Seventy-five fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah have been killed in Syria since they first became involved in the country’s war months ago, a source close to the Shiite militant group said on Thursday.
“There have been 57 killed and 18 others who have died of their wounds since the start of its (Hezbollah’s) participation in the war in Syria,” the source told AFP.
Hezbollah combatants have become increasingly involved in Syria’s conflict, fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against an insurgency that flared after a brutal regime crackdown on democracy protests.
Initially Hezbollah said it only wanted to defend 13 Syrian villages along the border where Lebanese Shiites live, and the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine near Damascus, an important Shiite pilgrimage site.
However its elite fighters later encircled Qusayr with regime troops before the launch on Sunday of a withering assault on the strategic border town that is home to 25,000 people.
Hezbollah denied its involvement in Syria for some time, quietly burying fighters killed in Syria.
But the movement stopped hiding its dead when its leader Hassan Nasrallah paid homage to militants killed across the border on April 30.
“Syria has true friends in the region who will not allow Syria to fall into the hands of the United States, Israel and ‘takfiri’ groups,” he said in an interview with the movement’s television channel, al-Manar.
Waddah Sharara, an expert on the organization, says Hezbollah has some 20,000 fighters, of whom 5,000 to 7,000 have experience of combat. Between 800 and 1,200 of these have been taking part in the battle for Qusayr.
-
FSA and Hezbollah inch toward war, Lebanon in the crossfires again
Recent clashes between members of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Hezbollah militias across the Syrian-Lebanese border have raised the specter of a ... Home Page -
With Hezbollah coffins, Syria now exporting conflict
On a country road in Lebanon’s northeast, traffic is heavy; ambulances screech by, sirens blaring, and cars packed with mourners follow coffins ... Perspective -
Hezbollah in Syria: brace for a long conflict
While Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria is helping Assad regain military foothold in key areas of the country, it promises a more vicious and ... Middle East -
Friends of Syria demands withdrawal of Hezbollah, Iran fighters
Nations gathering at the Friends of Syria meeting called for an immediate withdrawal of fighters belonging to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah ... Middle East -
Germany backs call to put Hezbollah armed wing on EU terror list
Germany will throw its weight behind a British drive to put the armed wing of Hezbollah on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations, ... World News -
New influx of Hezbollah fighters into Syria, says watchdog
Three members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group died of wounds sustained while fighting for control of strategic Syrian town near the Lebanese ... Middle East -
EU poised to put Hezbollah’s military wing ‘on terror list’
The European Union stands poised to put the military wing of Lebanon’s Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations after a formal request ... Middle East -
Obama calls Lebanese president over Hezbollah’s role in Syria
U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday expressed concern about the role of Hezbollah in Syria, in a telephone call with Lebanese President Michel ... Middle East -
At least 40 Hezbollah fighters killed in Qusayr as troops fight rebels
At least 40 Hezbollah fighters have been reportedly killed in the Syrian town of Qusayr late on Sunday, sources told Al Arabiya, following clashes ... Middle East -
Hezbollah fighters head to strategic Qusayr as fighting rages
Battles raged in Qusayr between fighters from the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah and the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA), as activists reported ... Middle East