Beirut-The so-called Hezbollah party endured more losses in the past few weeks as fighting intensified in the province of Aleppo in Syria.
There has been information that 11 Hezbollah members, including Hatem Hamadeh, a high-ranking commander in the party, were killed in Aleppo alone this month.
Hamadeh was also known in the military circle under the name of “Hajj Ala’a.” The party held his funeral mid this week.
Abu Ala’a was killed when an explosive device targeted him and his bodyguards while they were present in the area of “1070 Apartment District” of southwestern Aleppo.
Lebanon Debate news website said Hamadeh was leading the Military 125 Unit in [Hezbollah], and that he is known as one of the best commanders in the military field. The website said Abu Ala’a is considered the party’s second military commander in the Aleppo front.
The so-called Hezbollah sends thousands of its members to Syria to fight alongside Bashar Assad’s forces. The group has reportedly lost more than 1,200 fighters, including several key commanders, since the war in Syria started three years ago.
Director of the Umam Documentation and Research center Lokman Slim told Ashaq Al-Awsat there was a drain in the military leadership of the party’s structure.
“This drain might create a crack at the level of the party’s leadership that has experiences in wars,” he said.
However, Slim, who is opposed to the so-called Hezbollah, asked: “Would these losses be compensated for?”
He said Iran could send substitutes to lead the war in Syria because the party’s losses could be compensated by the presence of Iraqi, Afghan, Iranian and other fighters in the Syrian battlefield.
Slim refused to link the human losses of the so-called Hezbollah with the perspective of the party’s supporters.
“Let us be realistic, the fatalities will not affect the relationship of the party with its supporters,” Slim said.
He added: “The more we witness sectarian tension, the more we see an attachment between the supporters and what the party is promoting.”
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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