Hizbollah fighting ISIS in Iraq: Nasrallah

An image grab taken from Hizbollah's al-Manar TV on Monday shows Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon's militant Shi'ite Muslim movement Hizbollah, giving a televised address from an undisclosed location in Lebanon. Hizbollah is involved in fighting
An image grab taken from Hizbollah's al-Manar TV on Monday shows Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon's militant Shi'ite Muslim movement Hizbollah, giving a televised address from an undisclosed location in Lebanon. Hizbollah is involved in fighting in Iraq, Nasrallah revealed for the first time in the speech beamed to supporters in southern Beirut. -- PHOTO: AFP

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon's Shi'ite movement Hizbollah is fighting the extremist ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) group in Iraq, its chief Hassan Nasrallah revealed for the first time Monday in a speech beamed to supporters in southern Beirut.

"We may not have spoken about Iraq before, but we have a limited presence because of the sensitive phase that Iraq is going through," Nasrallah said in reference to ongoing clashes between Iraqi troops, several militias and Kurdish forces against the ISIS.

Hizbollah is already fighting in Syria, alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

Nasrallah's speech comes two days after his leading Lebanese opponent, Saad Hariri, called on Hizbollah to withdraw from Syria.

"I say to those who call on us to withdraw from Syria, let's go together to Syria," said Nasrallah.

"I say, come with us to Iraq, and to any place where we can fight this threat that is threatening our (Muslim) nation and our region," he added.

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