Hezbollah worries Russia is pushing regime change in Syria

Russian paper reports that Hezbollah delegation used rare visit to Moscow to ask Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about Russia’s stance on the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

By  Neta Bar, ISRAEL HAYOM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with a Hezbollah delegation in Moscow, March 16, 2021 | Photo: AFP

Hezbollah might be concerned that Russia is changing its policy on Syria: On Tuesday, the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that a Hezbollah delegation that arrived in Moscow for a rare visit met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and asked him a number of questions about Russia’s position on the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

According to the report, the Shiite terrorist organization is worried about reports that Moscow, seeking to end the Syrian war, intends to set up a “military council” in Syria that would include opposition officials.

Hezbollah is also worried that Iran could pull up stakes in Syria. This concern apparently stems from recent rumors in Arab media about a meeting between senior Russian officials and Syrian opposition figure Manaf Tlass, considered an ally of Turkey, as well as Russia’s reservations about Iran’s continued presence in Syria, which has made the country into an Iranian satellite.

Various media outlets even mentioned the possibility that Russia is using the plan to set up a “military council” as leverage on Assad to reduce Iran’s influence and presence in Syria, as well as establish a Syrian government that would be friendly to Moscow without Russia having to vie for favor with Iran.

Hezbollah denied reports that it asked Russian officials about the fate of the Assad regime, the Russian news agency RT reported. Head of the Hezbollah delegation, Mohammed Raad, said that the conversation with Lavrov was “honest,” and had focused on domestic issues in Lebanon.