WarSclerotic

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said Iranian and Hezbollah forces will not withdraw from Syria until the country is “liberated” and its “territorial integrity is restored,” Russia’s RIA news agency reported on Wednesday.

Iran-backed forces such as Hezbollah in Lebanon – a close political ally of Berri’s – have been key allies alongside Russia in supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s war effort.

RIA interviewed Berri in Beirut.

Both the United States and Israel have demanded that Iran withdraw entirely from Syria. Israel has also demanded that Hezbollah pull out.

With the assistance of his allies, Assad has recovered large swathes of Syria from rebel forces, although other parts of the country still remain out of his hands.

Differences between his allies Iran and Russia have grown more apparent recently, as Israel presses Russia to make sure Iran and its allies do not entrench their military hold in the country.

Israel has carried out repeated airstrikes in Syria against targets connected to Iran and Hezbollah, which it wants to keep away from its border.

Lebanon is a recipient of U.S. military aid and follows a policy of disassociation from foreign conflicts.