Supporters of Lebanon’s Hizbullah gesture and wave Hezbollah flags as they listen to a televised address by their leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during a rally marking Resistance and Liberation Day in Lebanese village of Nabi sheet, in Bekaa, May 25, 2011, commemorating the 11th anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday most Syrians still backed President Bashar al-Assad and the removal of his regime on the back of mass unrest would serve American and Israeli interests. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah

BEIRUT — Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on
Wednesday urged Syrians to back President Bashar al-Assad’s “regime of
resistance” while calling for the rejection of newly imposed sanctions
against Damascus.

“We call on all Syrians to preserve their country as
well as the ruling regime, a regime of resistance, and to give their leaders a
chance to cooperate with all Syria’s communities in order to implement the
necessary reforms,” Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast by his party’s
Al-Manar television.

His speech, marking the 11th anniversary of Israel’s
withdrawal from southern Lebanon after 22 years, was broadcast on a giant
screen to thousands of Hizbullah supporters in the village of Nabi Sheet, a Shi’a
stronghold in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

It was the first time the reclusive Hizbullah leader has
commented on the protests in Syria, which along with Iran is a major backer of
his Shi’a militant party.

“The difference between the Arab uprisings and Syria…
is that President Assad is convinced that reforms are necessary, unlike Bahrain
and other Arab countries,” said Nasrallah, who has not appeared in public
since 2008.

He also urged his party’s supporters to reject sanctions by
the United States, European Union and Canada on his ally.

“We must refuse these sanctions that the United States
and the rest of the West are trying to market and convince Lebanon to abide
by,” said Nasrallah.

Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon under massive
international pressure following the 2005 murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq
Hariri, ending 29 years of military and political domination over its smaller
neighbour.

But Damascus still influences Lebanese politics through its
support for a Hizbullah-led coalition.

Popular protests demanding the end of Baath rule broke out
in March, and rights groups estimate more than 1,000 people have been killed as
the state cracks down on the pro-democracy protests.