Hezbollah’s Presence in Syria َKept Militant Threat at Bay: Sheikh Qassem
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement's second-in-command, Sheikh Naim Qassem, reiterated that the movement’s participation in the Syrian conflict was undertaken to deter the militant threat to Lebanon.
“If we did not fight in Syria, we would have had to fight in every house we have and in every village and city in Lebanon,” Qassem said during a memorial service in Beirut’s southern suburbs, according to a statement released Saturday by the Hezbollah media office, the Daily Star reported.
“We went to Syria to fight in the backyard before (the militant threat) reached the house, and to stop its advance,” he added, noting that Hezbollah, along with its allies, had managed to defeat extremists and their supporters.
“They (the militants) were dispersed and started fighting each other,” he said.
Hezbollah recently launched a wide-scale offensive against Takfiri militants from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – formerly known as the Nusra Front – entrenched on Lebanon’s northeast border, in the outskirts of the town of Arsal.
The battle was concluded with a cease-fire deal that commenced Thursday. The deal entails the return of militants to Syria in exchange for the repatriation of eight Hezbollah fighters currently held captive by the terror group.
