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Nasrallah: Hezbollah has 'right' to wage 'pre-emptive war' in Syria

Hezbollah's secretary-general vows to keep fighting in Syria to protect Lebanon.
Syrian children chant anti- Free Syrian Army slogans as their hold posters of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian flags at the Sayeda Zainab area in Damascus, February 10, 2014.   Picture taken February 10, 2014.  REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX18VH0

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A day after the formation of Lebanon's new cabinet, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah addressed his disconcerted popular base and allies, who reacted negatively to the new governmental lineup and expressly to the appointment of former Lebanese internal security chief Ashraf Rifi as justice minister. 

The dismay was voiced by supporters on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and by politicians on TV stations. One strong ally, Maj. Gen. Jamil el-Sayyed — an outspoken politician who is a former chief of Lebanon's general security — declared his withdrawal from the Hezbollah-backed March 8 alliance and said he will stop coordinating with the bloc, accusing both Hezbollah and the Amal movement of ignoring their base by accepting such names in the cabinet.

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