Fighters celebrate after Syrian government forces and their Hezbollah allies capture the key town of Qusair, June 5, 2013.
Hezbollah And Iran Pay The Price For Syria Role -- Voice of America
Two years after President Barack Obama confidently predicted a swift demise for Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president seems relatively secure. Pro-regime forces have clawed back swaths of key territory as the opposition splinters into hundreds of rebel groups.
However, the means that Assad is using to survive – primarily, fighters from the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah – is also a potential vulnerability.
Once the most popular political/military movement in the Middle East, Hezbollah is losing its allure throughout the region and facing new challenges even in its homeland because of its intervention in Syria.
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My Comment: An accurate summary on the price that Iran and Hezbollah have had to pay for supporting the Syrian regime. As to what is my take .... considering what is at stake .... this price is manageable from the Iranian/Hezbollah perspective .... doubly so if Assad can maintain his grip on power within Syria. But if this conflict drags on for another 2, 3 or more years .... I suspect that it is then that all bets are off, and the cost-benefit argument will start to make the rounds in Tehran and Beirut.
1 comment:
No surprise there that Iran is the key player in propping up Assad considering he has virtually no friends and Iran desperately needs to keep him in power or risk becoming hemmed in on all sides by governments opposed to its brand of Shiite government. Ultimately if Iran is to be pushed out of Syria it will have to be done by a committed international community using all the levers at its disposal to force it out. If Iran's support is withdrawn, a quick resolution to this civil war is almost assured.
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