BEIRUT: Hezbollah needs to cease its activities in Syria in order to preserve its record as a resistance movement in Lebanon, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said in his weekly statement to Al-Anbaa newspaper Monday.

“[Hezbollah’s] weapons need to be redirected so that they do not get lost in Qusayr or places other than Qusayr in order to ensure that the honorable sacrifices and struggles of the resistance in south Lebanon are not forgotten,” said Jumblatt, a staunch supporter of the Syrian uprising.

Security sources told The Daily Star Sunday that three Hezbollah fighters and 12 Syrian rebels were killed in the Syrian region of Qusayr across the border with Lebanon.

The fighting, the worst near the border with Lebanon since the uprising erupted in Syria nearly two years ago, raised further questions on whether Hezbollah, an ally of President Bashar Assad, is participating in the fighting there.

Hezbollah has denied involvement in the crisis in Lebanon’s neighbor.

Turning to the longstanding dispute in Lebanon over Hezbollah’s arsenal, Jumblatt said bickering over the contentious subject would not resolve the dispute.

“The constant debate over arms will not solve the problem,” said Jumblatt.

The March 14 coalition has repeatedly called for the disarmament of Hezbollah, arguing that the state alone should have a monopoly on the use of force, while the resistance group says its weapons are a must in order to defend the country against Israeli aggression.

Jumblatt said clear guidelines needed to be set over the use of Hezbollah’s arms, which, he added, required rival political parties to return to the National Dialogue table and reach a consensus on a national defense strategy.

“The sooner Lebanese rivals reach an agreement over a national defense strategy, which allows the state alone to be tasked with defending the country, the sooner Lebanon will be protected,” he added.

In September, President Michel Sleiman put forward a defense strategy for political parties to discuss. However, the all-parties came to a halt following the Oct. 19 assassination of a top security official. The opposition blamed Syria for the killing and also held the Lebanese government responsible.

Jumblatt, who returned Sunday from Saudi Arabia, also said officials in Riyadh had expressed their keenness on preserving Lebanon’s stability.

“I sensed during my trip to the kingdom and my meetings with Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal and intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan their keenness on Lebanon's stability,” he said.

The PSP chief also said that Saudi Arabia “firmly” supports the Syrian people in their uprising against Assad and their "rightful struggle for freedom and independence.”