Report: Hizbullah Faithful Ready to Die in Syria
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Hizbullah commander Hussein Habib's family is still mourning his death in Syria, where he fought alongside regime soldiers. But they say they are ready to offer another son up as a "martyr".
In their town of Baalbek and other Hizbullah strongholds in eastern Lebanon, it's no longer a secret that the group's members are crossing the border to bolster the ranks of government troops battling rebels.
Supporters of the movement, a long-standing ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, proudly describe the fighters they say are defending Shiite land and religious sites in Syria.
Habib, a Hizbullah field commander, was killed in the countryside around Qusayr in Syria's central Homs province, according to his family.
He died about two weeks ago, they say, but they are still waiting for his body to be returned.
"We're tortured by the fact that his body hasn't been delivered and is with the gunmen (rebels)," says Fatima Habib, a cousin.
She says Habib was born in a village in the Qusayr countryside in Syria, but lived in Baalbek.
"He went to defend his family and his home," she says.
"We have lost someone dear to us and the situation is hard but if other people from the family were needed, it would be no problem for them to go and be martyred."
Habib, a married father of two, is known in the area as a senior fighter with Hizbullah, but his family insists he was killed fighting alongside the so-called Popular Committees -- groups of local pro-regime militia in Syria.
A few kilometers (miles) from Baalbek is the entrance to the town of Qasr in the Hermel region, which has been targeted by Syrian opposition shelling.
The sympathies of residents are clear: posters of Assad hang in the streets and locals refer to opposition fighters as "terrorists," just like Syrian state media.
"Terrorists were oppressing thousands of Lebanese in Syrian border villages and they asked the resistance (Hizbullah) to help defend their land and their honor," says Abu Fadi Kanaan.
As he speaks, he looks over from the roof of his house into Syria, where black smoke is rising from Qusayr in the aftermath of a regime air raid.
"We protect our homes in these villages," he says. "Yes, we send our children to defend them and we are ready to fight the battle."
The narrative advanced by Habib's family and Kanaan -- of Lebanese residents of Syria fighting to defend their homes -- is the official party line that Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah first outlined last October.
He pointed to the plight of 13 villages inside Syria that are home to Lebanese citizens, saying Hizbullah members in the town "have bought weapons in order to defend themselves against armed Syrian and non-Syrian groups."
"The party has nothing to do with their decision, but I cannot tell them not to go fight," Nasrallah said.
But the claim is belied by the fact that dozens of bodies of fighters killed in Syria have been brought to Hizbullah strongholds in southern and eastern Lebanon for burial.
And senior Hizbullah leader Sheikh Nabil Qaouq, speaking at a mourning ceremony for a fighter killed in Syria in April, described the group's actions in Syria as "a national and moral duty."
"Hizbullah's martyrs are the martyrs of the entire nation because they are defending their Lebanese compatriots," he said at the ceremony in south Lebanon.
One expert estimates between 800 and 1,500 Hizbullah fighters are now in Qusayr, with more further north at the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine near Damascus.
Kanaan brushes aside critics who say Hizbullah has strayed from its stated focus of "resistance" to Israel.
"We're keeping an eye on Israel... and these (rebels) are Zionists as well," he says.
"We have the right to defend Lebanese wherever they are, and particularly if they are Shiites," he adds, accusing rebel forces of trying to "finish us off."
Syria's opposition has reacted with dismay and anger to Hizbullah's role, and in recent weeks has openly targeted towns like Qasr in response.
At the entrance to the town of Hermel, some 15 kilometers from the Lebanese border with Syria, 54-year-old Ali Shamas is on the roof of a three-floor building under construction, holding pieces of shrapnel in his hands.
They come from a rocket that hit the building, which he had planned to move into with his family.
He wants the Lebanese government to protect the region.
"If you don't do your duty," he warns the government, "the resistance and the people are ready to defend themselves."
30 April 2013, 09:50
613
In 2013 its a shame that we blinden young generations by making them read only what we call "holy book" ... poor souls they are ready to die wherever they send them without asking a question!
Ignorance is E-Bliss ....
30 April 2013, 22:38
01
As much as I agree with you, unfortunately it is more like their stupid parents' choice, and these kids when they are growing, they are only raised on hate. But again they can rot in hell :)
30 April 2013, 11:46
616
same old reply of scare tactics of al nusra .99% of fighters in syria are people fighting for there freedom ..you are the one supporting a dictator..humans strive for freedom,and not to be ruled by a dictator that slaughter his own people.
30 April 2013, 11:57
516
mooowaten, your source is a website that accuses hizbolla of being terrorists, do you also support the website in that claim?
30 April 2013, 11:36
514
we have the right to defend the lebanese.and especialy if they are shiite?
And still they say the sunni terrorist are trying to make a strife and a etnic war!
Hope all of hizbel shajtab dies in syria.
30 April 2013, 12:12
59
FT
all the rhetoric of hizbushaitan is sectarian as well as yours and mowaten.
do you really expect anyone to support you? no way jose :)
whoever wants to die in Syria are welcome: these are less extremists we need to worry about.
30 April 2013, 13:03
45
Actually, I read clearly and understand what I read :) but you might be reading, but you are way off from understanding anything but what you have been brainwashed to understand by your Iranian turbaned man.
30 April 2013, 12:10
613
mowaten and ft:
all you can do is count the body bags when they bring them back.
these guys are stupid to go die in another country whatever you say.
the culture of death is not a Lebanese culture, rather for us Lebanese it is a culture of life and living.
you enjoy death, so be my guest but do not expect any Lebanese to support you and the likes of you..
30 April 2013, 12:17
27
Why don't we just cut to the chase:
Hezbollah needs act militarily in Syria because its supply lines as well as Bashar's political and military cover are threatened.
If Bashar falls, Hezbollah would be squeezed between three belligerent paries: Israel, the new regime in Syria, and just about half of the lebanese population. Hezbollah can't let that happen, of course, so they need to act.
It is really that simple.
30 April 2013, 12:33
34
Maoun they can turn this situation around by putting their faith in their country and its institutions and leave the job of defending our borders to our national army.
They need to know and we need to assure them that we care about them a million times more than the Iranians or the Syrians will ever do, for the simple fact that they are our compatriots, and part and parcel of this nation and its future.
30 April 2013, 12:43
45
if their decision was Lebanese that would be true, but then again, their decision is Iranian.
iran does not give a damn abut these stupid guys and is willing to let them die for nothing as long as it serves its purposes.
these idiots going to die in Syria are dying for nothing.
hizbushaitan has dragged the biggest part of the Shiite community to a no win situation, and they will ultimately pay a dear price for these actions.
we are living in the arab world, i.e. a sea of sunnis, who will not forget the actions of these guys.
30 April 2013, 12:23
410
Well FT I don't want him to die. He is Lebanese. I don't want my people to die defending someone else's regime. If he feels the urge to defend Lebanon, he should join our Army and make a career there and hopefully not die at all, but instead provide for his family and send his kids to decent schools, and become a grandfather and see his grandchildren grow.
30 April 2013, 12:28
14
just open wide the borders and let all fighters go to Syria from both sides hizb, and salafists ,...and whoever he wants to go and die in Syria his welcome
better to have the battlefield between big powers in Syria not in Lebanon
god bless Lebanon and true Lebanese
30 April 2013, 12:39
38
FT you will soon Run out of screen names !!!!!Rodzil Ft Elche Roar Karim .
You better do something new???
Maybe like FT1 FT2 Ft3 ,it would be easier and you would still get paid the same i suppose !!!
30 April 2013, 12:40
39
FT you will soon Run out of screen names !!!!!Rodzil Ft Elche Roar Karim .
You better do something new???
Maybe like FT1 FT2 Ft3 ,it would be easier and you would still get paid the same i suppose !!!
30 April 2013, 12:42
59
humans live once ...one makes the best of it ..not get killed in a war that doesn't involve him,or his country.life is precious.that you need to understand.
30 April 2013, 13:39
38
FT what ever your preference is ..i will happily choose the alternative..that way i know it would be more peaceful and democratic.
