Deputy leader Naim Qassem says fall of Syrian border town of Qusair was a blow to American-Israeli interests.
By REUTERS, JPOST.COM STAFFHezbollah deputy Sheikh Naim Qassem(photo credit: Reuters)
BEIRUT- Hezbollah Deputy Leader leader Naim Qassem said the fight to defend Assad, who is believed to have allowed Iran to send Hezbollah weapons through Syria, was part of its struggle against the United States and Israel."The battle today has only one significance, and that is the fight against Israel and those who support its plans," Qassem said in a statement. "Today we proved without any doubt that the gamble to topple Syria is a delusional plan."Hezbollah's comments echo an earlier statement by the General Command of the Syrian army, who said Syria's victory in Qusair "sends a clear message to all those who are involved in the aggression against Syria, on top being the Zionist enemy."Hezbollah's deputy leader also said the fall of the Syrian town of Qusair was a blow to American-Israeli interests and would prove that efforts to topple the Lebanese group's ally President Bashar Assad were "delusional".Click for full JPost coverageHundreds of Shi'ite Hezbollah fighters joined Assad's forces in the battle for Qusair, which sits on a strategic route between Lebanon and Syria.The Qusair offensive, which began two weeks ago, was the first time the group, which was founded to fight Israel, openly acknowledged playing a role in neighboring Syria's two-year-old conflict.The rebels trying to overthrow Assad are mainly Sunni Muslims, and the Syrian president is a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ism.Hezbollah is believed to be fighting on the Lebanese border, around the capital Damascus and in the northern city of Aleppo.
