FSA and Al Nusra will be starved of supplies ... Lebanon has already been shut down, Turkey will follow leaving the small border with Jordan to police for supplies.
Both Turkey and Jordan are straining under the weight of refugees and will opt for a political solution for their own stability. Already we see protests in Turkey calling for Erdogan to step down.
We are closer to the end game than you think. In the US former officials are screaming to avoid any kind of further US involvement including high ranking generals, Defense Secretaries and Stae Secretaries.
If Assad's troops don't kill the Qaeda the Turkish troops will ... same for Jordan troops or the Hezbollah Militia in lebanon. As far as revenge the KSA is already in full operation mode from Libya to Pakistan and beyond ... more below
14 May 2013, 14:32
41
from above ...
Qaeda will find no home in Syria should Assad triumph ... You can bet on that ... It is only a matter of time before the FSA turns on Al Nusra to take back their homes and towns ... If anyone should fear Qaeda it should be the KSA, France, Britain and the US for what will be an epic betrayal ...
14 May 2013, 16:15
31
@ the1phoenix ...
I respectfully point out that Iran, Russia, China and Hezbollah are not going to allow this Syrian War to go on and on despite what the GCC-NATO alliance wants. They'll do what it takes to help Assad mop up the opposition.
The GCC-NATO hegemony in the middle east is coming to an end. The US-NATO countries have lost everywhere. Iraq, Afghanistan are lost and soon Libya will be on fire once more. The KSA can not hide anymore. They are being outed as the biggest terrorist paymasters on the planet ...
Syria is a game changer is a huge way and Assad and his new allies will be cementing their strategic achievements as a bulwark against the GCC-NATO influence in MENA. Look for NATO to have to put boots on the ground in Libya soon ... That will keep them busy for a while as they failed to finish business there the first time around.
14 May 2013, 16:20
21
Assad will recover rather quickly ... People will want normalcy after all that has transpired. When GCC-NATO used Qaeda they changed the whole equation ... Syrians do not want a Wahhabi government what so ever ... they are too westernized for that ... The people of Syria will blame the GCC and NATO not Assad for their misery.
14 May 2013, 16:20
11
mckinl, you are delusional if you think assad can ever retake all of syria and put things back to normal. The cat is out of the bag as they say. Even if he survives this, which I doubt, syria will be destroyed, he will be forever despised and opposed and at best he will have a rump state to control with his alawite and hezbollah buddies. You also are counting too early on the non-involvement of the US, Turkey etc. The US wants a political solution but they will not just hand over syria back to iran and russia. Despite their weak inaction, I believe they are committed to seeing assad go. That being said, I wonder if phoenix is right that the these big powers are letting this thing drag out for their own purposes....
14 May 2013, 17:20
10
The US-NATO-GCC have no choice in the matter ... There is no way that any country, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, All of NATO or the GCC countries are going to put boots on the ground as has Iran done.
The Western-GCC alliance has been defeated unless they want an all out war in the entire region, perhaps WWIII ... The US is exhausted, all the important honchos are against it and no one else can take their place in Syria.
Russia, Iran and China are trying to give the GCC-NATO crew the easiest way out ... give up and go home while you still haven't made any huge blunders or there will be Hell to pay. Kerry is running around trying to salvage anything he can and looking pathetic for his efforts ...
Syria will need a strongman for a while ... You can't go from this civil war to a fully democratic government and everyone knows it as do the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya ... For the time being Assad or a proxy are in store for Syria ...
14 May 2013, 17:50
02
This is your wishful thinking. Despite what you say, the US still has the BEST military in the world. Yes, we are tired and battered but most of the troops are home or coming home soon and they will regroup. I generally don't support these overseas adventures but I say this only because you seem to think that the US is incapable of going to war. This is far from the truth.
We don't need any favors from Iran and Russia, I can tell you that. So keep dreaming about assad as your "strongman" or more likely the dead man walking. You talk as if we only give him a chance, he will transform into a democratic government!? hahahaha
14 May 2013, 18:03
10
@ idris_gray
Maybe you didn't read what I wrote ... All the important players are against US boots on the ground in Syria ... Former high ranking generals, state secretaries, secretaries of defense and foreign policy experts ...
The US military has failed in Afghanistan and Iraq costing the US trillions of dollars and the enmity of the rest of the world. The US Military is always capable of going to war ... the question is: Is the US military capable of creating peace and stability? The answer so far has been a resounding NO.
14 May 2013, 18:34
02
Nobody is talking about boots on the ground. I never supported that and neither do most Americans. This would be a disaster no doubt. you don't need american boots on the ground to tip the balance considerably. Air power could be used for one thing, or simply just give the FSA the major weapons they need to win. That's what they have been asking for all along...as for peace and stability, assad sure as hell can't provide that which is obvious!!!
14 May 2013, 18:44
10
@ idris_gray
The UN Security Council is not about to give NATO permission for air operations over Syria ... Russia and China will veto that once again.
