Report: Hezbollah isn’t planning to send operatives to northern Syria to support Syrian army

Hezbollah does not currently intend to send operatives to northern Syria to support the Syrian army there, three sources familiar with the Iran-backed group’s thinking tell Reuters.

An alliance of Islamist rebel fighters launched a surprise offensive last week on northern Syria, sweeping through government-held territory in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib and forcing government troops out of Aleppo city in the biggest setback for Syrian President Bashar Assad in years.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said earlier today that Syria’s military is capable of confronting the rebels but “resistance groups will help and Iran will provide any support needed,” referring to Tehran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” which includes Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Syrian and Iraqi militant groups.

The sources tell Reuters that Hezbollah has not yet been asked to intervene, adding that the group isn’t ready to send forces to Syria at this stage following more than a year of cross-border fighting with Israel, including two months of heavy ground fighting in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah-led forces began attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis on October 8, 2023, with the group saying it was doing so to support Gaza amid the war there. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect last week.

One of the sources says the terror group had pulled senior officers responsible for Aleppo out of northern Syria to help fight the ground war against Israel.

Two other sources, one Lebanese and one Syrian, say Hezbollah pulled back forces from Syria in mid-October when the fighting with Israel along the border intensified.

Hezbollah does not immediately respond to a request for comment.