BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah is helping to lead a Russian-backed offensive in southern Syria, pro-Damascus sources said, exposing the limits of U.S. policy that hopes Moscow can get Iran and groups it backs out of the country.
Hezbollah's role in the offensive near the border with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has also defied Israeli demands that Iranian proxies be kept away from its frontier - a fault line of the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict.
"Hezbollah is a fundamental participant in planning and directing this battle," a commander in the regional alliance that backs Damascus told Reuters. "Everyone knows this - the Israeli enemy, friends, and even the Russians."
Hezbollah's role includes directing Syrian forces, the commander said. It has also deployed its own elite forces.
But the Iranian-backed group is keeping a lower profile than in past Syria campaigns, acknowledging the risks of Israeli escalation.
A senior official in the regional alliance that backs Assad said Hezbollah was fighting "under the cover" of the Syrian army in the south. A European diplomat said Iranian-backed forces were not thought to be taking part "in strength".
For Assad, the campaign holds out the prospect of reopening a vital trade artery to Jordan, reestablishing his control over the Golan frontier, and crushing rebels once deemed a threat because of their proximity to Damascus.
The offensive has yet to face resistance from Assad's Western, Israeli or Arab foes. Washington has told rebels it once backed not to expect intervention. Some have surrendered. READ MORE