30 April 2013, 13:01
69
pathetic replies from 2 brainwashed by the Iranian turban man.
explain to us why thes Lebanese remain in a foreign country under war? this is not our country! so they should go back to Lebanon.
second, yes all the named people have been killed by the Syrian regime and their local (traitors) allies in Lebanon, thus they qualify as M14. and remembering those traitorously murdered officials is not a culture of death.
the culture of death is that of those dying believing they will have xx number of virgins waiting for them....
guys your stupidity has no equal, and your comments are degrading by the day :)
30 April 2013, 13:29
62
SAYYED NASRALLAH l'a dit depuis le début et cela se vérifie aujourd'hui. Les combattants affiliés au Hezbollah et qui se battent actuellement en Syrie se trouvent soit dans le quartier abritant le Mausolée de Sayyeda Zaynab, soit dans les villages Libanais qui se trouvent côté Syrien. Leur présence dans ces zones est légitime car il est hors de question que nous assistions tranquillement au massacre de nos compatriotes par la horde barbare de takfiris coupeurs de têtes.
Je vais citer pour cela votre cher Rami Abdel-Rahmane de l'OSDH:
"Ce ne sont pas nécessairement des combattants venus du Liban. Il s'agit de combattants du Hezbollah des villages chiites du côté syrien et qui sont habités par des Libanais", a-t-il précisé. AFP | 22/04/2013 |13h33....
30 April 2013, 13:30
62
Toujours selon l'OSDH de votre copain Rami..."L'armée est en train de mener la bataille sur les fronts nord et est de la région de Qousseir et le Hezbollah est sur les fronts sud et ouest", plus proches de la frontière libanaise, a précisé Rami Abdel Rahmane, directeur de l'OSDH qui s'appuie sur un large réseau de militants et de sources médicales et militaires à travers la Syrie. AFP | 23/04/2013 | 13h50
30 April 2013, 13:31
62
Le Hezbollah n'a jamais eu peur d'assumer haut et fort ces actes. Quand un drone est envoyé en Israel par ses hommes, il s'en vante haut et fort. Le dernier en date (s'il a vraiment existé) n'a pas été expédié par ses unités et il l'a annoncé mais vous avez préféré ne pas les croire jusqu'à ce qu'une chaîne de télé Israélienne (Channel 2 en l'occurrence vienne vous le dire). Vous accordez plus de crédit aux paroles de Bibi qu'à celle de vos compatriotes. Cela est votre problème. Vous avez choisi votre camp.
30 April 2013, 13:40
47
any one against the Hizb is Zionist.any one with them is patriotic..it should be the other way around.
30 April 2013, 14:30
57
Hizbala defends the Shia in Syrian and Sunnis defends the Sunnis in Syria, that's a beginning of a religions/civil war...Hizb is dragging Lebanon into hell...especially the Shia and Aounists...
30 April 2013, 14:51
82
Ariel Sharon!!! tu as choisi le bon exemple...he surely got his one way ticket..décidément, vous n'êtes pas très futés en face...tant mieux pour nous...
30 April 2013, 15:27
29
Natanyahu-Nasrallah-Assad: they're all working hand in hand.... The perfect allies.
The only resistance in Lebanon is us, the lambda Lebanese resisting the Israeli, the Syrian, the Farsi and to some extent the Palestinian.
30 April 2013, 14:57
62
Mon grand, au rythme des décès, 1 pour 50, ce sont plutôt tes copains qui sont en train de se volatiliser..le stock de vierges ne suit plus...on va bientôt devoir vous utiliser pour satisfaire leur libido...en plus je crois que les Wahhabites ont un faible pour les hommes et pour un Shab comme toi, ils sont prêts à tout...il paraît qu'on leur donne un pot de vaseline en plus de leur Kalach...
30 April 2013, 15:09
28
hizbocrap is extreme right wing shiism who stab themselves on Ashoura and who call for wilayet elfaqeeh and prepare for the "return of the Mahdi" so what's your point?
30 April 2013, 15:19
36
It wasn't so long ago that Hizballah claimed that the sole reason they still existed on Lebanese soil is in order to free all Lenanese lands from Israeli occupation.
