Beirut, Dec 6 (IANS): Hezbollah will support the Syrian government amid escalating offensives by rebel forces, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a televised speech.

While Qassem did not clarify the form of support, he assured on Thursday that Hezbollah would "do what it could".

Qassem accused the US and Israel of instigating aggression against Syria due to their failure in Gaza. He also claimed that "terrorist groups" sought to shift Syria's alignment from supporting the resistance to backing Israeli occupation, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We face a very dangerous Israeli project against the Middle East," he warned.

His comments came hours after Syrian opposition forces captured the strategic city of Homs in central Syria, marking a significant advance in their offensive that started on November 27. The rebels had previously seized Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, in earlier assaults.

The United Nations World Food Program reported that more than 280,000 people had been displaced by the recent violence, according to a post on X.