Syria’s opposition has denounced what it called “threats” from the head of Hezbollah, and warned against any intervention by the movement or by Iran, which backs the Lebanese group, in the Syrian conflict. The Syrian National Coalition’s (SNC) statement on Wednesday comes after Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, said Syrian rebels would not be able to defeat President Bashar al-Assad’s regime militarily. “The Syrians and the Lebanese hoped … that the Hezbollah leadership would stop their attacks on Homs and Damascus and take into account the gravity of the situation in the region,” the SNC said. “But they heard nothing but threats … and warnings against setting the region on fire and an admission of their interference in Syrian affairs.” Nasrallah, speaking in a televised address on Tuesday, said that Syria had “real friends in the region”, apparently indicating that his group would intervene on the government’s side if the need arises.
