Syrians hold pro-Assad demonstration in Lebanon

Hundreds of Syrians in Lebanon have staged a demonstration in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Lebanese city of Sidon.

On Sunday, the protesters chanted slogans in favor of the Syrian president, and Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, The Daily Star reported.

“The protest is in solidarity with the Syrian people, Syria and Bashar al-Assad,” said a protester.

The demonstrators also shouted slogans against Turkey and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government is supporting militants fighting against the Syrian government.

The protesters carried pictures of Assad with a caption that read, “Beware of [harming] Syria, you villains.”

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

In an interview recently broadcast on Turkish television, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that if the militants take power in Syria, they could destabilize the entire Middle East region for decades.

“If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control, the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond,” he added.