Hezbollah will maintain its military presence in Syria as long as Damascus wants, the organization’s leader Hassan Nasrallah has stated in a televised speech. “We will stay [in Syria] even after the settlement in Idlib ... as long as the Syrian government wants ... we are staying there until further notice,” he said. The comment comes just one day after Hezbollah’s arch-nemesis, Israel – which wants Hezbollah and Iran out of Syria – attacked the Syrian province of Latakia, leading to 10 people being injured and a Russian Il-20 plane mistakenly downed by the air defense. All 15 people on board the plane died, and Moscow has blamed Israeli jets for using it as a “cover” during the raid.