Hezbollah Vows To Send More Fighters to Syria

Voice of America: Lebanon's Hezbollah Vows to Send More Fighters to Syria

The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah movement said Friday that the group would send more fighters to Syria to support the Damascus government.

Hassan Nasrallah declared in a speech that he was sending reinforcements to Aleppo province, where he said the "greatest" battle of the civil war was taking place.

"We will increase our presence in Aleppo," Nasrallah said. "Retreat is not permissible."

In a rare admission of casualties, Nasrallah also said 26 Hezbollah fighters who had arrived in Aleppo earlier were killed this month.

Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops. Last month, a top militant commander, Mustafa Badreddine, was killed in an explosion in Syria.

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WNU Editor: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also admitted the following in Saturday's speech .... Hezbollah leader confirms all financial support coming from Iran (RUDAW)

More News On Hezbollah Vowing To Send More Fighters to Syria

Hezbollah to send more fighters to Syria's Aleppo -- Reuters
Hezbollah vows to send more fighters to Syria’s Aleppo -- AP
Fight for Aleppo ‘Greatest Battle’ in Syria: Hezbollah Chief -- AFP
S. Nasrallah: Hezbollah Will Reinforce Troops in Aleppo to Achieve Major Victory -- Al-Manar

Hezbollah Claims Syrian Sunni Rebels Were Behind Top Commander's Death

New York Times: Hezbollah Says Military Leader Died in Artillery Attack

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah declared Saturday that Mustafa Amine Badreddine, the senior commander who died in Syria this past week, had been killed in an artillery attack by insurgents whom the group has been fighting for the past four years.

Hezbollah said in a statement that the killing would increase “our determination to continue the fight against these criminal gangs and defeat them,” blaming “takfiri groups,” a term for Islamist extremists that Hezbollah broadly applies to insurgents opposed to its ally in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad.

But the declaration raised more questions than it answered, as fierce speculation continued about how, when, where and by whom Mr. Badreddine was killed, and what the death reveals about the state of Hezbollah and its war effort in Syria.

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WNU Editor: This is a big blow. He was Hezbollah's top military commander and the person responsible for Hezbollah's forces in Syria. It is not going to be easy to replace him.

More News On The Death Of Hezbollah Military Commander Mustafa Amine Badreddine

Hezbollah blames top commander’s death on Sunni extremists -- Washington Post
Hezbollah Says Commander Was Killed by Sunni Insurgents -- WSJ
Hezbollah blames rebel shelling for death of top commander in Syria -- Reuters
Hezbollah says Sunni extremist group killed top military commander -- AP
Hezbollah Says Rebels — Not Israelis — Killed Its Top Commander in Syria -- VICE News
Hezbollah Blames Islamist Extremists in Commander's Death -- VOA
Hezbollah Says Insurgents Killed Its Top Commander In Syria -- NPR
Syrian rebels deny Hezbollah’s military commander killed in ‘artillery shelling’ -- Long War Journal

Is Hezbollah Going To Withdraw From The Syrian War?

Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

Daily Beast: Hezbollah Fighters Are Fed Up With Fighting Syria’s War

The Assad regime in Damascus has depended on Lebanon’s Army of God to shore up its weakened troops. But now many Lebanese fighters are refusing to serve.

BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon — They joined to fight Israel in Lebanon, but after multiple combat tours in the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia and around Damascus, Hezbollah reservists tell The Daily Beast that they are no longer willing to die in Syria’s unending, bloody civil war.

As a result of their refusal to continue volunteering to prop up the embattled government of Bashar al-Assad, they say that the Shia Party of God has cut off the money they were accustomed to receive: reservist paychecks and permanent family benefits packages. What other consequences there may be remain to be seen.

Imad, as we’ll call him, crouched over a heating stove in a small Bekaa valley farmhouse surrounded by the barren fields where his recently harvested crop of marijuana grew. He declined to give his real name because of his illegal trade and fear of reprisal for speaking out, but he said he decided to stop fighting after losing faith in the Syrian war six months ago.

