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Hizbullah Pays the Price for Iran's Gamble in Aleppo

(NOW-Lebanon) Haid Haid - Hizbullah supporters reportedly blamed Russia for Hizbullah's mounting casualties in Syria and publically criticized Moscow for not using its air force to protect the party's fighters. Exhaustion among Hizbullah fighters, who are spread over several fronts in Syria, may also have contributed to the recent spike in casualties. Ali al-Saadi, a field commander in the Iraqi Shiite militia Harakat al-Nujaba, which is active in Syria, told Al-Quds al-Araby that Hizbullah has requested urgent reinforcement from Iraqi Popular Mobilization militias to support their fighters in Aleppo. He added that the Russian government had informed its Syrian counterparts that airstrikes in support of Hizbullah near Aleppo would not be useful unless there were enough soldiers on the ground to secure areas taken from rebels. A Western diplomat based in Lebanon explained, "Iran was trying to drag Russia into Aleppo by starting the fight there alone and hoping that the developments on the ground would push the later [Russia] to join. However, it seems that Hizbullah is the one who paid the heaviest price for Iran's gamble."
2016-07-06 00:00:00
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