Hezbollah, Syrian regime forces clash in Aleppo

By Halit Suleyman

ALEPPO, Syria

Lebanese Shia Hezbollah fighters on Saturday clashed with Syrian regime forces in the northwestern Syrian province of Aleppo.

Local and military sources speaking anonymously due to fears for their safety, told Anadolu Agency that Hezbollah militia in Nubul and Zahra forced young pro-Assad Syrians to go to Khan Tuman, southwest of Aleppo city, to fight against the regime.

The clashes began when Hezbollah fighters detained the young Syrians who refused to fight on the southern fronts, sources added.

Hezbollah denied the reports and claimed they were an attempt to boost the morale of groups linked to the U.S. and Israel.

“We categorically deny such allegations and lies produced by a media machine, which is used to make lies and fabrications,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

It attributed the reports to what it described as media outlets with links to local and Arab intelligence services "that are released with the aim of improving the low morale within the Takfiri groups backed by the US and Israel".

The statement went on to reiterate that Hezbollah has strong relations with the Syrian army “and other allies on Syrian territory.”

Arab and foreign media reported that Hezbollah fighters and regime forces exchanged fire in Aleppo’s northern countryside, resulting in casualties on both sides.

Hezbollah has fought alongside the regime of Bashar al-Assad since 2011, when Syria fell into a devastating war after the government cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

The Shia group has not disclosed how many of its members have been killed in Syria but the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reports that more than 1,000 Hezbollah fighters have died in Syria.

*Anadolu Agency correspondent Sibel Ugurlu contributed to this report from Ankara.