Update: Analysis: Syrian civil war and its consequences for Hezbollah -- Ya Liban

WNU Editor: The Syrian conflict is a war that is probably going to go on for a very long time. In such an environment .... unless you are really dedicated to the cause, I doubt that most non-Syrians (Hezbollah fighters included) would feel compel to defend the Assad regime. On top of everything else, Hezbollah relations with Israel are also worsening .... Nasrallah and Netanyahu exchange threats over Hezbollah commander's death in Damascus (Rudaw) .... and I would not be surprise if most Hezbollah fighters would prefer to be on that front-line instead of Aleppo.

Hezbollah Supports Russia's Military Build-up In Syria

A file picture taken on September 21, 2015 shows a portrait of Hassan Nasrallah (top), the head of Lebanon's militant Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, and portraits of pro-government forces members killed in combat displayed on a street in the Syrian capital, Damascus. (AFP PHOTO/JOSEPH EID)

Reuters: Hezbollah welcomes Russian buildup in Syria, says U.S. has failed

Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah on Friday welcomed Russia's military buildup in Syria in support of common ally President Bashar al-Assad, saying it was the failure of a U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State that had forced Moscow's hand.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a three-hour interview with the group's al-Manar TV that increased Russian support for Assad included highly advanced weapons systems, warplanes and helicopters.

Russia has stepped up its military involvement in Syria while pressing for Damascus to be included in international efforts to fight Islamic State, a demand Washington rejects. By raising the stakes in Syria's four-year conflict, Moscow has prompted its Cold War foe to expand diplomatic channels with it.

Update: Hezbollah leader welcomes Russia's growing presence in Syria -- FOX News/AP

WNU Editor: I guess the Hezbollah leader is happy about this .... Report: Syria arming Hezbollah with 75 Soviet-era tanks (Times of Israel). But for the long term .... if I was Putin .... I would not trust the Hezbollah leader. Hmmm ... come to think of it .... I would not trust him now.

Update: There is a lot of truth in this analysis .... Did Russia move into Syria because Hezbollah is exhausted? (David P. Goldman, Asia Times).

Hezbollah Vows To Increase Its Involvement In Syria's civil War

Reuters: Hezbollah says it will step up presence in Syria as needed

Hezbollah is fighting across all of Syria alongside the army of President Bashar al-Assad and is willing to increase its presence there when needed, the leader of the Lebanese Shi'ite movement said on Sunday.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of supporters via video link that the fight was part of a wider strategy to prevent groups like al Qaeda's wing in Syria, Nusra Front, and the ultra-hardline Islamic State from taking over the region.

"Our presence will increase whenever it should... Yes, we are not present in one place in Syria and not the other. We will be everywhere in Syria," he said during a celebration to mark the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from south Lebanon in 2000.

Update #1: Hezbollah vows to step up involvement in Syria's civil war -- AP
Update #2: Everyone has role to play in 'existential' Syria battle: Nasrallah -- Daily Star

WNU Editor: The Hezbollah leader is doubling down on the Syrian conflict .... I guess he knows that the war is not going well for his Syrian ally.

Hezbollah Sees No End To Syria War

Lebanon's Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem gestures as he speaks during an interview with Reuters at his office in Beirut's suburbs, April 7, 2014. Reuters/ Issam Kobeisi

Reuters: Hezbollah sees no end to Syria war, Mideast at risk of partition

Lebanon's Hezbollah says the Middle East is at risk of partition and sees no end to the war in Syria, where it is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad against insurgents supported by his regional enemies.

Sheikh Naim Qassem, deputy leader of the Iranian-backed group, said the insurgents would be unable to topple the Assad government despite their recent gains in battle, including this week's capture of Palmyra by the Islamic State jihadist group.

