Muallem: Hizbullah 'Preemptively' Defending Lebanon Through Syria War Involvement
Damascus justified on Friday Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian war, saying the party is “preemptively” defending Lebanon.
“Hizbullah's men are resilient fighters that are defending their country,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said at a press conference in Switzerland's Geneva.
He continued: “We saw the terrorist bombings that targeted (Beirut's southern suburbs of) Dahieh and accusing Hizbullah of terrorism is ridiculous.”
Syria's Deputy FM Faisal Muqdad had stated on Thursday that Hizbullah “is not a terrorist part.”
"It is an honorable and reputable party,” he told reporters when asked about Hizbullah's involvement in the ongoing fighting in Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 262 Hizbullah fighters have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011.
The party first publicly confirmed its intervention in the conflict in April.
Source: Naharnet
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