Qassem Says Hizbullah Prevented IS from 'Erecting Checkpoints in Jounieh, Beirut, Sidon'
Hizbullah on Friday announced that the latest battles in Brital's outskirts were aimed at “creating an emirate” on the border of the Bekaa, claiming advances in the mountains of Syria's Qalamun region in the face of “takfiri” groups.
“Lebanon has fended off the threats of the Syrian crisis through the wisdom of its rational men, the Lebanese army's resilience and steadfastness, and the performance of Hizbullah and its allies,” Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem announced during a memorial service.
“Had it not been for these honorable and courageous stances, the battles would have moved to every neighborhood and region in Lebanon,” he noted.
On Sunday, Hizbullah managed to repel a major assault on its posts along the Lebanese-Syrian border by militants who came from Syria's Assal al-Ward. The party liberated one of its posts after fierce battles with the gunmen and clashes are still underway in the Syrian region.
“I will repeat a statement we have said several times -- had it not been for Hizbullah, the ISIL (Islamic State) group would have established its emirate on Lebanon's eastern border … had it not been for Hizbullah, the ISIL would have been manning checkpoints in Jounieh, Beirut, Sidon and every region in Lebanon,” Qassem added.
“Thank God we went to Syria and fought at the appropriate time, and we were where we should have been to foil this great danger and rein it in,” he went on to say.
Qassem pledged that the armed groups “will not be able to secure a single safe haven in the villages they were kicked out of by the (Hizbullah) jihadists who confronted them alongside the heroes of the Syrian army.”
Responding to calls in Lebanon that Hizbullah should withdraw from Syria, Qassem said such a call is equivalent to “demanding an end to the resistance against Israel.”
“How would you defend Lebanon if you want to strip it of its strength, capabilities and assets?” Qassem added, addressing the rival March 14 coalition.
“We won't leave Lebanon exposed to the ISIL, al-Nusra or Israel to satisfy the losers who are searching for a status and a role at the expense of others,” Hizbullah number two vowed.
Y.R.
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