Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech on the 10th of Muharram

In His Name

The speech delivered by Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the tenth night of Muharram during the central council held in Sayyed Ashuhada [pbuh] Complex on Tuesday, November 11, 2016.

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil. In the Name of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Peace be upon the Seal of prophets, our Master and Prophet, Abi Al Qassem Mohammad, and on his chaste and pure Household, and on his chosen companions, and on all messengers and prophets.

Peace be on you, my master Aba Abdillah, and on all the souls gathering around your holy site. Peace be upon you as long as I remain alive and as long as night follows day. May Allah make it not my last visit to you. Peace be upon Hussein, and upon Ali the son of Hussein, and upon the children of Hussein, and upon the companions of Hussein.

Reverent scholars, brothers, and sisters! Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
May Allah reward you abundantly for your efforts and for your incessant massive attendances over the past nights and on this night, and we look forward to a very huge Husseini, Zeinabi turnout tomorrow on the tenth of Muharram, to renew our pledge along with Hussein, Zeinab, and Abbas.

Brothers and sisters! Firstly, and as we wrap up the nights of commemoration, we must thank all those who worked all over the previous days and nights around the clock to guard the cities, neighborhoods, towns, and villages where mourning sessions were being held. They protected them, guarded them, and watched out for security to keep off all sorts of threats. As we wrap up the nights of commemoration of Ashura here, we offer all our thanks to them, to the Lebanese Army, the official security apparatuses, and all the brothers and sisters in the concerned units and formations, whether in Hizbullah or the Amal Movement, or any other frameworks that assumed great responsibilities in this challenging time. We must thank all those who organized and held the Husseini mourning sessions. This year too, these councils witnessed huge turnouts, better organization, better performances, and a greater, more interactive attendance on the emotional, sentimental, and consciousness levels.
All of our regards and thanks to all those who had the honor to partake in commemorating these days and nights, especially you, and we ask Allah that your prayers be answered God willing. May your faces be brightened in the Hereafter as you brightened the face of Abu Abdullah Al Hussein [PBUH] in this world.

Brothers and sisters! Usually, I specify this night to talk about the situation in the region and in Lebanon, as this night has a special status and a special attendance. It's because there is plenty of time this night. Tonight, I will tackle the situation in the region first and the situation in Lebanon second, and we will end the speech with what pertains to the Ashura night and day.
First, I want to talk about the region, as what is taking place in the region certainly has its decisive influence on Lebanon. Thus the prelude is the region. Surely because there are many topics, I will talk tonight, and if Allah Almighty keeps us alive, tomorrow we will talk too. Thus I will divide the topics between today and tomorrow.

As for the region, there is the struggle with the "Israeli" enemy, Palestine, the resistance, the "Israeli" threats, Iraq, and Bahrain. Today, I want to focus on some points. Indeed, we will talk about Yemen. Today, as per the situation in the region, I will focus on Syria and Yemen. Then I will move to Lebanon. So today, we will talk about Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon, and tomorrow God willing we will tackle the other topics.

First I will talk in general and give a general view about what we are witnessing these days. Indeed, I will not talk about what took place a year, two or three or four ago. We have heard all of that before. I will not talk about the targets, projects, schemes, and the nature of the confrontations. You know all of that God willing.
I will talk about the status quo, what we are living in, and the near future. I will talk about what we are living in now, what we went through weeks ago, and the near future. I will talk about the near future so that we could see and understand what is taking place, to take a decision and announce it if we are supposed to do so, and to do the required if there is anything we must do.
The general scene in the region is a scene of escalation and tension, contrary to what was the case months ago. Months ago it seemed as if the region was about to enter into a track of political settlements and political solutions.

For example, the Yemeni negotiations in Kuwait gave an impression that it is possible that things move towards a political solution in Yemen and a halt of the war. The international meetings in Vienna and in other places as well as the direct bilateral talks between the Americans and the Russians, and the reaching of certain agreements too gave an impression that Syria would move towards a certain political solution.

However, in the past few weeks, all of this optimistic political scene that may give a certain positive impression came to an end. The negotiations in Kuwait failed some time ago. I will go back to the US-Russian agreements. Also the Americans retreated, and negotiations were suspended as well as political contact, though they will talk together today for another time. As such, the atmosphere in the region is that of escalation and tension on more than one level. Tension and escalation are witnessed in Syria, and battles are violent in more than one place. Tension and escalation in Yemen reached its maximum in the past few days through the terrible brutal massacre which was perpetrated in the Grand Hall in the city of Sana'a.

