Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech after Liberating the Outskirts from Daesh, August 28, 2017
In His Name
Full televised speech delivered by Hezbollah Secretary General, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, on August 28 2017, following the liberation of the Outskirts from Daesh.
I seek refuge in Allah from the cursed 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 upon his chaste and pure Household, his chosen companions, and upon all messengers and prophets.
Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
First, on this great and important day in our history and the history of Lebanon and the region, I offer my condolences to the families of the martyrs - the soldiers who were captured by Daesh years ago.
I ask Allah Almighty to have mercy on the martyrs, and we are all waiting for the final confirmation. However, the whole country is acting in accordance to this basis. I ask Allah Almighty to bestow on these noble families patience, solace, perseverance, endurance, and the feeling of pride in the martyrs who are the martyrs of sacrifice and loyalty, the martyrs of the nation, and the martyrs of the army. I also offer my condolences to the families of the rest of the martyrs - the martyrs of the Lebanese Army, the martyrs of the Syrian Army, and the martyrs of the resistance.
I also salute the souls of the martyrs themselves and all the wounded officers, soldiers, and resistance fighters in both the "Fajr al-Joroud" and "If you return, we shall return" operations, who produced this great victory for us. Brothers and sisters, my talk for today is divided into two sections.
The first section is a presentation and a clarification regarding the course of events following the last speech and the developments that took place up until today and this hour. The second section consists of a quick evaluation and a call.
The first section: following my last speech which I delivered days ago, I heard and read angry responses. I can understand that. Here I move into the course of events to link my last speech to my speech today. I can understand why some were angry, upset, and worried. Some of what was said was normal. We have become accustomed to that from the year 2000, leading all the way to 2017. We were accustomed to that even before 2000: the theater, ‘illegitimacy', ‘we will never give legitimacy at all'...What is even more funny is that we would be on the peak of victory, and it would be said that this is our end or that we will retire or the like. We are accustomed to all of that.
However, there is a point today which will not pass over without comment. Today you will hear from me words which are a bit different. There is a point which cannot be passed without some comment. It has to do with the ethics of Hezbollah and the credibility of Hezbollah. Here we cannot be tolerant. I personally cannot be tolerant.
As I ended my last speech, quick statements were issued. The other day we heard much about Hezbollah blackmailing the Lebanese people, the Lebanese government, and the Lebanese Army with the cause of the captured soldiers, and that Hezbollah wants to apply pressure on the Lebanese government through this humanitarian cause to contact the Syrian government, coordinate with it, and normalize ties with it. This is blackmailing. They started to theories on morality and humanity.
They commented on what I said to the effect that negotiating with Daesh over revealing the fate of the soldiers may be carried out by the Lebanese government, and the Syrian government will be cooperative and responsive, however, the condition is an official and overt (Lebanese) request and coordination.
The second option is that Hezbollah negotiates, and the Syrian leadership does not have problem in that. Thus we went for negotiations. If we opened one door and closed the other, that may be called blackmailing, however, we did not blackmail. We were describing that case. This was an option. I was not keen to negotiate with Daesh and bear this responsibility over which you are accusing us today. We said that this was an option. There was an option that we negotiate, so long as the Syrian government accepts that we begin addressing this issue. We did not wait for anyone. We did not demand anything from the Lebanese government. We tried to benefit from the available time. After all we have a battle. Soldiers are fighting, and many people are becoming martyred and wounded.
So we moved in that direction and we reached the result that we reached.
It is not Hezbollah who is to be characterized as practicing blackmail in a humanitarian cause. Never once since Hezbollah's founding up until our present day has Hezbollah practiced blackmail. Thus all those who said this, whether they are big or small, parties or movements, media figures or politicians, are one of these two groups: either they are ignorant, and they do not know and understand the Arabic Language - as it happens that I am not good in the English and French Languages - or they are unmannered and depraved.
This issue is over.
Well we assumed this responsibility and headed towards negotiations. From the very first moment, Daesh demanded a ceasefire. Neither we nor the Lebanese Army nor the Syrian Army ever thought of agreeing on a ceasefire (as a precursor) to starting negotiations. The battle proceeded, and the process of seizing lands and controlling hills and highlands moved forward. When Daesh found itself cornered and before a decisive battle, it gave in and collapsed. Then it had no other choice but to accept our conditions.
Thus at the last moment during the last hour on Saturday night - as a big military action was being prepared for Sunday dawn from both fronts, and Daesh was seeing that and grasping its meaning - Daesh came to accept (the conditions) after periods of procrastination and endless disputes.
Honestly, I would like to acquaint the public opinion with the conditions and counter conditions so that they would know how we reached here. Indeed I will be very brief.
