Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah yesterday pledged to continue backing Syria’s President Assad, just days after Hezbollah was included in a new Lebanese government.

Speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the death of three Hezbollah leaders, Nasrallah said, “We will remain where we should be, our policy hasn’t changed,” explaining that Hezbollah will continue to fight alongside Assad until Syrian opposition forces are defeated. Nasrallah added that Sunni groups fighting Assad were a danger to Lebanon’s borders and acknowledged that, “Yes, some martyrs will fall and some victims will be harmed economically and will be displaced and feel fearful and worried and insecure – this is part of the battle.”

It was reported last week that Hezbollah fighters had joined a Syrian army assault on the border town of Yabroud. Hezbollah, which is largely bankrolled and trained by the Shi’ite Iranian regime, has fought side by side with troops loyal to Assad previously, most notably recapturing the crucial town of Qusair last year. There is significant disquiet among Lebanon’s Sunni population over Hezbollah’s close support for the Assad regime and as a result, several deadly car bombs have been detonated in Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut in recent months. In November a massive bomb attack struck the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, leaving at least 23 people dead, the perpetrators specifying that it was meant to send a message to Hezbollah.

Despite the internal Lebanese disquiet over Hezbollah’s role in Syria, it was announced over the weekend by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Tamam Salam that Hezbollah would be part of a 24-person unity government after ten months of coalition talks. Another coalition partner is Saed Hariri’s Sunni-based March 14 bloc, which has been a leading critic of Hezbollah activity in Syria and supports the opposition seeking Assad’s downfall. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Salam said, “It’s a unifying government and the best formula to allow Lebanon to confront challenges.”