Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said on Friday Arab and international efforts to end the conflict in Syria have moved away from demanding that President Bashar al-Assad steps down and now appear focused on achieving political dialogue.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a key Assad ally, also declared in his speech Syrian opposition fighters who have fought a year-long campaign to oust Assad were incapable of toppling him and that the option of foreign military intervention in Syria was a "closed subject".

Some people talked about the political option ... but with conditions that equalled the fall of the regime, for example for President Assad to step down. I think the international and regional political climate today has passed this phase.

"The armed opposition is incapable of toppling the regime.

"Therefore betting on military efforts to topple the regime is a losing gamble and the burden is too great: more bloodshed and loss of life and property, to no avail."