(Reuters) Security officials in the region say there are now 2,000-4,000 Hizbullah fighters, experts and reservists in Syria. One Lebanese security official said a central command in Iran led by the Revolutionary Guards directs Hizbullah operations in Syria in close coordination with the Syrian authorities. Another source said Hizbullah had "hit squads" in Syria whose task is to assassinate military leaders among the Sunni rebels. Sheikh Subhi al-Tufayli, who led Hizbullah from 1989 to 1991, said the decision to intervene in Syria was Iranian. "The alternative would have been a confrontation with the Iranians." Hizbullah's main task is to prevent Sunni jihadis linked to al-Qaeda, such as the al-Nusra Front, from entering the heart of Damascus, said one military observer.
2013-09-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive