According to the Washington Post, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite political and militant group, has unofficially declared its support of the Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad. This means that Lebanon's strongest militant group, often known for attacks on Israel, may begin to mobilize against the Syrians protesting the legitimacy of their government. The current Syrian government also has the backing of Iran.
I'm no expert on Syrian happenings or the Sunni-Shiite conflict present between Arab countries (that's why I'm taking this class), but this can only mean bad things for Syrian civil society. Syrians have now been protesting Assad's regime for about a year and a half without significant progress. According to the article, Hezbollah hasn't carried out operations or attacks on anti-Assad protesters, but the group's fighters who are KIA have been secretly shipped back to their families in Lebanon, with no report as to how they died. I find this to be pretty shady - why are Hezbollah members dying if they aren't attacking anyone?
This article sparked my interest, so I will definitely try to keep up with Hezbollah's involvements in Syria. I hope foreign interest won't completely crush the strength of the Syrian civil society as they continue to push for a new government. After all, a government is only legitimate if it has the support of its constituency.
-Alexandra Hart
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