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Israel fears weapons falling into Hezbollah’s hands — diplomat

An ambassador says Israel has no intention to interfere in the Syrian crisis but is concerned over the possibility of weapons falling into the hands of the Shi’ite grouping Hezbollah

MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. Israel has no intention to interfere in the Syrian crisis but is concerned over the possibility of weapons falling into the hands of the Shi’ite grouping Hezbollah, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Zvi Heifetz said on Monday.

Members of the Hezbollah grouping are fighting on the side of the Syrian government forces against illegal armed formations in that country, the Israeli ambassador said in the Pozner TV program.

"Israel has a principle: we do not interfere in regional crises, including in what is taking place in Syria," the ambassador said.

Israel is concerned over two issues in the wake of the Syria situation, the diplomat said.

"The first issue is the possibility of weapons leaks into the hands of Hezbollah through Syria or through Iran. We’re also concerned over the presence of Hezbollah on the Golan Heights: just imagine that if both Russia and Western countries leave Syria one day, we’ll stay there. All will leave and we’ll stay and it is very important for us to know how we’ll stay and who our new neighbors will be," Heifetz said.

The Israeli ambassador also explained Israel’s position on the legitimacy of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"Assad is the president of Syria. We have known this for many years. If you mean whom we support, I’ll answer directly: we do not support anyone in Syria. Syria must solve its issues and we must solve ours," the ambassador said.

Hezbollah (the Party of God in the Arab language) is a Shi’ite Islamic movement in Lebanon. It is based in some districts of Beirut, in the Beqaa Valley and in the country’s south. Members of Hezbollah’s armed wing have been fighting on the side of the Syrian army against illegal armed formations since 2012.