Sabra: Syria War Becoming Sectarian over Hizbullah Role
The leader of Syria's main opposition group on Friday warned that the involvement of Hizbullah is transforming the war in Syria into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, and says peace negotiations aren't possible as long as Hizbullah and Iran are fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's regime.
George Sabra, acting head of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, told The Associated Press that Syria was under occupation from foreign troops and urged the international community to act now or risk the Syrian conflict spreading to other parts of the Middle East.
"The intervention of Hizbullah starts to transfer the problem into a sectarian conflict, a sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites," he said. "The problem will (spread) all over the Middle East, to Lebanon, to Turkey, to Iraq, to Jordan and maybe to the Gulf."
He said that Hizbullah fighters, who back Assad's regime, are now "all over the country," including in Aleppo and Damascus. His claims could not be independently verified.
"If our country (is) under occupation of foreign troops of Hizbullah and Iran, nobody can talk about peaceful initiative," he said. "The problem is not between the Syrian people and the regime; it is between the Syrian people and invasion of Hizbullah and Iran."
His comments came after Assad's forces captured the strategic town of Qusayr due in large part to Hizbullah fighters' increasing role and the West's continued reluctance to arm the rebels out of fear they might fall into the hands of Islamic extremists fighting in the rebel ranks.
The capture of the town near the Lebanese border was portrayed by Syrian state-run media as a turning point in the civil war that has lasted longer than two years and killed tens of thousands of people.
Hizbullah has justified its involvement in the fight for Qusayr by saying it is protecting Lebanon from Sunni extremists among the ranks of rebels fighting Assad.
Sabra was in Copenhagen to meet with Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal as he seeks support from Western capitals.
08 June 2013, 07:38
610
I'm pretty sure the war has been sectarian-based from the beginning. Why else would FSA-Al Qaeda kidnapped 11 Shiite pilgrims?
08 June 2013, 10:32
45
Indeed ... All these reports are to cause more sectarian violence ... that is the game plan of the US-GCC cabal. They will use any means to promote hatred between Sunnis and the Shia to plunge Lebanon into chaos.
The US-GCC cabal is furious over their debacle in Syria and now they will take revenge anywhere and on anyone they can. These Imperialists and Wahhabi know no honor, know no compassion only death and destruction.
08 June 2013, 11:09
44
are you for real?"The US-GCC cabal is furious over their debacle in Syria "
come on man! qusayr was known for weeks to fall, and we were all surprised it lasted so long :)
do you really believe you wan the war?
you are in for a huge surprise.
what was achieved in this round was a sudden increase in sectarian strife between sunnis and shia across the world!
failing to see this outcome is being really blind.
08 June 2013, 11:49
44
@ geha
The increase in sectarian strife is a direct result of instigations by the US and the KSA to destabilize the region. Their plot has been exposed and will be dealt with.
As far as Syria unless and until the US and NATO break international law and UN resolutions Assad will assuredly prevail. And this is after billions invested by Qatar and the KSA to overthrow Assad.
The barking noises made by McCain and other Western politicians are just a smokescreen designed to cover their humiliating withdrawal from the Syrian War and their betrayal of Qaeda in Syria.
The US-NATO-GCC gambit in Syria is in tatters and their attempts at inciting bloodshed are exposed for all the world to see ... That you can not understand the extent of this defeat says much about you.
08 June 2013, 12:13
44
my dear
putting it all on the us is just plain dumb.
iran is playing solde on this one by its involvement in Syria for the reasons I explained. btw the result is sectarian strife which would have been the minimum to expect for any rational analyst.
I am sure Iranians did not think this one through, otherwise they would have avoided direct military involvement in this war.
we are up to a 50 years sectarian war across the world.
08 June 2013, 12:50
43
@ geha says "putting it all on the us is just plain dumb."
But I never "put it all on the US" ... Plainly I said the "US-GCC cabal" ... or can't you read?
Pity you can't understand the facts on the ground ... the US-GCC cabal has lost ... The US was correct in not sending in soldiers.
The US has lost the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War and what was left of its' favorable world opinion.
China now industrializes Afghanistan and buys Iraqi oil after the US spent 4 trillion dollars to conquer these countries ...
The US favorability is now below 10% in most of MENA and central Asia ... Bush's staggering defeats have crippled American aggression.
08 June 2013, 12:57
44
you are entitld to your opinion, but that does not mean this is correct.
I will not debate who won and who did not win as this takes a few years to discern properly.
08 June 2013, 08:10
73
all that iran wants is to be acknowledged to sit on the international table so that it is the prime negotiator for the middle east.
what prompted their intervention in Syria is the west refusal to have them at the discussions table, thus no deal for them. this is why they upped their military involvement to show all they were the key player.
however if this plays with the west, it will not play with sunnis across the region and in the world.
iran will now be isolated in the muslim world, which is worse for them than the us and international sanctions to start with.
