November has been a deadly month for Hezbollah . The group lost around 40 fighters in the fierce battles in and around Aleppo including its commander Ali Hassan Murshid al Miqdad .
This brings the death toll of the Iranian backed Lebanese group to 1,590 since the start of its involvement in the Syrian civil war, according to Lebanese media reports based on security sources.
The casualty figure is almost equal, if not a little higher, to the number of Hezbollah fighters lost during its decadeslong struggle against Israeli occupation in Lebanon, including the July 2006 war.
Hezbollah Sunday commemorated Martyrs’ Day with the largest show of force orchestrated by Hezbollah outside of Lebanese territories. Senior Hezbollah official Sayyed Hashem Safieddine addressed the fighters in a speech that was not carried by the group’s media.
The parade which included tanks and armored personnel carriers took place in the Syrian city of Qusair, which is under de facto Hezbollah control which is close to the Lebanese border and which it captured from rebels in 2013.
Images from the parade provided a glimpse into the arsenal being deployed by Hezbollah in Syria. In addition to the Soviet-era tanks and anti-aircraft guns, the parade featured American-manufactured M113 armored personnel carriers, similar to those provided by the United States to the Lebanese Army.
The army denied on Tuesday providing Hezbollah with the APCs .
The U.S. has been hesitant to provide the Lebanese Army with advanced weapons capabilities out of fear that they might fall into Hezbollah’s hands.
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