Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said Syrian President Bashar Assad must not fall, or Hezbollah will fall with it, Lebanese media reported. The Al Akhbar newspaper, a Hezbollah mouthpiece, said Nasrallah made the remarks last week, in a meeting with a political ally.
Nasrallah met Thursday with Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian who heads the Free Patriotic Movement party. The two discussed “need to maintain security and stability in Lebanon, given the ongoing grave developments in neighboring countries,” according to the Lebanese Daily Star.
Nasrallah expressed concern that Syria might not be able to regain all ground lost in the ongoing civil war, despite Hezbollah sending fighters to support its ally. Iran, Syria and Hezbollah make up the axis of resistance, with the Islamic Republic providing most of the resources and calling the shots.
Aoun apparently offered his “full support for any steps Hezbollah might take to fight terrorists.” The Daily Star added that Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and Hezbollah officials Hussein Khalil and Wafiq Safa were also in attendance.
Hezbollah issued a statement after the talks, saying the men considered domestic politics as well, including the still-unresolved presidential elections. In addition, they talked about “the terrorist takfiri (heretical Muslims) threat endangering the whole region, and highlighted the necessity of fighting it by all means to protect Lebanon and its stability,” according to the report.