The UN has declared that this was achieved a few years ago, yet they still continued in their refusal to disarm. Now with their intervention in Syria the whole world can finally see just what bad liars they really are.
30 April 2013, 16:21
72
Bla bla bla...Al Jazeera, Al Arabiyya...change de disque mon grand...
30 April 2013, 16:41
33
elche
tu ne convaincra personne avec cette rhetorique iraniennne.
si tu veux continuer sur ce chemin, c'est ton droit, mais la majorite des Libanais n'est pas du tout de cet avis.
30 April 2013, 16:19
52
Pour l'instant mon grand,ce sont tes copains Salafo-wahhabites qui trinquent...Plus de Quousseir, plus de Oteiba...en quelques jours, 2 ans de travail volatilisés...que des grandes gueules bon à crier 'Allahou akbar' à tout va avant de détaler..bande de comiques...
30 April 2013, 16:44
32
En attendant ce sont plutôt un paquet de cercueils de Salafistes qui débarquent dans les aéroports de Tunis, Sanaa, Riyad, Tripoli...pour ceux qu'on arrive bien sûr à récupérer et reconnaître..tu pensais vraiment que des mecs surexcités, criant à tue-tête "Allahou akbar" (quelle façon intelligente de se faire discret pendant les combats), dont le seul objectif est de se farcir des vierges, allaient vraiment pouvoir prendre le dessus sur des combattants du Hezbollah? va demander à tes copains Israeliens ce qu'ils en pensent...au passage, ce sont les unités de dératisation salafiste, spécialement formées pour, qui ont été envoyées dans la région de Qoussair et de Sayyida Zayynab..même pas les meilleurs..mais le moins bon d'entre eux en vaut 10 des vôtres, ne serait-ce que parce qu'ils ont un cerveau et pas un vieux disque rayé criant Allahou Akbar (au passage, vous lui cassez les oreilles à Allah avec vos cris)...
30 April 2013, 16:51
31
Parle pour toi mon grand...la majorité des Libanais tu dis?...fais un petit calcul démographique et tu verras que la majorité est plutôt de mon côté (je parle de la majorité numérique et pas celle de ta loi de 1960)...les maths c'est pas ton fort Geha (tu portes bien ton nom)...
30 April 2013, 18:56
21
non tu as entierement tort et tu parles avec quelqu'un qui a les chiffres exacts de tous ceux qui ont droit de vote cette annee et je peux t'assurer que ton calcul est entierement faux.
la supposition que les Shiites sont plus nombreux que les sunnis est totalement fausse et la difference est actuellement de plus de 65 mille en faveur des sunnis.
et si on tient compte des deces en syrie, chaque jour la difference augmente un peu plus en faveur des sunnis :)
alors tete de mule, fait ton devoir et va chercher le cd du ministere de l'interieur et fait ton calcul.
30 April 2013, 19:39
25
If you want someone to hang hang himself, you just got to give them enough rope. M8 and HA in particular are doing a stellar job with that rope. Idiots!
30 April 2013, 22:46
12
You must be hanging out with ostriches a little too much. Obviously you are taking lessons from them. I suggest you start reading the writting on the genius!
30 April 2013, 20:59
21
so they don't stab themselves on Ashoura, call for wilayet elfaqih and prepare for mahdi's return?
01 May 2013, 01:31
02
It's a dam shame. I can't understand why people continue to subtract from hizbullah's credibility. They should have lost all of it the moment they sent out armed members to occupy Beirut.
The Syrians & Iranians can only import 3rd generation weaponry from Russia. This doesn't include the fact that the weapons obtained by hizbullah and Syria are transferred from Iran which is undergoing a currency crisis. The latter has decreasing operational capability in defending its own land & most of their investments are in human resources . Additionally, the FSA is starting to be supplied with same tier weaponry & it's just a matter of receiving artillery & anti tank guns & they will be able to hold ground more effectively with lower trade costs. The moment they receive these weapons, Hezbollah's expertise will be roundly diminished & effectively useless. The infrastructure they had in southern Lebanon was the only thing keeping them from getting eradicated by the Israelis