There is nothing left for the US to do except to try and arm the terrorist rebels which is actually against the law as it stands ... Al Nusra has been declared terrorist.
At this point there is nothing the US can do legally without making the situation much worse. You can thank the Hillary and the KSA for allowing Syria to become such a quagmire ... Just as they did in Libya which is now falling to pieces ...
14 May 2013, 19:20
02
mckinl, your assessment of the situation is completely one sided. The US doesn't need permission from anyone to arm the rebels. They are the Free Syria Army, not al nusra. Please understand the distinction. Syria is already in pieces if you haven't noticed. It won't even begin to start being put back together until the butcher is gone.
15 May 2013, 09:56
00
its a national and patriotic Duty .. every Lebanese Duty!
and by the way am not Rambo!
14 May 2013, 13:53
00
the only rational thing to do for us true Lebanese is to create a resistance of the Lebanese people as wing to the army and resist everything that is not Lebanese patriot starting with hizbo.
14 May 2013, 14:17
00
after reading all comments ,it seems that we are heading to a new SYKES-PICOT, a religious one , with some ethnic cleansing,kissinger again.
14 May 2013, 14:19
00
Aucun complexe le Hassan, il se croit tout permis.. J'espere qu'apres la Syrie il va pas liberer la Jordanie de son roi par ex. et j'adore le General 'Stockholm syndrome Aoun' il le suit comme si il n'a jamais ete Libanais ou chef de l'armee Libanaise ...
14 May 2013, 14:19
23
unfortunately guys you are still looking at this backwards:
- the US/Russia/EU have a different goal than the ones you are talking about, and that is: keep all extremists fighting each other in Syria.
- the other day, just England advised that over 600 extremists on their soil, under terrorist watch, had left to fight in Syria. these are 600 less persons they have to worry about.
- same goes for iran and hizbushaitan, sending money and people to Syria.
14 May 2013, 14:23
23
without any effort, these countries of the so called first world are depleting iran monetary reserves, until it implodes from the inside, and at the same time, Russia is benefitting from all the arms sales.
even when Russia is selling high tech weaponry, they advise the Israelis od the sale so they blow them away.
same is true for the US and EU who are benefitting from weapons sales paid for by the gulf.
whenever one side is succeeding, they allow the other to take back some control, keeping the balance, so they keep killing each other.
14 May 2013, 14:27
24
no one will win this war in the end but Russia, US and the EU, as they would have kept their economies working, and at the same time they are achieving the best goal to have all these extremists kill each other away from them. do not forget the cost of rebuilding Syria in the future :)
I do agree with phoenix that the stupid involvement of hizbushaitan will draw severe repercussions on Lebanon, and ultimately we will pay the price for their mistakes.
anyway, expect Israel to wipe hizbushaitan in the near future while they are so deeply involved in Syria: it is an occasion too good to be missed for the Israeli revenge.
14 May 2013, 14:44
41
Wrong Geha ...
The war in Syria is turning for Assad ... Once he gains strategic advantage the end will come quickly as the FSA and Al Nusra run out of supplies ...
14 May 2013, 15:10
24
the us, eu, and Russia will make sure the fsa does not run out of supplies, thus tipping once more the balance.
you wish to dream, be my guest, and if you want reality, then look at the events since they started till now from this angle, and things will make more sense.
14 May 2013, 15:30
21
Geha says:
" Russia will make sure the fsa does not run out of supplies ... "
Where you came up with this idea I have no idea ... in fact, I'd rather not know ...
14 May 2013, 15:46
11
it seems to me you have a thick mind!
what I said is: the us, eu, and Russia will make sure the fsa does not run out of supplies.
yes they are all in on this: surprised? if you are then you do not know how to analyze properly what is going on.
14 May 2013, 16:01
21
@ geha ...
You say ...
Russia will supply the FSA if the US & EU can't ...
LOL !!!
14 May 2013, 16:05
21
mckinl
you really have a problem to comprehend what is written and in front of your face :)
end of conversation.
15 May 2013, 04:07
00
The only point I disagree with is Russia being involved...They are not going to ever support a group who's most radical can be linked to radical Islamist in Afghanistan and Chechnya. That's just ridiculous. The Russians have very low tolerance in dealing with religious fundamentalists and please don't consider their relationship with Iran to be of any real value. Russia hasn't contributed to any formal doctrine that is currently owned by Iran, they mainly deal with supplying weapons, and third generation ones might I add.
15 May 2013, 05:50
00
@bigjohn I was disagreeing with Geha on what he said about Russians supporting the FSA.
On what you said about Russian and Iranian relations, what you are saying isn't arguable. Russians do see Iran in better light than Saudi or another U.S partnered KSA country, I don't disagree. What I was saying is that Russia does not maintain ties with Iran based on mutual interests, nor has Russia's doctrine ever led it to be positioned alongside religious establishments, even when considering u.s counterbalance. From the agreements exacted between Iran and Russia up to date, there is nothing that speaks of anything beyond trade commitments. Russia has not gained any political power over Iran or Syria by vetoing on their behalf. Everything points to a status quo, and in it, there are only energy and arms deals being enacted. The extent of support is what's important, if we saw everything as a 0-sum game, then we wouldn't be too far off from neoconservative estimates and suggestions!
