Lebanon’s Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (L) chats with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (C) and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) while on their way to an official dinner in Damascus February 25, 2010.                                                                                                                                        REUTERS/Sana

(BBC) – The head of the Lebanese political and militant group Hizbullah, Hassan Nasrallah, has made a rare public appearance in Damascus.

Sheikh Nasrallah attended a dinner with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

He is under an Israeli death threat and makes very few appearances in public. When he addresses Hizbullah supporters, he does so by video from a secret location.

Both Syria and Iran provide the group with financial and military support.

Hizbullah fought a 33-day war with Israel in 2006 during which more than 1,200 Lebanese people, mostly civilians, were killed. Some 160 Israeli people, most of whom were soldiers, also died.

Lebanon’s Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (R), Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (C) and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) attend an official dinner in Damascus February 25, 2010. REUTERS/Sana

In November, Nasrallah vowed to boost the capacity of its military wing and threatened to retaliate if Israel attacked Lebanon.
Since 2006, the Hizbullah leader has made few public appearances in Lebanon, even avoiding key religious and political occasions.

Fear of an assassination attempt has been particularly heightened since February 2008, when the commander of his group’s military wing, Imad Mughniyeh, was killed in a car bombing in Damascus.

Hizbullah blamed Israel for the attack, but it denied any involvement.

Before Thursday’s dinner, Nasrallah and Ahmadinejad discussed “the latest developments in the region, and Zionist threats against Lebanon and Syria,” Hizbullah’s al-Manar television reported.

After bilateral talks on Thursday, President Assad said Syria and Iran were working together to confront “Israeli terrorism.”

Both leaders dismissed U.S. calls for Syria to distance itself from Iran, emphasising their “deep and brotherly” ties.

The meeting came a week after the US signalled an attempt to improve ties with Syria, sending a senior official to Damascus for talks and nominating a new ambassador after the withdrawal of his predecessor five years ago.