Sunday, June 30, 2013

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."

Read more ....

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.

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