Tension is also witnessed on the level of the Iraqi-Turkish leaderships and in the battlefield. It is said that there is also Saudi-Egyptian tension. The most crucial danger is the US-Russian tension on the background of issues such as Syria, Ukraine, and missile defense in Europe. So unfortunately, drawing a scene for the region during the current period of time, it is a scene of tension. The scene is that of escalation. People are not talking together. They do not sit with each other. It is not clear whether there is an open track for negotiations alongside tracks for political solutions.

Well, this is the general scene. Now we move to the first topic which is Syria. In Syria, weeks ago there was a chance for a solution manifested in a Russian-American agreement - regardless of our stance from the agreement. I am talking not to say whether I approve or disapprove. I am making a description. Through the US-Russian agreement, Syria was before a stance to stop the fighting and to relaunch the political track. However, in no time the Americans stepped out of the accord because among its clauses, the accord sets the Nusra Front apart from the armed groups in Syria and specifies its regions. Consequently, they put the regions of Nusra and the regions of Daesh under common US-Russian targeting, and it takes a very big decision to fight these two groups as a prelude to launching a political track in Syria between the regime and the other factions of the opposition.

The Americans withdrew from this agreement and crippled it. They also ceased political contacts. I am one of the people who in fact was surprised when I saw the accord. Is it possible that the Americans accept this? However, they crippled it either because there is discord within the US administration or later on, discovered that separating Nusra from the rest of the armed groups, especially in Idlib and Aleppo, is impossible because the relationship between the Nusra Front and most of the armed groups is organic, or because they discovered that separating Nusra and hitting it, and putting an end to it, will make all the other armed groups weak and feeble, and unable to assist America in achieving its goals and imposing its conditions in Syria. Thus the Americans withdrew from the accord.

Thus where is this track moving to? It is clear that the US administration and its followers - I will not say its allies - in the region will carry on offering all sorts of financial, logistical, media, and political support to the armed groups in Syria to carry on fighting. As for Daesh, the Americans have a project on which they are working. This is what Mrs. Clinton was talking about clearly in the past few days. The project is that of amassing Daesh in a certain region in Syria. It is the eastern region of Syria - meaning Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor, all the way up to the Jordanian-Iraqi borders, and along the Iraqi-Syrian borders, apart from the Kurdish region.

Well, first Clinton tackled this issue. Second, for your information and the information of the audience, in the battles of Fallujah and Anbar, the Americans were opening the way before Daesh - which was defeated in Fallujah and Anbar - to flee to Syria under the eyes of the US warplanes and the US air force, instead of shelling and hitting them, or arresting and imprisoning them. They were rather dispatched to Syria. Now while preparing for the operation in Mosul - this is what the Iraqi brethren must be aware of - attempts are being made to open a pathway before Daesh to exit Mosul and amass in the eastern area, in Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor. Another indicator is the retreat of the Americans from the Raqqah battle. For two years, they have been saying Mosul and Raqqah.

Now, it is clear that they have abandoned Raqqah, and they are focusing on the battle of Mosul. The additional indicator also is the raids launched by the US air force on Syrian Army bases in Deir ez-Zor. That was not by mistake; it was rather an intentional act. The goal was letting the Syrian Army bases fall so that the airport in Deir ez-Zor, and consequently the rest of the region, would fall into the hands of Daesh. That's because America wants Daesh to control the region of Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor, to the border with al-Sukhnah near Palmyra. Why is it so? In a while, I will tell you the reason. As for Daesh remaining in the north of Aleppo, it is not important anymore to America. America left the north of Aleppo to its Turkish allies and the armed groups collaborating with the Turkish Army.

Well, where does America want to reach? It wants to sweep Daesh from Iraq and amass it in Syria. In Idlib and Aleppo, it is defending and besieging and facilitating financial and military support to Nusra Front, which is the very al-Qaeda Organization which was involved in September 11, which they say had led to the death of 3000 Americans.

Why this generosity towards Nusra and Daesh? It is simply because the age of exploitation is not over yet in Syria. There are US targets in Syria, and there are "Israeli" targets in Syria. Daesh and Nusra will be exploited whether they know it or not, to achieve and serve these targets. Everyone remembers that when the US-Russian accord was announced, or some of its clauses were announced, to the effect that there would be joint US-Russian action to hit Daesh and Nusra in Syria, the first to raise their voices in protest were the "Israelis". They frankly said: "O Americans! What are you doing? Should you hit Daesh and Nusra in Syria, that would mean that you leave us alone." They used this term. That means that you left "Israel" alone in the region, in the face of Syria and Hizbullah, and the resistance factions. The "Israelis" protested and exerted pressure via all their lobbies in the USA. So unfortunately, the exploitation is not over yet, and consequently, in the near future, it does not seem that there is any prospect for political solutions. I do not know whether the remaining time for the current US administration will be enough for it to achieve in few weeks what it did not achieve over the past year or two.

It seems that there are no prospects as per the political issue. It seems that the square is open for more tension, escalations, and confrontations.

Indeed, what is required in this perspective? Steadfastness and persistence are required. What is required is staying in the field. From the very beginning of the events in Syria, they betted on achieving a decisive victory within a few weeks. We are now in the sixth year, and they had failed to topple Syria and take control over it. This is a great achievement for the Syrian leadership, the Syrian Army, the popular forces in Syria, and Syria's allies who remained next to it and supported it, and helped it, and prevented, along with its armed forces, its fall in the hands of these terrorist, Takfiri groups which are linked with the ambassadors and the various intelligence apparatuses in the world.

At least this achievement must be safeguarded. Indeed, efforts must be exerted to better the field situation as much as possible, and efforts must be exerted to open the horizons before a new political horizon from any group. This is a permanent path, because all of us who are defending Syria in Syria, and defending the axis of resistance and the causes of the nation, look forward to a political solution. We do not aspire for more bloodshed; we rather aspire for a political solution.

Who is crippling the political solution and the political track? It is known. They are the Americans, the Saudis, and some of the states in the region that are pressuring these groups and setting impossible conditions. Imagine that Saudi Arabia links any political solution in Yemen to the president whose tenure is over and is still in office, and this is illegal and illegitimate. So it links the entire path of the war to the president whose office is over and is still staying in office; whereas, in Syria, it refuses any political solution and sets as a condition for a political solution the resignation of the president who is elected by his people and is still legally in tenure.

Well, even more, President Assad and the Syrian leadership accepted or may accept early presidential elections within the framework of an interim political solution. You are talking about democracy, elections, and the rule of the people. We agree with you on this, and say: Let's all have the Syrian people make the decision. Let the people elect the president they want. Why do you refuse that President Assad run in any early presidential elections? Aren't you - O Saudi Arabia, the Americans, and their people - saying this president lost his popularity? Well, let him lose the elections. Why are you afraid of the elections? Why are you imposing preconditions?

So, the normal, logical landmarks of the political solution are clear. They were talking about a transitional government, national reconciliation, and elections; however, some insist on putting an end to all of that because the true aim was never, not even for one day, democracy in Syria, practiced by those who do not have democracy, or the elections in Syria, assumed by those who do not perform elections.

The aim is that Syria falls, becomes feeble, becomes distorted and divided, for the sake of the eyes of their "Israeli" friend and ally. That's because Syria was and still is, and will become the main chain in the axis of the resistance.

That's why they refuse any political solution. They want the battle to continue in Syria and bloodshed to continue. This is what America wants, and this is what "Israel" wants, and this is what is backed by some regional and Gulf states, who if they really wanted the good of the Syrian people, they would have accepted the political solution and the interim stage and unconditional elections. Let whoever wants to run the elections run the elections, and let the people elect whoever they want. Isn't it how the will of the people is respected? When we talk about the Syrian people and achieving their aspirations and goals, we must not feel frustrated anyway from a political solution, and we must carry out our work, all of us.

Also, there is a topic which must not be forgotten or abandoned in any way. It is the humanitarian issue. Reconciliations must be made in every city and village possible, and humanitarian aid must be delivered to every city or village possible, regardless of all the developments and events. Allow me to evoke before you and before the public opinion the catastrophe of Foaa and Kefraya, which have been besieged for a long time and are suffering from the lack of foodstuff, medicine, and health care, and are suffering from incessant shelling.

I frankly tell you: The Syrian government was always open to any address or comprehensive solution to the issue of Foaa and Kefraya, Zabadani, and Madaya. However, those who are halting any comprehensive solution to put an end to the suffering of the people and the citizens in these towns are the armed groups and the states behind them; otherwise, the hand was always extended, and all efforts are exerted around the clock to reach a solution.

Anyway, we hail the steadfastness of the people: men, women, children, and the heroic fighters in the towns of Foaa and Kefraya and tell them: No one has forgotten you, and we will never forget you. After all, we must all work, remain steadfast, and exert efforts to reach the desired solution to this cause.

So as per the Syrian file, this is what I wanted to say before you. However, I have a final word to say to the Syrian people with all their factions and sects: In recent years, we witnessed fierce, bloody, and savage fighting among the members of the same organization - al-Qaeda - which consequently became two groups: Daesh and Nusra. They killed each other. They killed the prisoners of each other. They executed suicide attacks against each other. They imprisoned the womenfolk of each other. They shed the blood of each other. They dubbed the blood, honor, and money of each other permissible. Did this take place or not? It is still taking place.

We also witnessed bloody and fierce fighting in eastern Ghouta between the Army of Islam and the other armed troops, and that lasted for months. Hundreds were killed. Some say a thousand or two. I will remain on the safe side; thus I will say hundreds. Thousands were wounded. Houses were demolished, and Ghouta is still in the hands of the armed troops. The eastern Ghouta is still divided, and there are confrontation lines in northern Aleppo and Idlib. Was not there fighting on the outskirts of Ersal? Now what is taking place in the region of Idlib and in the regions of Hama? The fighting is bloody and brutal between Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa. Hundreds were killed, hundreds were wounded, and suicide operations were executed, as well as bombings, the shelling of towns, and the exchange of raids.

I am not talking about this scenes to waste my time. I would like to tell the Syrian people: Had you handed Syria to these [groups], had the Syrian leadership and the Syrian people who support this leadership and this army, not remained steadfast, this bloody scene would have been the present and future of Syria for many years - only Allah knows when this scene would come to an end. It is the scene of fighting among these factions who have no mind and no culture. They are drowned in Takfirism and bloodshed and factional and sectarian sensitivities. They have no control, they do not have any reference to any authority, and they serve this state and that embassy and the intelligence apparatuses.

Unfortunately, if I wanted to present the scene of the Syrian people, I will tell you: See! This is Afghanistan. The Afghani resistance had fought the Soviet occupation rightfully and defeated it. However, the al-Qaeda intellect, the Wahhabi intellect, and the Takfiri intellect penetrated it, into its armies and its jihadi factions. As soon as the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, fighting started among the factions and the country was torn apart: Pashtun, Uzbeks, Hazara, and the struggle is still ongoing. For more than 20 years or 30 years, the Afghans never knew the taste of victory. This dark Takfiri mind turned the victory of Afghanistan into a funeral, and they did not allow it to celebrate the victory. This would be the scene in Syria. Wherever the mind, intellect, and culture of these groups settle, do not expect calmness, security, stability, firmness, a government, elections, a state, development, a future, knowledge, agriculture, economy, or anything.

For this reason, it is in your hands - O Syrian people - that you put a decisive end to this struggle and to this battle.

I will move now to the topic of Yemen: before I start talking about the Yemeni people, I read yesterday and today in some articles for some Lebanese journalists to the effect that: If the Sayyed escalates on the tenth night in the face of Saudi Arabia due to the Sana'a massacre, he would be ruining the chances of General Aoun being elected as a president.

I do not know what the link between the two is. There is a flagrant aggression in broad daylight - and not at night - on a grand hall. It may be as large as this hall or a little bigger or a little smaller. I do not know.
People were overcrowded. It is not a military barracks or a military base. They know that it is a mourning ceremony. Some people were deceased, and people came to offer their consolations. Then the Saudi warplanes shelled the hall intentionally and knowingly, thinking that there is a big number of political and military leaders [within it]. They meant to afflict the largest amount of losses among those present in the hall.

Everyone in this world condemned this appalling, horrible event. The UN Secretary General, who only expresses his worry and we always wish that he would for one time talk, spoke out. If the UN Secretary General talked, you want me, who has been talking from the first night of the war on Yemen, to remain silent towards this catastrophe, because of this equation?

Still and apart from the presidential elections, I do not swear and curse. In fact, the two events must not be linked because that would be blasphemous. This is ill investment. Enough of this.

So anyway, I do not swear. I do not curse. I rather want to tackle the situation in the region objectively. If talking objectively, logically, and factually is not accepted too, that would be another story.
Brothers and sisters! In Yemen, there is a war waged for over a year and a half in which the Saudi regime has perpetrated a historic mistake. I will talk about the goal later on. A historic mistake was perpetrated when the Saudis thought that they can decisively end the battle and achieve an absolute history over Yemen within weeks.

The arrogant, haughty mind used to deem the Yemenis weak for over decades. This mind used to despise and disdain the Yemenis. The Saudis used to believe that when the bigger sister - Saudi Arabia - along with an Arab alliance and backed by the USA, would announce war, the Yemenis would hasten to flee, give in, surrender, and withdraw from any confrontation. They will tell the Saudi master you are welcome. This mistake in interpretation and in understanding is because of this mind and this way of thinking.

For over more than a year and a half, a fierce war is being waged on the Yemeni people. They did not spare anything. Praise be Allah, even Ban Ki-moon talked to this effect. That was very kind of him. They did not spare anything - hospitals, schools, mosques, cemeteries, historic and archeological sites, markets, cities, villages, ships and everything. May anyone tell me what thing the Saudi warplanes and the allied air force did not strike in Yemen? Just let him send the address. Let him say that this place was not bombarded.

They bombarded everything, causing a very big number of martyrs and wounded. Still on the other hand, the Yemenis remained steadfast despite the world's silence and surrender - this world which is afraid of the media and crave after money and have political considerations. The oppressed Yemeni people for more than a year and a half remained steadfast and fought and stood firmly in the battlefield producing victories and epics.

Thus what is Saudi Arabia doing now? What is the solution? It has no solution other than accepting a political solution. With all the oppression they are being subjected to, the Yemenis accepted negotiations and a political solution. They went to Kuwait, but they found in Kuwait those who are telling them to succumb and surrender, and they did not fight to give in.

Now, this horrible massacre is a disgraceful scandal for the Saudi regime. The very aggression, the very shelling of this hall and of the people who are gathering is a scandal. No one can claim that it is a military target or it is near military bases. There is no reason at all for that to take place. Still it took place.

Second: They tried to disavow themselves by lying. They claimed that it is a bomb, and it was the result of internal disputes among the Yemenis. It's good that there are mobile phones. Mobile phones have their own benefits; they are not mere devils. They have their own benefits, and people filmed the hall while being bombed. The smoke and the splinters are not those of a bomb that was detonated or a suicide operation. This is shelling from the air. Still the Saudis insisted that they are innocent, and they are ignorant of everything. Well, why don't you carry out an impartial international investigation? They don't want that.

Today, it was announced that the wounded with critical conditions are 600 in Sana'a, and Saudi Arabia is not allowing them to leave the country to be treated abroad, and it is not allowing any state in the world to dispatch doctors or medical aid to Sana'a to treat these wounded. So it is not that they were content by perpetrating the massacre. They also insisted on the effects of the massacre continuing, by leaving these 600 to die without giving them the chance to be treated. What do you call this as per humanitarian, religious, moral, and Arabism considerations? How is this categorized, and in which sphere is it listed?

Anyway, this massacre must turn into a means to find a way to ending this war. The world must convince Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia must be convinced that this war has no horizons and that it has no hope to win in this war, and that he who will win after all is the Yemeni blood, which was oppressively shed in the cities, villages, and borders of honorable Yemen. They must know that there is no future for this war at all. In fact, it is Saudi Arabia which waged this war on Yemen, and everything else is just decoration and retouches and the others are [involved], whether willingly or unwillingly. The Saudi insistence on carrying on with the war on Yemen will lead it to lose not only Yemen. Believe me this is the logic. The laws and formulas of history say that it will also lose itself. The current Saudi leadership will push the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the abyss.

See today, Saudi Arabia spent billions of dollars to present a bright image to the world and to find for itself a respectful place in the world of media, politics, and diplomacy. It wanted to present itself as the kingdom of kindness and that it is helping peoples and providing them with money and humanitarian aid, and that it is the symbol of Islam...

