BEIRUT — Hezbollah says the Middle East is at risk of partition and sees no end to the war in Syria, where it is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad against insurgents supported by his regional enemies.

Sheikh Naim Qassem, deputy leader of the Iranian-backed group, said the insurgents would be unable to topple the Assad government despite their recent gains in battle, including this week’s capture of Palmyra by the “Islamic State” group.

In an interview with Reuters, Qassem said Assad’s allies – Iran, Russia and Hezbollah – would back him “however long it takes.”

There could be no solution to the war without Assad and it was time for “Arabs and the world” to realize that, he added.

Hezbollah has been a crucial ally to Assad in the four-year-long war, sending its fighters to help him hold on to territory and power.

The Lebanese group, a Shi’a Islamist party with a powerful armed wing, describes its role as part of a struggle against jihadists who are a growing threat to the region.

Qassem said Saudi policy was to blame for regional conflicts, including the most recent one in Yemen. He accused Riyadh of “double standards”, backing radical Sunni Islamist militants, or “takfiris” across the Middle East, while seeking to suppress them at home.

He also blamed Washington, saying it was waiting to see how things turned out instead of adopting clear policies.

Saudi Arabia has denied accusations of backing radical Islamists. It says Iran’s efforts to expand its influence are the main source of instability in the Middle East.

“The region is today on fire, tense, without any proposed solutions. It seems this will continue for a number of years and there is also the risk of partition in some of its countries,” said Qassem.

He warned of American plans to divide Iraq. Washington says it supports a united Iraq.

Destruction would continue in Syria because it would not submit, Qassem said. “Solutions for Syria are suspended. There is no political solution in the foreseeable period, and it is left to attrition, to the battlefield, and to wait for other developments in the region, particularly Iraq,” he said. 

-Reuters