When they agreed on negotiations, we presented our conditions. Indeed, there was not going to be any ceasefire. This is final. The condition to allow them to leave the area was revealing the fate of the Lebanese soldiers. In fact, Daesh were negotiating to let the civilians leave and the militants stay in the area and fight, or that their presence be ignored, but it was final that they all leave the area and no militant, terrorist, or Daesh member remains, neither in Lebanese territories or Syrian territories (on the border).
Here I am talking about the course of the negotiations. We are not seeking to receive credit from anyone for anything. This is our obligation, and we must be held responsible if we neglected it or were ever negligent.
First: revealing the fate of the Lebanese soldiers. If they were alive, we want them. If they were martyrs, show us the burial locations. We want their remains.
Second: Hezbollah has several martyrs who are buried in Qalamoun. We want the bodies of these martyrs, or the remains of our martyrs.
Third: there is a battle that has been taking place for months in the Syrian Desert towards Deir al-Zour, Mayadeen, Boukamal, and Palmyra onwards. The last point which was reached was the town of Hamima. There is also a battle to the south of the Euphrates River or to the South of Raqqa Province in the direction of Deir al-Zour. We want all the captives and the bodies of the martyrs from all nationalities in these two battles: Syrian soldiers, whether there are captives or bodies of martyrs. We want others if there are from other nationalities: Lebanese, members of Hezbollah, members of the Iraqi resistance factions or the Fatimyoun Brigade or any brigade which is fighting on that front.
The fourth condition was setting free bishops Boules Yaziji and Yuhana Ibrahim and the Lebanese photojournalist Samir Kassab.
When these demands are fulfilled, we stop fire and open the way for you to go to the place we agree on. Eventually, the agreement settled on Boukamal.
After days of negotiations and procrastination, we received the following response from Daesh:
First: the bishops and Samir Kassab are not with us - we did not kidnap them, and we know nothing about them.
It goes without saying, that as far as this point is concerned, we do not have tangible evidence that the bishops and Samir Kassab are with Daesh so that we argue with them and insist on this condition. Practically, after days of negotiations and arguments, the discussion was over. Consequently, this clause remained unsettled.
Second: as for Deir al-Zour and the Syrian Desert area, they told us we do not have captives except one Lebanese captive, Ahmad Muneer Maatouk, who was wounded. It is known about Daesh that they do not keep captives - unfortunately, they kill them instantly in the field. They rarely leave captives and kill them afterwards. It is one of Allah's blessings that brother Ahmad remained alive.
In actual fact, there are no Syrian, Iranian, Fatimiyeen, or Iraqi captives.
Also there are no bodies of martyrs. It was revealed that Daesh left the bodies in the desert. Ofcourse they do not respect the bodies of our martyrs. They don't care about their dead (even). It seems that they do not observe the sanctity of humans, whether dead or alive. They leave the bodies of martyrs in the desert on the ground, under the sun.
However, upon our request, they said that they have three bodies. They are the bodies of three Lebanese members of Hezbollah. It seems they were wounded, and either they died of their wounds or were beheaded. We do not have any further details. They also have the body of one of the Iranian brothers. He was taken captive and slaughtered before the cameras, and his slaughter was broadcasted by media outlets. They kept his body because he was a captive. So they had three bodies and a Lebanese captive.
(Daesh said) we will give you Hezbollah martyrs in Qalamoun.
They said they wanted prisoners held at Roumieh Prison. This was undisputedly refused. We did not accept to discuss the issue of prisoners from Roumieh in these negotiations.
They finally said: as for revealing the fate of the Lebanese military men, we do not agree to reveal it now. This is a very important point, and we are not seeking to receive credit from anyone for anything. We only want to be fair so that everyone will know how Hezbollah deals with things. O' Hezbollah! Prepare for taking the civilians and the wounded out of the area, and we are ready to give you your captive and the bodies of the three martyrs whom we talked about, and we will give you the bodies of your martyrs who are buried in Qalamoun. Let's postpone revealing the fate of the Lebanese soldiers for another time and undertake this first stage. The answer of Hezbollah was final. The first condition of any solution - whether partial or comprehensive - is revealing the fate of the soldiers. This is what I talked about in my last speech.
Anyway, lengthy discussions took place. They worked on taking the civilians away in exchange for giving us back the captive and the martyrs, while keeping the revelation of the fate of the Lebanese soldiers and consequently their bodies unknown. Meanwhile the militants remain and fight or negotiate during another stage. We refused having stages. We insisted on a comprehensive solution, and the first clause in this solution was revealing the fate of the Lebanese soldiers.
