Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – Syrian opposition forces have accused Hezbollah of actively taking part in the fighting in Syria, claiming that the Lebanese–based Shiite organization is firing hundreds of rockets into Syria on a daily basis.

Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat, Syrian opposition Local Coordination Committee-member, Mohamed al-Homsi, accused Hezbollah of “intervening in the fighting alongside the Syrian regime with all of its power” adding “Hezbollah is firing its rockets – the same rockets that it claims are to fight Israel – into Syrian territory to kill Syrian people.”

Al-Homsi, who is a member of the Homs Local Coordination Committee, confirmed that “between 100 and 150 rockets and mortar shells are being fired by Hezbollah into the Syrian town of al-Qaseer and the surrounding villages on a daily basis, from the group’s military positions in Hermel [on the Syrian – Lebanese borer].” He also revealed that the previous few days have seen a strong intensification in the barrage of rocket fire from Hezbollah into Syrian opposition-held territory.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat “it has become clear that Hezbollah is taking part, with all of its strength, in this battle, which it considers itself to be a part of. Hezbollah has sent thousands of its troops, along with military equipment and arms, into Syria, deploying them throughout Homs and the surrounding areas, in addition to Hama, Aleppo, Zabadani and Damascus. They are engaging in fierce clashes with rebel forces”.

Al-Homsi also revealed that “Hezbollah fighters are teaching the al-Assad regular forces and pro-regime Shabiha militias how to fight street battles” adding “Hezbollah elements are actively taking part in the conflict in Homs, from suppressing protests to leading the battles in Deir Baalba, Baba Amr, al-Qaseer and elsewhere.”

The British Daily Telegraph issued a report confirming that Hezbollah is launching rocket attacks into Syria, with one eye-witness saying “they [Hezbollah] are concentrating on hitting the villages where the Free Syrian Army are, to weaken them before launching a ground attack.”

Another activist informed the British newspaper that the rocket attacks began six weeks ago, adding “Hezbollah does this almost every night. It gets heavier when the fighting gets worse here.”

Responding to these accusations, Hezbollah MP Walid Sakaria, strongly denied that Hezbollah was firing any rockets into Syria, stressing that “it would be impossible to fire such rockets without people in the surrounding area hearing or seeing this.”

He also told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the accusations being leveled against us clearly demonstrate that Hezbollah is being targeted simply because it is an enemy of Israel and the US project in the region, and so we are not surprised to be facing such accusations.”

He added “the NATO project in the region requires Sunni – Shiite conflict which will ultimately lead to a peace agreement with Israel, according to the Israeli conditions. Therefore the accusations that Hezbollah is firing rockets into al-Qaseer and Zabadani represent an attempt to incite this conflict and to say that Shiite Hezbollah is striking the Sunni regions in Syria.”

The Hezbollah MP stressed that “the NATO project will not succeed unless it incites enmity between the Arabs and Iran and promotes the idea that Tehran represents a threat to the Arab world.”