In an interview with Reuters, Qassem said Assad's allies - Iran, Russia and Hezbollah - would back him "however long it takes". There could be no solution to the war without Assad, and it was time for "Arabs and the world" to realize that, added the white-turbaned cleric, speaking at Hezbollah offices in Beirut.

WNU Editor: The Lebanese civil war went on for years (1975 to 1990) .... Lebanon's Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem appears resigned to the real possibility that the Syrian civil war may actually break that record.

Hezbollah Suffers Heavy Losses In Recent Battles Against Syrian Rebels

Times of Israel: Senior Hezbollah commander said killed in Syria

Rebels claim to have slain Marwan Mughniyeh in the Qalamoun region, where regime troops have been making gains

Marwan Mughniyeh, a senior commander in Hezbollah whose cousin Imad Mughniyeh was allegedly assassinated by Israel, was killed in fierce battles in Syria on Friday, Syrian opposition sources said.

Mughniyeh was killed in a battle with rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, in the Qalamoun region, northeast of Damascus, the sources said.

He was reported to have been the commander of special operations for the Lebanese Shiite militia, which has been fighting alongside regime forces in the Syrian civil war.

Hezbollah announced Saturday on its Al-Manar television channel that, together with regime forces, it had taken the Al-Nusra Front’s largest base in the region, at Sahlet al-Maaysra.

More News On Recent Hezbollah Battles Against Syrian Rebels

Syrian rebels: Hezbollah special ops chief killed in fighting -- Haaretz
Hezbollah Leads Fight in Strategic Syrian Mountain Range -- AP
Syrian forces, Hezbollah advance in Qalamoun region -- Xinhuanet
Syrian army, Hezbollah oust rebels from Qalamoun village outskirts: Al-Manar -- Daily Star
Hezbollah denies deaths of 40 fighters in Syria clashes -- Times of Israel/AP
Syrian army and Hezbollah consolidate areas on border: source, media -- Reuters
Desperate for a victory in Syria, Assad looks to Hezbollah for a win -- Al Jazeera

Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah: 'If Assad Falls Hezbollah Will Fall Next'

Hassan Nasrallah gives an interview to Syrian television (Photo: AFP/AL-IKHBARIYA)

Jerusalem Post: Nasrallah: Downfall of Assad would mean fall of Hezbollah

Both Assad and Hezbollah have been fighting against a Sunni Islamist dominated opposition, which includes various jihadi groups such as al-Qaida’s Nusra Front and Islamic State.

Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime must be preserved, as its collapse would mean the end of Hezbollah and the “axis of resistance,” the Lebanese movement’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has said, according to a Lebanese paper close to the Islamic group.

He went on to assert that Assad would not be overthrown, but that it would not be possible for his forces to recover control over all of Syria.

WNU Editor: As much as Iran and Hezbollah do not want to see the regime of Syrian President Assad fall .... it is going to be hard to prop him up .... Despite Iranian-Hezbollah support, 'in the long run it is hard to see how Assad can survive' (Ariel Ben Solomon, Jerusalem Post).

More News On Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah Remarks That If "Assad Falls Hezbollah Will Fall Next"

Nasrallah: If Assad falls, Hezbollah falls -- YNet News
Hezbollah Leader Says Group Will Fall Without Assad in Power -- Washington Free Beacon
Nasrallah: Fall of Bashar Al-Assad Impossible -- Fars News Agency

Heavy Fighting Reported Between Hezbollah And Al-Nusra Fighters

Hezbollah members carry the coffin of fellow fighter Hamza Zaiter killed during clashes between Hezbollah fighters and gunmen from Nusra Front in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria. (Reuters)

Voice of America: Hezbollah, Nusra Square Up for Rematch

Following recent gains in the north of the country, Syrian rebels and their allies are preparing for a new offensive further south against President Bashar al-Assad’s ally Hezbollah, the Lebanese radical Shi'ite movement, for control of a strategic region on the border with Lebanon.

