Nasrallah: Some March 14 Supporters Back Our Syria Intervention, Regime Not Facing Collapse Threat Anymore
Some of March 14's supporters are with Hizbullah's military intervention in Syria and the Syrian regime is “not facing the threat of collapse anymore,” Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has announced.
“We're not facing a problem with our supporters regarding our involvement in Syria. On the contrary, some of those who were hesitant have now made up their minds and decided to support our choice,” Nasrallah said in excerpts of an interview with As Safir newspaper that will be published Monday.
“I can say that some March 14 supporters are with our intervention in Syria to protect Lebanon from the terrorist takfiri groups,” he added.
And as Hizbullah's leader voiced his belief that “the Syrian regime is not facing the threat of collapse anymore,” Nasrallah noted that “we have overcome the threat of partitioning and the military choice (against the regime) has failed.”
“The battle of Syria is not aimed at creating democracy and justice or combating corruption, but rather at changing Syria's position and stance, given the several offers that have been received by Syrian President Bashar Assad,” Nasrallah stated.
He pointed out that most countries have voiced support for a political solution to the Syrian conflict, expecting further stubbornness in the Russian stance in the coming period.
Nasrallah also expressed his satisfaction over the course of events in southern Syria and on its northern border with Turkey, referring to the Daraa and Kasab regions.
Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian conflict has been controversial in Lebanon, where many critics have accused the group of entangling Lebanon in the conflict.
The party's strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa have been targeted in a string of car and suicide bomb attacks that have killed civilians, with jihadist groups saying the blasts are revenge for Hizbullah's role in the Syria conflict.
In February, Nasrallah said the attacks, and others in Syria against religious minorities, proved that the group needed to fight extremism in Syria to protect Lebanon.
Syrian troops backed by Hizbullah fighters have been making fresh gains in the strategic Qalamoun region near the border with Lebanon. Hizbullah says deadly car bombs targeting the movement in Lebanon were rigged with explosives in the Qalamoun area.
In mid-March they seized the rebels' last major stronghold in the region, the town of Yabrud, and have since moved on rebel-held villages closer to the border.
And in June last year, Hizbullah's instrumental assistance helped the Syrian army regain the strategic town of Qusayr in Homs' countryside from rebel hands.
Y.R.
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