15 May 2013, 09:05
00
what you are saying confirms exactly what I said :)
Russia is helping assad and iran while the us and eu are helping the FSA.
both are doing it for the purposes I stated above: i.e. have all extremists come to Syria to kill each other. aren't there chechnyans in Syria?
regarding the relationship with iran: Russia is benefitting from draining their money for arming assad, as well as the nuclear plants they are building for them.
later on these plants will be destroyed as what happened in Iraq and Syria.
you are close to seeing the bigger scheme guys, just open your minds a little bit more.
14 May 2013, 15:58
14
phoenix
thank you for the congrats, and if you noticed it has been a while I am no replying to insults.
just posting my opinion which drags so much hatred and insults as always.
what bothers me is if some people do not like my comments, why insult me? then again I realized that my comments must be representing their worst fears, thus the angry reactions.
14 May 2013, 16:16
00
for thirty years, we had the green lines during the civil war, and being young at the time, I did not understand why no one could step over these lines!
now and after so many years, we are seeing the same bloody civil war happening in Syria, and the same scenarios again: I take a town here, you take a town there, and tomorrow, it will be the opposite.
failing to see this is the problem. and so many people are getting killed for nothing, just to enrich the super powers.
Lebanon was a rich country that once upon a time other countries would be lending money from us. look at us today!
with the oil now, God knows what will happen.
15 May 2013, 04:30
00
Mckinl, Russia has not supplied Syria with any advanced weaponry. They still rely on radar systems that can be countered by aerial jammers, means they either don't have enough, or have a sub-par system that can only catch movement at stationary angles. Secondly, those systems are extremely expensive, and Russia has never delivered anything Syria cannot pay for.
14 May 2013, 16:21
13
putin comment of today:
In this crucial period it is especially important to avoid any moves that can shake the situation.
what do you guys understand from that? and I mean the last part of the sentence: avoid any moves that can shake the situation.
their agreement is to keep the balance as is unchanged.....
14 May 2013, 16:35
32
The situation is that the Assad forces are now winning and winning in a big way ... Putin was telling Bibi to "back off" Israel's interference or risk international escalation.
What he meant was there would be no tolerance of escalation by Israel or NATO and that he was sending his Pacific Fleet to the Mediterranean to see to that.
14 May 2013, 16:35
00
Give Asir a rifle and send him up there to fight them off before they get back to Lebanon.
14 May 2013, 17:25
70
Why do you assume that the sunni radicals followed Hezbollahs involvement, my understanding is the other way around. Another thing Phoenix, do you recall at the outset of the syrian conflict, you had members of the FSA and SN, threatening Hezbollah, claiming they were coming for them next after Bashar was gone. How do you expect Hezbollah to have such enemies only a few kilometers from Baalbeck. I am sure that was the plan all along, Israel from the south and al-nusra from the east.
14 May 2013, 17:27
14
The terroristas of Hizballa will spare no one, kids, women, innocent men.... Because theyre using drugs and desire one thing: BLOOD!
14 May 2013, 17:35
41
yes i got that vibe from phoenix as well, while i may respect his ethics on this board, I often sense a rather pro march 14 on his part even though he tries to come across as neutral and objective, and in fairness, sometimes he is.
15 May 2013, 04:27
03
First off, I am sorry I missed reading this thread as it is by far the most civilized banter ever witnessed in Naharnet.
@the1phoenix is more than able to defend his views so this is not a comment in his defense, rather a query of @awireless and @cityboy as to why should neutrality be a prerequisite to offering a balanced view or argument? We all have philosophical leanings regardless and yet still be able to be balanced and call a spade a spade even when it is manifested by those that share our philosophical bent.
For example, from @awireless's comment his leanings are clearly more M8 and yet his comment was not offensive and well within the norms of civil discourse.
Therefore I submit to you that one can be objective even if one has philosophical leaning to one political stance or another. It is those that are only capable of expressing their point of view via insults and crassness that are abhorring.
15 May 2013, 04:32
02
The most reviled trait of some who hold opposing views is their resorting to labeling those who disagree with them as traitors.
15 May 2013, 09:12
00
wishfull thinking does not make it reality, and believe me the reality of what is going on is far from what each of us would wish.
personally I wish that Lebanon is weapons free, neutral, and economically strong.
is it a dream? yes, in the current context of things it is a dream.
is it the wrong dream? for me it is the right dream. although I realize that for some it is not the correct dream! they were brought up under the culture of death and the awaiting virgins.... this is their goal....
15 May 2013, 21:00
00
Just proves that the fight in Syria is an existential threat to Hezbullah, and the sectarian branches sprouting from Iran, through Iraq, Syria and encroaching on Lebanon.
26 August 2013, 09:52
00
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