It exerted industrious efforts to establish itself as having a regional position and a regional partner now as well as a rich state. However, where is Saudi Arabia now? Where is its status? The entire world is now awaken and very well aware that all the terrorism in this world and in any corner in the world is due to the intellect and money of the [Saudis].

Where is its status? Where is its respect? Where is its economy? Hundreds of billions of dollars will be locked in US banks and will be robbed of the Saudis based on the new law.

Where are they heading as per politics, economy, status, respect, esteem, and even the battlefield? You are unable even to defend your bases on the borders, your bases which are supported by [your air force], and which have within them more tanks than soldiers, in the face of the barefoot Yemenis. Thus the available solution today is that the rulers in Saudi Arabia restore their minds and be advised by their allies and friends. If Saudi Arabia has any friends in any place in the world, in Lebanon, or in any other place, let them, instead of responding to my speech after a while, advise Saudi rulers to stop shedding the blood of the Yemenis; otherwise this blood will bulldoze them to the end of [their] history.

Well, now I will move in the little time left to the internal Lebanese file. On the national level and during all the past years, the first important point is that we all agree on guarding the security, stability, and civil peace in Lebanon. This night, we must seriously stress on this commitment and the commitment must be final for all the Lebanese and all the residents in Lebanon, whether refugees, displaced, or foreign residents. Civil peace in Lebanon, stability, and security are the pillars for everything: politics, economy, presidential elections, and the solutions for all crises of life.

Despite their sharp political divisions as per the Lebanese issues and the situation in the region, the Lebanese could guard security, stability, and civil peace, and this is an excellent positive point. Indeed, it happened that there is an international, regional will not to ruin Lebanon because should Lebanon be ruined, the deteriorations would be very dangerous on everyone and especially on Europe, which would have to receive then millions of people who will immigrate to it.

Anyway, security, stability, and civil peace are a red line. That means all support must be offered to the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese security apparatuses, apart from any political categorization and apart from any political remarks, because the mainstay of guarding security in Lebanon are the army and the security apparatuses, and the agreement of the Lebanese and their guarding of the stability of their country. This is first.

Second, politically speaking, in the past few weeks, the country started moving on a positive political track. I do not want to exaggerate or play down things. The country started moving on a positive political track as per the Lebanese presidential elections. This change which is being covertly circulated is to the effect that the Head of the Future Movement would adopt or would announce his agreement or support for the nomination of General Michal Aoun for the presidency.

Certainly, we support any positive political change which may lead to the desired results. We welcome and encourage that. We also hail the courage of the man who owns this change and cares to find a possible and required way out from this political crisis taking place in Lebanon.

In this positive track, we must assert first that the government become active. I call on all our allies and friends and ourselves to return to the government, and at the same time, the components of the government must show total commitment to the covenant and to partnership, to prove that to whoever abandoned or boycotted the government.

Second: We must work seriously to open the way again before the parliament on the legislative level. Now some people put a new election law as a condition. You know our view, and we differ on that with some of our allies and friends. We in Hizbullah, our view is that the parliament convene and act naturally because this issue needs to reach some agreements, thus efforts must be exerted during these days to reach a way out.

What is important is to keep this goal before our eyes - never cripple legislation in the parliament. That's because the financial, health, environmental, social, and legal files are all waiting at the door of the council.
Third: We reach the presidential elections. Here listen to me very well. As per presidential elections, Hizbullah had a clear choice from the first day. Even before announcing its choice, its choice was clear.

A couple of years ago, and just like on this night - the night of the tenth of Muharram - I made a clear and overt announcement to you. That's because for a period of time, some political forces used to cast doubt saying: Hizbullah says to General Aoun that it is with him. If Hizbullah wants him, why doesn't it announce that? When we made the announcement, they said Hizbullah's announcement of its support to General Aoun is because they do not want General Aoun! You really perplexed us! If we remain silent, you say we don't want him, and if we talked you say we are burning his card, and that means that we do not want him.

Anyway, on that night we announced our support to this natural candidate. It's not we who nominated him. We supported this candidate as any political party in the country and as any parliamentary bloc that has votes in the parliament and would partake in electing a president. Well, we disagreed, and we took a decision to boycott any parliamentary session if we do not guarantee the arrival of the candidate we support to the presidential chair, and this is a natural and legal political right.

