A severely hobbled Hezbollah was in no position to help defend former Syrian President Bashar Assad, a longtime ally, from the lightning-fast insurgency that toppled him. With Assad gone, the militant group based in Lebanon is even weaker.

Hezbollah head Naim Qassem said on Saturday that the Lebanese armed group had lost its supply route through Syria, in his first comments since the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad nearly a week ago by a sweeping rebel offensive.

Hezbollah has lost one of its main supply routes because of the fall of the Syrian government, the group's leader confirmed in a televised statement Saturday. Sheikh Naim Qassem did not mention deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad by name during a speech on Lebanon-based Al-Manar TV,