The headline from YNetNews is rather telling: “Syria, Iran determined to protect Hizbullah.” Not Lebanon, which, of course, has become an expendable pawn of its own making in this conflict, due to its government’s refusal to confront Hizbullah and its foreign backers, even amid the anti-Syrian fervor that followed the Hariri assassination.
From YNetNews:
The Qatar-based newspaper Al-Watan reported Wednesday that Syria and Iran will cooperate with each other in order to prevent the dissolution of Hizbullah and to preserve its struggle with Israel.
According to credible Syrian sources, the newspaper reported, there is an agreement between Damascus and Tehran stating the prevention of either military or political defeat of Hizbullah as paramount, creating a joint Syrian-Iranian stance
based on the clear vision that any defeat of Hizbullah is a red line for the both countries.
Both Syria and Iran thoroughly understand that the measure of Hizbullah’s strength against Israel gives precedent to strategic changes in the whole region. The influence of the military confrontation being conducted now, claim the same Syrian sources, extend beyond all geographic borders and have implications for the entire Middle East, from Gaza to Iraq. As such, protecting the “resistance” in Lebanon and the territories is at the center of Damascus” and Tehran’s strategic decisions.
[…]
Damascus and Tehran are closely following the developments in Lebanon and are prepared to get involved, if needed, to protect Hizbullah or to prevent the imposition of “suspicious” political agreements or conditions on them.
The sources added that there are regional attempts, international and even Lebanese, to accept Israel’s conditions and to implement Security Council Resolution 1559, which entails disarmament of Hizbullah and extricating the organization from the conflict. The sources emphasized that this will never happen especially
because, from their perspective, any agreement or deal needs to protect Hizbullah and to preserve its legitimate right to resist Israel, be it in Lebanon or in the territories.
It should be noted that today”s reports are in accordance with a report published yesterday in London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat. They also reinforce estimations in Israel that Iran is willing to do anything to keep Hizbullah on its feet after the current confrontation, just as Iran has done in past years, with the goal of rehabilitating the organization of the “Judgment Day” against
Israel.