Nasrallah: We will bring victory to Assad

Hezbollah leader says Shiite group will not stand idly by while Syria is under attack; insists Hezbollah will 'continue to hold responsibility of resistance to Israel'

Roi Kais|Published: 05.25.13 , 20:07

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in a televised speech at the central assembly of the organization Saturday, said that Syria was the back of the "resistance", and that the Shiite group will not stand idly by while its ally is under attack.

He insisted that his group would stay in the Syrian war "to the end of the road" and bring victory to its ally President Bashar Assad. "We will be the ones who bring it victory, God willing," he said.

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"We will continue to the end of the road, we accept this responsibility and will accept all sacrifices and expected consequences of this position," he said, speaking from an undisclosed location. "We will be the ones who bring it victory, God willing," he added.

The Hezbollah leader's comments offered the clearest public confirmation yet that the Iranian-backed group is directly involved in Syria's war. They also were Nasrallah's first remarks since Hezbollah fighters have pushed to the front lines of the battle for the strategic Syrian town of Qusair near the Lebanese frontier.

Nasrallah addressed the issue of weapon transfer to Syria, saying that "while Israel is arming Golan residents, collaborators in Lebanon demand that citizens surrender their weapons."

He insisted that the government in Beirut must strengthen citizens "in their lands and especially in villages along the border" with Israel.

Nasrallah stressed that "the weapon that beat Israel is held by the people and cannot be taken," calling Lebanese officials to take into consideration "the existing danger, as Israel is preparing itself and following developments and we don’t know what its next move will be."

The Hezbollah chief added: "We will continue to hold the responsibility of resistance to Israel. Pressure or vilification will not deter us."

He addressed recent clashes between Israel and Syria, saying that Israel is "reinforcing troops in the border, striking and bombing Syria."

Moreover, he added, "Ever since the Second Lebanon War Israel has been training, preparing, making plans, reexamining itself and exercising its home front defense. Every year it launches such a maneuver, which includes the prime minister, the police, the military, the civil defense and various aspects."

Israel is "threatening war against Lebanon every day," Nasrallah insisted.

According to him, "if Syria falls in the hands of the United States, Israel, or any of their supporters, the opposition will lose and Israel will go into Lebanon and force its conditions. If Syria falls in their hands, Palestine will be lost."