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Hezbollah leader says Syrian government 'will stay on'

BEIRUT (AP) - The head of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah says it is time for political leaders to accept the survival of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.

Hassan Nasrallah, addressing a rally on Sunday, advised the Lebanese government to normalize ties with its war-torn neighbor.

Lebanon's political parties are split over whether to restore relations with the pariah Syrian leader. Hezbollah has invested heavily in Assad's survival. More than a thousand of its fighters have died fighting alongside government forces in Syria. Syria occupied Lebanon from 1991-2005.

"The world today has taken for granted that the administration will stay on," said Nasrallah on Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in July Washington was prepared to defer to Russia in Syria. Russia is a key backer of Assad's government.

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