Hezbollah’s Role in Suppressing Unrest in Syria
Over the past few months, an increasing number of video clips of demonstrators, army deserters and activists have attested to the involvement of Hezbollah operatives in suppressing the unrest in Syria. The Syrian government has kept the international media out, so it is not possible to confirm these stories. Nevertheless, Hezbollah participation in Syria is consistent with the strong support for the Assad government voiced by the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and its sponsor, the Iranian government.
Youtube carries a number of videos alleging to show demonstrators burning posters of Nasrallah and other clips of demonstrators burning the Hezbollah flag. There are clips showing the burning of the Iranian flag as well.
A video by France24 claims to show protesters in Homs chanting, “Neither Iran, nor Hezbollah.” Another video shows the dead corpses of men dressed in military garb who are described as Hezbollah fighters.
Michael Weiss at the Daily Telegraph blog carries an interview with a man claiming to be a Hezbollah operative who says he has transported 45 busloads of mercenaries from Lebanon to Syria. An AFP piece interviewed several Syrian deserters, one of whom charges that
the regime posted snipers drawn from the police or the Syrian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia on high points. “When the soldiers do not shoot, they shoot the soldiers down.”
There were also reports that Hezbollah helped transport and fund Palestinian infiltrators to the Lebanese-Israeli border during Naksa day earlier in the month. Syria did the same along the Golan border in an effort to distract attention away from the unrest in Syria and redirect it towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Moallem, however, has denied Hezbollah or Iranian involvement in helping contain the unrest in Syria.
The mainstream media has been cautious about repeating these stories.
More from SNAPSHOTS
Double Standards: Boycotts and Discrimination in MassLive
May 16, 2025
Anti-Israel activists, including Harvard University’s Lara Jirmanus, a clinical instructor, seem to struggle with the concept of “discrimination.” Quoted in a May 14 MassLive article, “Harvard ‘failed to respond’ to 450 discrimination complaints. Staff hand-delivered [...]
Swarthmore Students Are Learning: It Was Never About Palestinian Rights
May 14, 2025
Students at Swarthmore College are so close to understanding the conflict. An article in the Swarthmore Phoenix details the frustrations of student activists with the college’s Students for Justice in Palestine. The gist of their criticism is [...]
AFP Arabic Stops Mislabeling Northern Israeli Communities ‘Settlements”
August 10, 2021
A view of Metulla, northern Israel (Photo by Hadar Sela)After failing to set the record straight last May when Agence France Presse's Arabic service repeatedly referred to Jewish communities in northern Israel as "settlements," the [...]
NY Times Praises Ilhan Omar’s Book While Glossing Over Her Antisemitism
August 19, 2020
A recent New York Times book review boosts Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) autobiography while glossing over her antisemitism. In the paper’s Aug. 16, 2020 edition, NYT reporter Christina Cauterucci writes: The memoir offers breathing room [...]
When TV Interviews of Ilhan Omar Constitute Journalistic Malpractice
August 11, 2020
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) documented animosity toward Jews and Israel was ignored in recent interviews by MSNBC and C-SPAN. MSNBC’s The Beat for July 23, 2020 included host Ari Melber’s 10-minute conversation at 6:16 [...]
Boston TV Station WCVB Teamed Up With Terrorist Supporter CAIR
July 7, 2020
WCVB-TV (channel 5) (Boston’s ABC network affiliate) recently misled area viewers about a matter involving antisemitic propaganda. This occurred on its local Sunday show Cityline hosted by Karen Holmes Ward who is described by the [...]
Harper’s Magazine Echoed Palestinian Propaganda Condemning Israel And America
June 2, 2020
Writing in Harper's, Kevin Baker condemns the U.S. Middle East peace plan [“The Striking Gesture,” Easy Chair, May 2020], mischaracterizing it as, “Give up all your [Palestinian] hopes and your holiest places, embark on a [...]