In initial skirmishes heralding the start of what Lebanese politicians are dubbing a “decisive battle” and prompting fear it will spill over to villages inside Lebanon, al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra and other Islamist fighters shelled Hezbollah and Syrian army positions in the towns of Wadi Barada, Al-Kfeir, Zabadani, Serghaya and Hreira, all very close to the Lebanese border.

More News On Hezbollah - al-Nusra Battles In Syria

Hezbollah Captures Syrian Village From Islamic Militants -- New York Times
Hezbollah captures Syrian village from jihadists -- Times of Israel/AP
Hezbollah captures Syrian village from Nusra Front militants -- Al Arabiya
Hezbollah clashes with Syrian militants in E. Lebanon -- Video news
Hezbollah kills 15 Qalamoun militants in ambush: source -- Daily Star
The Qalamoun battle is coming: Hezbollah -- Daily Star

Hezbollah's Leader Takes Credit For Helping Syrian President Assad Defeat The Rebels

Supporters of Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, carry a poster depicting Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad as they wave Hezbollah and Amal movement flags at a protest. (File photo: Reuters)

Hezbollah Leader Says Threat To Syria’s Assad Is Over -- Al Jazeera

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is no longer under threat of collapse, two of his influential allies said on Sunday and Monday, after a particularly bloody day across the country saw at least 60 people killed in Syria in ongoing battles between government forces and rebels.

"The danger of the Syrian regime's fall has ended," Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, which has sent militias to fight on Assad's side against mainly Sunni rebels, told daily newspaper As-Safir.

Hezbollah, an armed Shia group that is allied with the Assad regime, has been instrumental in helping Syria’s military dislodge the opposition from its strongholds along the Lebanese-Syrian border.

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More News On Hezbollah's Leader Taking Credit For Helping Syrian President Assad Defeat The Rebels

Hezbollah leader says Syrian government of Bashar Assad is no longer in danger of falling -- US News and World Report/AP
Hezbollah chief says danger to Syria regime over -- Ma'an News Agenct/AFP
Syria's Assad secure, will seek re-election - Hezbollah leader -- Reuters
Syrian govt no longer in danger of falling - Hezbollah leader -- RT
Hezbollah claims it has helped Assad win Syria conflict -- The Guardian/AFP
Nasrallah: Terrorism declining, Assad gaining -- Daily Star
Hezbollah: Assad’s regime no longer in danger -- Al Arabiya

My Comment: Talk about counting your chickens before they are hatched. Hezbollah leader Nasrallah is clearly feeling cocky.

The Next Major Syrian Battle Will Be In al-Qalamoun

Supporters of Hezbollah and relatives of Saleh Ahmed Sabagh, a Hezbollah member, carry the coffin during his funeral in the port-city of Sidon, southern Lebanon May 22, 2013. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

Hezbollah Prepares for Syria Showdown in al-Qalamoun -- The Daily Beast

The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite movement is readying for a face-off against Syria’s rebels. How the battle will rattle the West.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah is poised to launch a much-anticipated offensive to the north of Damascus in a counterinsurgency campaign that is likely to prompt hand-wringing in Washington and more Saudi frustration with Western inaction in Syria.

The battle for mountainous Al-Qalamoun-a rugged region between the Syrian capital and Homs, the country’s third largest city-will be as significant in military terms when it comes, say diplomats and analysts, as the struggle in the spring for Qusair, a strategic town in sight of Lebanon, that was retaken by the Syrian army thanks to Hezbollah, whose fighters were in the vanguard of the assault.

Qusair’s capture goaded President Obama in June to pledge he would arm the Syrian rebels-a promise that hasn’t been fulfilled because of the administration’s worries about the growing influence of al-Qaeda affiliates in the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad.

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My Comment: Syria's rebels have been preparing for this offensive for the past few months .... I expect heavy casualties on both sides. But the real danger is what may happen in Lebanon itself. If Hezbollah launches an attack, I expect Sunni loyalists in Lebanon (encouraged by Saudi Arabia) to start targeting Hezbollah targets within their country, and the possibility of a Shiite-Sunni war spreading will then become a reality.

