Hezbollah chief urges new Lebanese government to fight terrorism

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, chief of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah militant group, on Sunday urged the newly formed Lebanese cabinet to confront increasing terrorism in the country. "Takfiri terrorism is a threat to the entire region. It is present in all the countries of the region and all religions are under their threat," Nasrallah said in a televised speech commemorating the assassination of three senior Hezbollah members. A Takfiri is a Muslim who accuses another Muslim of apostasy. Shiite-populated areas in Lebanon have been the target of a series of terror attacks since Hezbollah announced in May 2013 that it was fighting in the Syrian civil war in support of the administration of President Bashar al-Assad. Al-Nusra Front in Lebanon and the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, both al- Qaida linked terror groups, have claimed responsibility for several car bomb explosions that have hit the Hezbollah strongholds of Beirut's southern suburbs and the town of Hermel in eastern Lebanon. Nasrallah vowed again that Hezbollah will "remain in Syria" and fight alongside the Syrian government. After more than 10 months of deadlock, a new Lebanese cabinet was announced on Saturday headed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam.