The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, sparked outrage within the Syrian revolutionary ranks this week after making inflammatory accusations linking the revolution to Israel. Nasrallah’s statements were met with fierce condemnation from the Syrian Islamic Council, which denounced the remarks as baseless and malicious, emphasizing the manipulative role of Iran and its proxies in the region.
Nasrallah, speaking at a memorial event on Tuesday, alleged that the “Syrian opposition” had become “agents of Israel and the United States,” suggesting that the defeat of the so-called “axis of resistance” in Syria would lead to Israeli influence over the country’s future leadership. He implied that some factions within the revolution were already aligned with Israeli interests.
“The defeat of the resistance in Syria will lead to Israel working on a project in which whoever rules Syria will be its friend, one of its tools, and one of its agents,” Nasrallah said, targeting both secular and Islamist elements within the ranks of the revolution. He argued that their actions were effectively serving Israeli and American agendas in the region.
Many find Nasrallah’s claims ironic given the history of the Assad family in maintaining the status quo in terms of Israel, and previous statements of the Israeli government that Assad should stay in power due to his regime’s nonthreatening stance towards Israel.
In a swift and pointed response, the Syrian Islamic Council issued a statement Wednesday, condemning Nasrallah’s comments as slanderous. The council dismissed the accusations as an attempt to deflect attention from the real issues at hand—namely, Iran’s expansionist ambitions in the Middle East.
“The statements of the leader of the militia controlling the southern suburb, the criminal who is preying on Lebanon and its people, regarding the free Syrian people and the Syrian revolution, and its subordination to the Zionist entity, are, as the saying goes: ‘He threw me to the wolves and slipped away,’” the council declared.
The council further criticized the actions of Hezbollah and its Iranian backers, accusing them of exploiting the Palestinian cause to further their own geopolitical interests. It argued that Iran’s purported support for Gaza was merely a facade for its broader, more sinister agenda of regional dominance.
“The labor of those who own missiles that reach beyond Haifa, and who have a long common border with the enemy that prevents others from invading it, is apparent,” the council stated, referring to Hezbollah’s military capabilities and its strategic relationship with Israel. The council accused Iran and its proxies of using the Palestinian issue as a tool to manipulate public opinion while committing atrocities in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon.
In its statement, the council also highlighted the destructive role played by Iran and its militias in these countries, describing their actions as a “bad omen” for the region’s future. It called for greater awareness of Iran’s true intentions, urging the Islamic world and global supporters of justice to expose Tehran’s manipulation of regional conflicts.
“The dangerous role of the mullahs’ regime and its henchmen aims at demographic change in the region,” the council warned. “It seeks to create loyalty to that state through force, money, and other malicious means, directly serving the Zionist plans in the region by keeping and preserving the most loyal of the dark rulers to Israel—Bashar al-Assad and his repressive apparatus.”
The council’s statement culminated in a call to action for Muslim scholars and leaders worldwide to educate the masses about the true nature of Iran’s involvement in regional conflicts. The council stressed that the Iranian regime’s apparent support for the Palestinian cause should not deceive the Muslim community, as it serves only to advance Tehran’s broader hegemonic goals.
