Hezbollah is prepared to attack Israel if Western powers interfere in Syria against the regime in Damascus, a Lebanese Hezbollah official said Sunday according to the Palestinian News Network.
The unnamed official said Hezbollah was prepared if Western powers intervened in Syria in order to stop Syrian President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on anti-government protesters, even if the "price for it" is to engage the IDF in battle in order to divert attention away from the Syrian arena.
According to the report, Hezbollah – which is believed to have a stockpile of over 30,000 missiles – believes that a war in the Middle East may prevent the fall of Assad.
The Shi’ite group supports a compromise based on reforms and "easing the crisis" between anti-government forces and the Syrian regime, according to the official.
Israel has said that Hezbollah along with Iran are providing weapons to their ally Syria to help suppress Syrian opposition activists calling for Assad’s ouster, in a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 Syrians.
“The radical axis is trying to retain its power and as time passes, Iran and Hezbollah increase their efforts to help the Assad regime survive by providing knowledge, weaponry and other capabilities,” head of Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi said in January.
Hezbollah has been one of the few voices in the Arab world making statements in support of Assad and the Syrian regime.
Hamas – another Iran proxy in the region – quietly backed away from vocalizing support for the Assad regime, and many of the group’s officials have left their political bureau in Damascus for neighboring countries.
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