08 June 2013, 08:15
72
furthermore, they awakened the sunni/shia hatred, and that is something they will soon regret doing, as this is a 50 year war that they started.
iran doomed shias across the world with their actions in Syria and for that there will be no forgiveness from sunnis.
shia and hizbushaitan have made tremendous efforts to highlight some wrongful extremist sunnis actions, considering them as what to expect. however sunnis in their majority are not like that profile, but now after this, expect extremism within sunnis to increase exponentially fast.
08 June 2013, 08:17
72
unless there is some action soon from world powers against iran and hizbushaitan, we will have a 50 year sectarian war across the world on our hands.
will the world act?
doubtfull, as they prefer muslims to kill each other away from them.
will it remain away from them?
doubtfull, as this sectarian war will engulf the whole world and will generate extremists a lot worse than ousama bin laden.
decisive times.....
08 June 2013, 08:51
51
I do not agree to that actually.
I believe they killed Hariri as a political statement advising all they took Lebanon.
sunni/shia strife is not in their interest, but they did everything towards reaching this point, and now it is going to destroy all of us.
they are the new hitler of our times: they attack in all directions without properly thinking of the end results.
and we all know where it landed hitler in the end.
08 June 2013, 09:55
00
Can someone ask Abou Jreij Sabra about the latest news re. the two kidnapped SECTARIAN bishops? Oh, Dr. Arreet 7akeh of Syria is busy working for the charitable and humanitarian al-Nusra. Perhaps our own Dr. Arreet 7akeh will find time within his busy schedule of of almost daily nonsensical and pointless blabber at the symposiums of the bland-faced Drs. Arteena Satleh to secure their release.
08 June 2013, 11:30
45
Who does this fool think his fooling? Syrian conflict has been sectarian from the first rally that was held. It's never suited GCC members & co to have Syria ruled by an Alawite.
08 June 2013, 12:56
35
Alpha, what are you talking about? One FSA member ate a heart and was condemned by his own. During our civil war, our various militias would do horrible things every day, including cutting open bodies. And what the syrian regime has been doing to lebanon and syria for over 30 years is worse than what the FSA stands for.
Don't be all romantic about lebanese abroad sending money back to relatives in lebanon since syrians and all other immigrants abroad do the same for their relatives back home.
09 June 2013, 05:56
00
These hypocrites get all emotional about one heart eating incident but not a peep out of them when bashar's dogs shoot dozens of women and children in the head and torture thousands of people.
08 June 2013, 12:58
33
Doubt it. Usually weekends arent busy on naharnet yet all of a sudden karim has 7 lol, when not even on weekdays he gets that. Those up votes on m8 comments come from the same person.
08 June 2013, 13:01
33
have you seen lately OTV's comments? fpm is involved directly and are basing their strategy on hizbushaitan plainly. thus there is no way of entente with them.
actually they are the enemy from within....
08 June 2013, 16:31
41
Ya Phoenix, first of all, the regime damaged more churches than the FSA did. Second, how can you say "let bashar rule becuase he never hurt our churches!?" how about all th children and others he has slaughtered? Are churches more important than the children of syria? With all due respect, the life of one child is worth more than a thousand churches (or mosques for mthat matter.)
09 June 2013, 02:25
00
Brother I understand your concerns but what you said just isn't true. First you repeat the big lie that all the FSA are "salafists" This is just not true. Are all sunnis who are not baathists salafis now?! Also please show me some evidence that the FSA have killed christians on account of their religion.
08 June 2013, 14:45
00
Syria's war is not becoming sectarian of Hizballah role, you are a commercial rebel like all the others. I would advise you to read BBC Lyse Doucet, Chief International Correspondent, Quote: Battered Church of St. Elias, has not been destroyed but also desecrated. Its marble floor is now carpeted in rubble and broken glass. Religious icons are defaced, prayer books are burnet, the altar smashed.
Syrian rebels do not commit those crimes, its their hired and paid mercenaries from abroad. Syria war is not sectarian over Hizballa role so please stop this commercial talk, you are there as a figure to give the impression that you are a Christian, once your role is done they will kick you out like piece of garbage
08 June 2013, 16:42
21
I still cannot get over the fact that the Christian Bosnian Serbs were about to attack Lebanon, that's why Hezbollah's mercs allied themselves with the Americans and Takfiris and killed those Serb Christian armed bands over there in Bosnia and Herzegovina before they came over here.
08 June 2013, 17:36
43
Sabra is the 'leader' of an organization run by the Islamic Brotherhood, Qatar and Saudi Arabia -- all of whom hate Christians and put Sabra in to be their naive stooge.
