'Aleppo a major victory for Axis of Resistance'

Beirut: Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Friday said the Syrian government's victory in Aleppo could pave way for a political settlement to the conflict, describing the battles in Syria's second biggest city as one of the harshest combats the region has seen in years.

"After Aleppo, one can comfortably say that the project of regime change has failed," Sayyed Nasrallah said in a televised address to his supporters in the Lebanese capital. 

Hailing the liberation of Syria's second biggest city of Aleppo as a major victory for the axis of Resistance, Sayyed Nasrallah said the battle in Aleppo was fierce because of different means of support which Takfiris militants were offered.

"The support offered by Arab states to militants in Syria over the past six years goes beyond the level of assistance provided to Palestinians in sixty years," the Hezbollah leader said.

He said the militants' defeat in Syria is the result of sacrifices by the Syrian nation, army as well as resistance fighters.

In a blistering attack on Takfiri militants Nasrallah said these militants were perpetrating heinous crimes across the Middle East and North Africa in the name of Islam but they have no connection to Islam and the religion's most revered figure Prophet Muhmamd (PBUH).

The Hezbollah chief further condemned attempts to link Daesh or any other terrorist group to Islam, terming such bids as part of a scenario against the divine religion.

"Our religion and our prophet Muhamamd (PBUH) have been greatly abused within the last years. Takfiris are those who have been abusing our religion and our prophet, because they are committing their crime in the name of this religion and this prophet. Takfiris' atrocities are real massacres on the humanitarian and cultural level," he said.

Nasrallah stated that efforts to tarnish the image of Islam have entered a new phase, stressing that all Muslims bear the responsibility of denouncing the atrocities and make it known to the international community that the crimes are not linked to Islam.

Nasrallah went on to say that Muslims worldwide must denounce the barbarism of these extremists, and that no religion or ideology agrees to the ferociousness of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.

He stated that the ideology behind extremism stems from Wahhabism, and that Wahhabis have turned a blind eye to the critical issues of Muslims, particularly the Palestinian cause.

Nasrallah also criticized Western and some Arab media outlets over broadcasting fabricated stories on ongoing development in Aleppo, saying the networks are misleading the world public opinion by showing fake images the aftermath of Syrian army operations in Aleppo.

"Media outlets are showing images of Yemeni children, and then claiming they are pictures of Syrian kids," he said.

Nasrallah also strongly condemned the recent Daesh video purporting to show two captured Turkish soldiers being burned alive in Aleppo, stating that Turkey is paying the price for its support for terrorists.

Meanwhile, Sayyed Nasrallah urged the Bahraini regime to be wise, warning Manama against committing a folly like Thursday's move when regime forces stormed Diraz and attempted to attack the house of prominent pro democracy cleric Sheikh Issa al-Qassem.

On the Lebanese issue, Sayyed Nasrallah voiced satisfaction concerning the positive atmosphere in the country following the formation of the national accord government. His eminence said the government has to assume all its responsibility regarding daily challenges, and not to consider that its only task is to endorse an electoral law.