FSA Joint Command Denies Link to Statement Promising Reprisal for Hizbullah 'Intervention'
A statement attributed to the Free Syrian Army gave Hizbullah on Tuesday a 48-hour ultimatum to halt its alleged operations in Syrian territories, warning that it will retaliate to the sources of fire inside Lebanon.
“If Hizbullah didn't halt shelling Syrian territories, villages and civilians from Lebanese territories within 48 hours, we will strike back,” a statement attributed to the rebel FSA said.
It urged citizens to stay away from Hizullah's missile launchers and military bases.
But Fahd al-Masri, spokesman for the Joint Command of the Free Syrian Army, denied to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) any link for FSA's Joint Command to the alleged warning.
The statement pointed out that the FSA will confront the “criminal regime of (President Bashar) Assad, its gangs and the mercenaries aiding it in Syria.”
“The FSA is keen to safeguard your lives and possessions,” the statement noted, addressing the families in Hermel and across Lebanon.
It called on the Lebanese to halt the operations of Hizbullah.
“Hizbullah sought after moving the battle to Lebanese territories after knowing that the regime that it's defending lost its power,” the statement added.
Three Lebanese Shiites have been killed in fighting in Syria, a Hizbullah official said Sunday, as the Syrian opposition accused the Lebanese group of intervening on the side of the regime.
He said they were acting in "self-defense,” without specifying if they were Hizbullah members.
The Syrian opposition has long accused the group of helping the Syrian leadership crack down on the uprising — a claim the group has repeatedly denied.
Hizbullah has stood by Syrian President Bashar Assad since the uprising began in March 2011, even after the group supported revolts in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain. The group says it is backing the Syrian regime because of its support for the anti-Israel resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine and because it is willing to implement political reforms.
Assad's fall would be a dire scenario for Hizbullah.
Iran remains the group's most important patron, but Syria is a crucial supply route.
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