Hezbollah chief urges Lebanon to normalize ties with Syria’s Assad regime

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah urged  Sunday the  political leaders to recognize  the survival of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.

Addressing a rally on Sunday,  he advised Lebanon’s government to normalize ties with its war-torn neighbor.

Lebanon’s political parties are split over whether to restore ties  with the Syrian leader.

The Iranian backed Hezbollah militant group Hezbollah has invested heavily in Assad’s survival. More than a thousand of its fighters have died fighting alongside government forces in Syria.
Syria occupied Lebanon from 1976 until  April 2005 when it withdrew its forces  under domestic  and International pressure following the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri and the eruption of the Cedar Revolution

Nasrallah also said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had no way to harm the Iran-backed group, dismissing U.S. sanctions and threats.

Trump last month called Hezbollah “a menace” to the Lebanese people and to the entire region.

U.S. lawmakers last month introduced legislation seeking to increase sanctions on Hezbollah by further restricting its ability to raise money and recruit  by increasing pressure on banks that do business with it.