Deputy Leader of Hizbullah Naim Qassem: Hizbullah Is Ready to Participate in Fighting in Golan

Following are excerpts from an interview with Naim Qassem, deputy secretary-general of Hizbullah, which aired on Mayadeen TV on May 25, 2013.

Naim Qassem: We believe that the level of our involvement in some operations [in Syria] that are consistent with the way we see things is legitimate, required, and obligatory. This is part of protecting the resistance enterprise, protecting Syria of the resistance. If not for that – the fighting, the liberation, and the tipping of the balance in favor of the regime would be the responsibility of the regime itself, and indeed, the regime is taking care of that, and so is the Syrian people, fighting alongside the regime. We do not intend to replace anyone.

[…]

I believe that the Syrian leadership is serious about opening the Golan front. After all, it was President Bashar who declared the opening of the Golan front. The implementation is dependent upon objective circumstances. We, in Hizbullah, have said that we are prepared to help and to participate in this. Hizbullah cannot be the one to open the front in the Golan. A front is usually opened by the people of the relevant country. When Syria decides to open the Golan front – if it requires anything from Hizbullah, we will be ready to help anyone conducting resistance against Israel.

[…]