Since that moment, a stream of accusations is still ongoing until this very moment and it will remain until a president is elected, to the effect that we are crippling the election of a president, and we do not want a president. Even after a president is elected, they will still talk. Should we go to the parliament and elect a president, they will also talk and say that Hizbullah did not want that. The party was obliged to do so. Thus we took a decision two years ago not to be pressured by this accusation. Now we reached a new track. Before this new track we were subject to much pressure. Before it, they used to accuse us, saying that because you are not going to the parliament, you crippled the presidential elections, and consequently, you crippled the parliament, the state institutions, and the benefits of the people.

This has been said for two years. We did not change our stance. Some people today have no occupation other than seeking to prevent presidential elections. They always try to exploit the presidential developments to sow discord between Hizbullah and the FPM, between Hizbullah and the Amal Movement, between Hizbullah and the Marada Movement, and among the allies. In fact, they are not seriously concerned whether there is a president or not.

Weeks ago, they were still talking about the nomination of General Aoun. It was said and written in newspapers and the friends and allies in the FPM were told that this repetitive speech on behalf of Hizbullah to the effect of supporting General Michal Aoun is infuriating Saudi Arabia and the Future Movement, and crippling the issue and making it more difficult.

Great! We got the point, and we stayed silent. Didn't you notice that we are silent? I just talked today. For three weeks, we in Hizbullah agreed among ourselves to remain silent. When we stopped talking, what did they say? They started saying that when the election of General Aoun became serious, Hizbullah felt disappointed and got silent. They talked about Hizbullah's silence on the presidential elections. So they are not pleased whatever we do.

Still, we are the people of honesty, loyalty and commitment to our stances. This is how we've always been and this is how we'll always remain. Nothing changes us. International and regional contacts took place, besides pressures of various forms, so that we would retreat and withdraw from our commitment to General Michal Aoun. In fact, a year ago, a proposition was made, and it was supposed that we agree to it, and people said that too. I don't know what I shall call it. It was an encouraging and interesting proposition to the Amal Movement. The Future Movement nominated our friend and ally, dear MP Suleiman Franjieh. Thus they told their regional and international allies that that would embarrass Hizbullah and cause discord for it with either General Aoun or with MP Franjieh.

Still, and even though the nominee is a dear friend of ours, we adhered to our commitment, and all through this period of time they remained talking: Why did Hizbullah not put pressure on the Amal Movement? Why did Hizbullah not put pressure on MP Franjieh to withdraw?

I want to ask you a question. Should MP Franjieh withdraw his candidacy now, would that mean that things would move smoothly as per presidential elections? Does that mean that we can elect General Aoun as a president? Why then wasn't this the case before the Future Movement made this nomination? This is all nonsense. Even after the nomination, that did not make any difference. What is required is to sow discord between our allies and us.
Well, let's step out of these childish games and marginal conflicts and point-scoring. Who wants and who does not? We will wait and see. He who laughs best is he who laughs last.

Our stance from the elections is clear. What is required now is contacts, meetings, and dialogues to reach agreements and to help achieve this event.

Let no one put any conditions. There is an agreement between the Future Movement and the FPM. It is not a deal. What the FPM said yesterday was true. It is not a deal; it is rather an agreement. A part of the agreement is that they vote for General Aoun as a strong presidential candidate, and so and so who is a strong nominee as a prime minister comes as a PM. What is this? Isn't this an agreement? Is there any problem in agreements with the other political forces, especially the main and essential political forces in Lebanon, on top of whom come Speaker Nabih Berri and the brethren in Amal Movement, MP Franjieh and the Marada Movement, and the other allies? What's wrong with that? There is nothing wrong in that. On the contrary, no one is talking about deals, and no one is talking about impossible conditions.

When we all in Lebanon move on a clear political track, and agree with each other, trust each other, come closer together, and appease each other, that would push things forward.

Brothers and sisters! Anyway, the Lebanese are required to exert all their efforts in the coming few weeks to agree and meet to say their final choices so that we would elect a president and form a national unity government in which everyone partakes, and thus we would start preparing for parliamentary elections, and institutions would be active again. As such, the political track would be launched in the country.
As for us, we are not waiting for anything in the country. We do not want to exploit any developments in the region in Lebanon. We were as such, and we are still as such. This is possible now before the Lebanese who must exert effort and work.

