The Lebanon-based Hezbollah has benefited from the civil war in Syria by solidifying an alliance with Iran and gaining solid combat experience with new weapons, despite losing nearly 2,000 fighters on the battlefield, the private intelligence Soufan Group said in a new report on Monday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2018) The Lebanon-based Hezbollah has benefited from the civil war in Syria by solidifying an alliance with Iran and gaining solid combat experience with new weapons, despite losing nearly 2,000 fighters on the battlefield, the private intelligence Soufan Group said in a new report on Monday.
"Hezbollah has vastly expanded and solidified its network, which is already global in nature, boasting an infrastructure that spans Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia," the report said. "Closer to home in the region, Hezbollah's partnerships with Iraqi militias and Houthi rebels in Yemen have also become more functional, serving as a force multiplier for the group and helping to extend its tentacles into new fronts."
The Hezbollah network has gained combat experience fighting in Aleppo, Deraa, Damascus, Latakia and elsewhere throughout Syria, the report explained. In the future, this network could be activated to project Iranian influence and defend Shia interests in an increasingly sectarian middle East, the release explained.
Hezbollah's gains, however, have not come without costs for the militant network, having lost nearly 2,000 fighters in some of bloodiest battles of the Syrian insurgency, including the May 2015 battles in the Qalamoun region near the border with Lebanon, the report noted.
