Hezbollah flag in Syria. Photo: wiki commons.

The Lebanese Foreign Minister defended Hezbollah’s presence in Syria during a speech at the Arab League in Cairo, Al Arabiya reported Thursday.

Adnan Mansour said that the Shiite terrorist group’s presence in the city of Qusayr is a preventative act meant to protect Shiite residents from violence.

“Insurgency in the countryside and its surroundings, affected 20 villages, [violence] varied between the threat of murder, torture, displacement, abduction, destruction of homes, mosques and churches and the confiscation of land and crops,” Mansour was quoted as saying.

Mansour also claimed that “the persistence of armed groups and their intimidation of Lebanese people made inhabitants of Syrian villages form armed committees to protect themselves and reached out to relatives in Lebanon to help protect their properties and livelihoods against armed groups that seized control of Qusayr.”

“These extremist groups in Syria have sought to hit the nerve of the historical heritage between Syrian citizens and Lebanese people in mixed areas in the city of Qusayr and countryside villages adjacent to Lebanon,” he added.

“We have repeatedly said that the fire of the Syrian war will extend its flames to all of us hence…” Mansour added.

Syrian troops, along with Hezbollah fighters, captured the town of Qusayr on Wednesday following a devastating 17-day assault.