Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem, reported on December 14, the Lebanese militant group now loses its critical supply route through Syria. This means it is losing its connection as a result of an outcome from a series of attacks by rebel forces upon the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The loss of this supply route, which has proven very crucial for Hezbollah’s military operations, raises great concern over the group’s capacity to transport weapons and other equipment from Iran into Iraq and Syria into Lebanon.
Hezbollah had long relied on Syria as a key conduit of its military supplies, but was severely impacted by this lost route. In a televised address, Qassem acknowledged the loss but downplayed its significance in the broader context of Hezbollah’s operations. “Yes, Hezbollah has lost the military supply route through Syria at this stage, but this loss is a detail in the resistance’s work,” he said. He further indicated that the loss might be transient, adding, “A new regime could come and this route could return to normal, and we could look for other ways.”
Fall Of Assad’s Regime
The breakdown happened after anti-Assad fighters took the border with Iraq on December 6 and two days later, Islamist rebels who were led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured Damascus, Syria’s capital. This resulted in the end of over five decades of rule for the Assad family and ushered in a transitional government under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an organization that was earlier affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Hezbollah’s Role In Syria And Its Future Plans
Hezbollah has significantly played a role in bolstering Assad’s regime since 2013, dispatching fighters to help him defeat the rebels. After rebels advanced towards Damascus, Hezbollah allegedly dispatched officers to manage the withdrawal of its fighters.
Although the supply route was lost, Qassem expressed hopefulness over the development: “We also hope that this new ruling party will consider Israel an enemy and not normalize relations with it.” Much will depend on how Syria’s new government situates itself with respect to Israel in order to define the nature of Hezbollah’s relation with Syria.
Hezbollah’s reliance on Syria has been a cornerstone of the group’s operations against Israel. The recent blow to this route comes at an already tense time for relations between Hezbollah and Israel, particularly along Lebanon’s southern border.
These tensions have been exacerbated by the conflict in Gaza, which precipitated months of cross-border exchanges of fire. Conflict culminated in September into a major Israeli offensive in which much of Hezbollah’s high command was decimated.
Qassem remained optimistic about the future of Lebanon-Syria relations under the new regime, despite the setbacks. However, he admitted that Syria’s political future was uncertain. He also said that the group would not judge Syria’s new rulers until their stance on key issues, such as relations with Israel, becomes clear.
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