Despite the procrastination, as I said before, we - the Lebanese Army, and Syrian Army and the Resistance - were fighting on both fronts. We were bombing, opening fire, storming onto hills and taking control of highlands, until Daesh felt that the game is over. We had told them that these were their last hours so they submitted to these conditions which are available and possible conditions. Now I cannot go and tell them to look in the desert for the bodies of fighters martyred two, three, four, or five months ago. At the end, this is what is available of what was demanded. We went for that. In fact, the operation was that of surrender. Some of them turned themselves in - if we look at it militarily, psychologically, and politically it would be considered a surrender, because if they hadn't given an answer on Saturday night, things would have gone differently on Sunday dawn, militarily and in the field. Practically, this is what we agreed on. The agreement was made. The fate of the Lebanese soldiers was revealed. We agreed on a ceasefire. Before they led us to the soldiers, they said that they were martyred and buried somewhere. We contacted the (Lebanese) General Security as it is concerned with this file. The General Security coordinated with the Lebanese Army, and they went together along with the guides who led them to that place. As a result, they found their remains and moved them - you were all following this issue.
So there was a ceasefire, the fate of the soldiers was revealed, and their remains were found. We got back the remains of our martyrs and DNA tests are now being carried out. They cleared the area, got in the buses, and headed to Boukamal. By the time I entered the studio, they had already taken off, awaiting the final stage. The last stage is when they reach the specified destination where the swap operation will take place based on a certain mechanism between the buses, and the captured (Lebanese man) and the three martyrs.
As for figures, there are 670 deportees. Media outlets usually predict numbers but these figures are precise. There are 670 deportees, 331 civilians, 26 wounded, and 308 militants with personal weapons.
So this is what we agreed on. We're waiting until tonight, or tomorrow dawn or morning, God knows when, until this third stage is accomplished.
I have to point out a detail concerning the remains of the martyr Abbas Medlej from the (Lebanese Army) since he wasn't buried along with the eight martyrs but was buried alone. They searched well yesterday yet they didn't find him. They also searched today. I've heard the martyr's father's plea, and I've sent him a delegation today in the morning who told him that we are cooperating with the General Security and the Lebanese Army to solve this issue and that his son is our son. Our guarantee is that these deportees don't know where he is. Someone in Daesh knows the place but since they haven't left us any mark, searching will take time, just like what happened with the soldiers. This person turned himself in, he's in our hands right now, and we're keeping him until we settle the issue concerning the body of martyr Abbas Medlej. We'll see afterwards how to settle the issue of this person.
So this is how things are running for now.
We need to add something before we move on to the second part. After discovering that the soldiers were martyred and receiving their remains then informing their families, voices were raised by the same known politicians and journalists who demanded revenge and said that this convoy shouldn't be allowed to leave, that they should be judged and killed, and they questioned the reason behind setting this convoy free.
Now because I'm objective, I understand that some people could be heartbroken or could question this issue and they are honest in what they're saying. But other people are definitely not. They want to deface this victory, just like they tried to deface Arsal's Battle since the first day via the way in which they handled it in the media and politically and with their statements. We don't want to tackle this detail now.
At the end, this is a questionable issue. As a show of respect to public opinion, apart from the intentions and backgrounds, allow me to explain this subject very briefly. It's important that people know that before this battle "Fajr al-Joroud" began in Lebanese territories and after the end of the Arsal Outskirts Battle, the General Security, the Army intelligence, and even Hezbollah had sources that told us that the soldiers were buried in area X. At that time, men from the General Security and the Lebanese Army searched that area which is in the same region but a few hundred meters away. Eventually, they didn't find them. This region was still a confrontation line with Daesh. So we postponed the search until this line was secure from Daesh. The battle started on Saturday, and Daesh was deported. The morning of the next day, the General Security, the Lebanese Army, and our brothers headed to search for the bodies along with the sources. They looked everywhere but didn't find them. Even when they got other sources the next day and the one after it, they still didn't find them. So the battle and the fighting were at their peak, while the search for the Army soldiers was underway based on information from sources, especially after several Daesh members handed themselves in to the Syrian Army and the Resistance. We even got an important person from the Syrian Military Security to lead us, but he also missed the place by a hundred meters, so we didn't reach a result.
