(L-R) Lebanon's late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, then Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and his Iranian counterpart at the time, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at an official dinner in Damascus in February 2010. AFP File photo
Lebanon's Hezbollah sees the developments in Syria as a "major, dangerous, and new transformation," according to a senior Hezbollah politician who spoke on Monday. This marks the Iran-backed group's initial response to the fall of its ally, Bashar al-Assad. Hezbollah played a significant role in supporting Assad throughout the years of war in Syria, before withdrawing its fighters back to Lebanon last year to engage in a fierce conflict with Israel. This redeployment weakened the Syrian government's defenses. The downfall of Assad has left Hezbollah without a crucial ally along Lebanon's eastern border. Syria, under Assad's rule, had long been a critical route for Iran to supply weapons to Hezbollah.
"What is unfolding in Syria is a major, dangerous, and new transformation, and the reasons and implications of this development require careful evaluation, which cannot be done solely through public statements," said Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah in a statement. On Sunday, armed groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took control of Damascus, seizing the capital and forcing Assad to flee to Russia. Israel inflicted significant damage on Hezbollah during over a year of hostilities, which began when the Lebanese group opened fire on October 8, 2023, in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in Gaza. A ceasefire in Lebanon came into effect on November 27.
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