Hezbollah leader Nasrallah vows victory in Syria

[Bosonic]

Source: BBC

The leader of the Lebanese Shia militant Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, has promised his supporters they will prevail in Syria, where they are backing President Bashar al-Assad. "This battle is ours... and I promise you victory," he said.

Syrian rebels in the besieged town of Qusair say they are under heavy bombardment from Hezbollah combatants.

The town is close to the Lebanese border, a conduit for both the government and rebels to get weapons.

In a televised speech from an undisclosed location, Mr Hasrallah said if Sunni Islamists took over in Syria, they would pose a threat to the entire Lebanese population - Shia and Sunni Muslims, as well as Christians.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22669230

[iandhr]

1. Hezbollah v Al Qaeda

This is going to end extremely badly

[wellspring]

2. During the Iran-Iraq war Henry Kissinger said,

"My only regret is that only one of these two countries can lose the war."

The problem is that whichever side wins will immediately turn their guns on Israel, in order to "purify" themselves from the shame of having fought Muslim against Muslim.

And there's nothing Israel can do about it because any interference will immediately cause them all to unite and turn on Israel.

[sodom]

6. so?

And if this does happen, who cares? Israel isn't exactly a peaceful state or a source for all that is good in the world.

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. I think the Syrian army and Hezbollah are about to take Qusayr.

Or what's left of it.

That will be an important victory for the regime. Helps to secure Damascus and the Alawite heartland on the coast and in the near mountains. But Homs seems like the linchpin. It's only 15 miles from Qusayr. It could well be next.

Meanwhile, at least 30 dead in sectarian fighting in Tripoli, which has been serving as a staging area for the rebels, and the Iraqis just sent 20,000 soldiers to their border provinces with Syria to engage with Sunni rebels.

This is turning into the nightmare scenario from two years ago.

[Bosonic]

4. Two rockets hit southern Beirut district: residents

Two rockets hit southern Beirut district: residents

Two rockets hit a Hezbollah-controlled district in the southern part of Lebanon's capital on Sunday, residents said, wounding several people.

The attack may have been a response to a speech by the militant group's leader Hassan Nasrallah a day earlier, in which he committed to fighting in Syria's conflict on behalf of his ally President Bashar al-Assad.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/26/us-lebanon-hezbollah-rockets-idUSBRE94P01M20130526?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

[John2]

5. There are reports

from the Lebonese army,the rockets were Russian made, and there are other reports foreign fighters from Croatia and Serbia has been involved, training and supplying the opposition also by way of Turkey. There is also some reports the CIA has been training groups secretly in Jordan to use more sophisticated weapons. It seems neither side wants a peace negotiation and only going through the motions. It could just be the beginning of an escalation.