Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah says foreign-backed militants in Syria are taking Shia-populated villages on the Lebanese border.

Nasrallah made the remarks in a televised speech broadcast on Wednesday.

He denied allegations about Hezbollah’s role in the unrest in Syria, and accused Syrian militants of religious cleansing in border villages.

Nasrallah stated that the militants “have taken control of the villages inhabited by Lebanese Shias in recent months, chased them out, and burned some houses.”

The Hezbollah secretary general noted that he has always insisted on a united Syria.

The Syria crisis began in mid-March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence, and several international human rights organizations say the foreign-sponsored militants have committed war crimes.

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

Nasrallah also called on Lebanese factions to censure growing sectarianism in Lebanon, and said division between Shia and Sunni Muslims “destroys everyone, and ignites the country into flames, and no one has an interest in that.”

He said the attempts to delay parliamentary elections in Lebanon would not serve the interests of the Lebanese people.

The elections are scheduled to be held in June. However, some Lebanese officials have made efforts to postpone the polls.

Source: PressTV