Brothers and sisters! This is a blessed night. It is the night of loyalty and renewing the pledge of allegiance and adherence to the stance, and adherence to justice. On this night, we return just like every year on this night to that dark night - the night of the tenth of Muharram on the land of Karbala. We return to Hussein [Peace be upon him] to get to know more the loyal leader. Who is the loyal leader? Hussein [Peace be upon him] said: They want me and they do not want anyone else. Hussein [Peace be upon him] was not a leader who wanted to exploit people or offer them as sacrifices even if for sacred goals. He presented himself to be the symbol of sacrifice and loyalty and the leader who offers sacrifices. Thus he told his companions: Night has fallen, and you cannot be seen.

Why don't you ride away in this dark night? You are not only my companions, you are blessed, and there are no better companions than you, and still you are free to leave. He also told them: Let each of you hold the hand of a man from my household and walk at night, and leave me alone. Tomorrow morning, when the sun rises, and the men of Yazid and the soldiers of Obeidullah ibn Ziad wake up, they would not find but one tent and one man - Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad [Peace be upon him and his Household].

However, was that what took place? No! If we wanted to name that night, we call it the night of loyalty, faithfulness, firmness in the field, the feet that are not shaken with death, and the heads that are lent to Allah Almighty. The companions, Abbas, and the Household of Hussein stood together and called out for History and not only for Hussein: ‘Shall we go and remain alive after your martyrdom. Shall you be killed and we stay alive afterwards? May Allah make life unpleasant without you.' These eternal words turned into a school for generations and are translated by the men of Hussein in this time and in every time and place. One of them told Hussein: O Abu Abdullah! Should I know that I would be killed, then burnt, then scattered in the air, then I would be revived, then killed, then burnt, then scattered in the air, should that be done to me a hundred times, I would not abandon you, O Hussein!

In this country, we loved Hussein [Peace be upon him], we knew Hussein, loved him, pledged allegiance to him in the resistance, did not abandon him in the field, and did not neglect any call for help or support. This country had proven that our men are Husseini, our women are like Zeinab, our young boys like Qassem, and our young men are like Abbass.

Tomorrow too, on the tenth day of Muharram, in all our cities, villages, towns, and streets, and despite all the threats and despite all the attempts to penetrate and kill, we will tell them as in every year: Kill us, [yet] we will not abandon Hussein.

Tomorrow we will renew our pledge to Hussein, our commitment to Hussein, and our adherence to his stance. I also announce the slogan of tomorrow's rallies. Tomorrow, we renew our support to the oppressed, noble, killed, besieged, and forsaken Yemeni people. Tomorrow, we renew our support to the wise, brave, steadfast, and firm Yemeni leadership. Tomorrow, we renew our support to the Yemeni national army, the popular committees, the revolutionary committees, and the tribes proudly defending Yemen. We stand by their side and tell them: You are not alone! We are all Yemen.

Tomorrow, we will assert our jihadi identity, our faithful identity, and our spiritual and psychological identity in confronting any challenge or any form of challenge as we always used to do. Tomorrow, we will prove that we are the children of this Imam who know his word and reiterate his stance and write it with blood in every stance and in every challenge when we are put before two choices. We will tell the Americans, the "Israelis", the Takfiris, and any tyrant in this world when they station us between unsheathing the swords or bearing humiliation: Far be it that we accept humiliation. Why did he say so?

It's because: Verily, Allah, His Prophet, and the sacred laps which nursed us, the modest, and those who abhor disgrace, disagree to it that we bow down to the ignoble men, and they exhort us to being killed manly in the battlefield over it.

It is because bearing humiliation is not accepted by the mind, by human nature, and by Allah Almighty.

Tomorrow, O' noble loyal brothers and sisters, honorable families of martyrs, the wounded, the families of the wounded, fighters, resistance men, Husseini men, and Zainabi women, Hussein will make a call. What is your answer? At your service, O Hussein!

Peace be upon you, my master Aba Abdillah, and upon all the souls gathering around your holy site. Peace be upon you as long as I remain alive and as long as night follows day. May Allah make it not my last visit to you. Peace be upon Hussein, and upon Ali the son of Hussein, and upon the children of Hussein, and upon the companions of Hussein. Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.

Source: Al-Ahed News, Translated and Edited by website team