Concerns Over Hezbollah's Influence In Syrian Civil War

My Comment: If they want to get involved in the meat grinder that is known as the Syrian civil war .... let them. As to their global networks .... there are reasons to be concerned.

Did Syrian President Assad Give Hezbollah Nerve Gas?

Lebanon's Hezbollah militants chant slogans as their leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speaks during a rally marking Hezbollah's Martyr's Day in Beirut's suburbs, November 11, 2011 REUTERS/Sharif Karim

Syrian Rebel Chief Claims Assad Gave Hezbollah Nerve Gas -- Times of Israel

Al-Labwani tells Saudi paper that Damascus transferred a ton of VX to Shiiite terrorists; FSA leader claims chemical weapons moved to Iraq, Lebanon

A Syrian rebel leader claims that the Assad regime has transferred chemical weapons to the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah amid talks to ensure the transfer of Syria’s WMDs to international authorities for destruction.

According to a report Friday in Saudi Arabia’s al-Watan newspaper, Syrian National Coalition member Kamal al-Labwani said the rebels obtained documents and testimony from a defector from one of the Syrian government’s chemical weapons research centers that indicate Syrian President Bashar Assad transferred roughly one metric ton of VX nerve gas to its ally, Hezbollah.

Al-Labwani told al-Watan that he forwarded documentary proof of his claim to the US Embassy in Jordan and British intelligence in Doha. The al-Watan report could not be independently confirmed.

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More News And Reports Hezbollah Acquiring Chemical Weapons

Israel says will act if WMDs transferred to Hezbollah -- YNet News
Israel to Syria: Our 'red lines' are still firm -- UPI
Hagel: America Can’t Let Hezbollah Get Chemical Weapons -- Daily Beast
Hagel: Hezbollah Could Acquire Syria’s Chemical Weapons -- TPM
Hezbollah confirms Assad's use of chemical weapons - report -- Al Bawaba
Doubts emerge about Assad’s control of Syria’s chemical weapons -- Washington Times
Hezbollah fighters exposed to chemical agents in Syria: source -- Daily Star
Report: Syrian Chemical Arms Could Be Used by Terrorists -- Washington Free Beacon

WNU Editor: Hat Tip to Good Shit for giving me the lead to this story.

What Has Been The Cost On Hezbollah And Iran For Supporting Syrian President Assad And His Regime

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.

Why Hezbollah Is Involved In Syria's Civil War

A vehicle damaged by what residents say was a missile fired from the Syrian rebels in Hermel Photo: Reuters

Inside Hizbollah: 'Why We Need Assad To Stay' -- The Telegraph

Hizbollah is now inextricably embroiled in Syria's civil war, writes Ruth Sherlock. And that has massively raised the chances of it re-igniting all out sectarian conflict in Lebanon too.

Black SUVs with tinted windows and blank license plates sped unchallenged through the remote border checkpoint in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, where a tattered flag marked the border with Syria.

Waved on by a soldier from President Bashar al-Assad's army, the convoy of Hizbollah fighters headed into the distance - their mission a secret, but hardly difficult to guess.

Watching from a nearby rooftop, Sheikh Ali, a religious leader and volunteer with the feared Lebanese militant group, gave a further clue.

"I lost four friends in Qusair," he said nodding towards the drab Syrian town on the horizon, now largely quiet after several weeks of vicious fighting. "But don't ever think that anyone from Hizbollah refused to send their children to fight. They encourage their sons in defending the country."

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My Comment: By becoming involved in Syria's civil war, Hezbollah has made the civil war in Syria into a truly sectarian conflict. This has not only galvanized neighboring Sunni states to become involved themselves .... but it also puts into play the stability of Lebanon and the tensions that are there. As for the conflict itself .... Hezbollah is now going to experience a slow bleed of fighters and equipment as the war continues to rage on. For hezbollah .... this is one of those classic lose-lose situations.