Re: Syrian war spreads to Lebanon
First of all, we need to understand that Lebanon is not as “foreign” to Syria as we tend to think. The two were actually one country, and they were together called “SHAAM”. It was British who divided them in two, making a Muslim majority Syria and Christian majority Lebanon. So Hezbollah entering Syria is less “foreign” than Saudi or Qatari funding, and takfiris coming from all over the world.
Hezbollah was not involved while the opposition only wanted to topple Assad. But it changed when the takfiri nawasib started arriving in droves. These khawarij nasibis were not just planning to topple secular Baathist regime but also were threatening to slaughter every shia in their villages close to Lebanese border. Chances were that they will also attack Hezbollah in Lebanon after they impose their shariah over whole of Syria.
So in this way **it was a political decision **by Hezbollah to nip the evil in the bud before they work with Zionists to destroy Hezbollah. But **it also was a religious decision **because takfiris had already desecrated Hijr ibn Addi’s remains, destroyed his grave, and now were planning to do the same with Sayyeda Zainab’s rawza.
This is from May 2012. Gives some reasons why Hezbollah joined in. When Nusra Front desecrated the shrine of Hijr ibn Addi…
The desecration of the shrine - and the removal of the remains - drew condemnation from the highest levels of Shiite Islam. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called it “bitter and sad,” while the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon issued a statement stark warning that it “foretells a large conflict and gloomy evil.”
As (the war) drags on, it has grown more sectarian and more likely to spill over into neighboring countries. In the immediate term, Lebanon would be foremost among them, directly pitting Hezbollah militants against al Qaeda-linked jihadists who have flocked to Syria from across the Muslim world.
Most of the action they’ve seen recently has been defending the Lebanese Shiites living in over 20 border villages inside Syria, notably al-Qasr, home to Lebanese Shiites and Christians which has come under attack by fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra.
The second of Hezbollah’s main missions in Syria is to defend the Sayyida Zeinab shrine near Damascus (other Shiites - Iraqis - are believed to be there as well). The ornately decorated shrine is where the granddaughter of the prophet Mohammed is buried, a highly sacred place for Shiites that normally sees pilgrims visiting year-round.
Hezbollah’s leader, Shiekh Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, last week seemed to draw one of his own, warning of “serious repercussions” if the shrine is attacked.