The battle was going to end and we still hadn't found out the fate of the soldiers. Apart from the overbidding - everyone agrees that if we liberate the Lebanese and Syrian territories, all of the Lebanese, the Syrians, and the resistance men will climb the highest peak on the border line and plant the flags - just as what took place today and tomorrow officially - while the fate of the soldiers would still remain unknown. Then that victory would be incomplete. The percentage of this victory would be debatable. Some could give it a percentage of 80% and keep the 20%; others would say that it is 80% defeat and 20% victory, depending on their inclinations or objectivity. So we were working on this issue. Moreover, one of the reasons why we slowed the battle down in the last days, before anyone makes a mistake and misjudges or analyses incorrectly, was to take more time to see if we could reveal the fate of the Lebanese soldiers. If we had gone for the decisive and final military choice, we were faced with two options. We can head towards a final and decisive military option, but the one or two or three persons who know where the Lebanese soldiers were could get killed in the battle. As such, things will be over? What may we do? This file will stay pending forever - nobody could've solved it. The Army and the Lebanese government along with the soldiers' families would be truly embarrassed. The other option was to go on with our military pressure, while practicing pressure on the level of negotiations in order to get this result. If we had gone for the first choice, we could've possibly killed those who knew the place of the soldiers, that's first. Second, many civilians, women, and children would've gotten killed, because they were still there with the militants. Even those who were demanding the killing and executing (of the Daesh militants) would've protested and claimed that we had committed massacres and savagery and killed civilians. They would have verbally whipped us in such a case. Third, more Lebanese and Syrian soldiers and resistance men would've been martyred because at the end, the remaining number of militants was 310. When about 300 militants are surrounded in a narrow area, having no choice but to either fight or surrender, some of them would fight while others would give up. That would not have been an easy ride, even if the results of the battle were certain. How long would the battle last? Will it last for a day or two? After all, if it ends militarily, these would be the results. The file of the soldiers would remain unknown forever, civilians would get killed, and there will be more martyrs on both the Lebanese and Syrian sides. Why would we choose this when we could solve this issue in another way?
So we went and made an agreement. When we reached the agreement, it turned out that the soldiers were martyrs and we found their graves. Now some one may come out and ask why we would let them go - we should kill and execute them. Well hold on because here we definitely don't agree. We've made an agreement and agreed on several conditions: one, two, three, four, five, six, etc. Think about it the way you want, but we are pious people. Our religion and ethics say - and the law is supposed to say that too - and our Quran says: "Fulfill all contracts". According to the Hadith, "Believers stick to their conditions". We don't betray, stab in the back, manipulate, or play games on anyone. Let me tell you something for instance, about what Islam recommends when it comes to the trust or keeping the trust. This is for you to see the difference between Islam and Daesh - the examples which were brought by Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the regional states along with them. Ali ibn al-Hussein Zein al-Abideen (peace be upon him), who was taken as captive in Karbala along with the womenfolk in Karbala, who was tortured and whose father, brothers, nephews and cousins were killed in front of him, said a line to the effect: "If the killer of my father al-Hussein entrusted me with the sword he killed my father with, I would keep it and return it to him." This is religion, this is Islam. We're one side in an agreement, the other side fulfilled the conditions they were asked to fulfill, so we are required to fulfill the conditions we were asked to fulfill. This battle is not a matter of revenge, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, like it is when we have personal cases. I wish you would think of it as an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth when it comes to "Israel" and the big battle with Daesh and the Nusra Front.
I hope this explanation was enough. This story ended this way. The other side has left, and there's no need for anyone to ruin this victory by stirring problematic issues and outbidding of this kind. If anyone has the right to be angry, if anyone has the right to take revenge, I will tell you whom you must be angry of. Go and search for those who let these soldiers stay in the hands of their capturers - just like how many people are saying today in Lebanon, and I'm not bringing something new and I've said it before. Instead of blaming the side that fought, offered martyrs, made an agreement, helped, and contributed to the revealing of the fate of the soldiers and their burial places and to the making of this great liberation, officially ask the Lebanese government, the Lebanese judiciary, and the Parliament to open an investigation into how that happened; why did these armed groups come and capture the soldiers of the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security forces; who stopped the Lebanese Army from restoring them? The Lebanese Army was capable of that, and it's not now that it became capable. The Lebanese Army has been capable since the first minute, and this is the difference between you and us. We've believed in the Army and its ability since the beginning, while you were questioning and blaming it on platforms and in the Parliament. Who stopped the Lebanese Army that was and still is capable? The Army was able to go find them. The soldiers were still there, and their place was known - in whose houses. This piece of information was in their hands. The Army could've simply saved its soldiers and protected them with a lower cost than what the Army suffered from that day until now. The army could've seized big groups of Daesh and al-Nusra members in Arsal and negotiated to save its soldiers. Go and demand and interrogate those behind the coward, submissive, and hesitant political decision which didn't see them as enemies, but as revolutionaries and as part of a big project of which they are a part. Go and open this file and don't try to incite meaningless prejudices. So this battle ended today with these results, and with all its goals completely accomplished. If we go back to the time before Saturday when the battle of "Fajr al-Joroud" and "If you return, we shall return" began, we could say that the goals were achieved, and let me recall them. On the Lebanese side, they are the following: clearing Daesh from Lebanese territory, revealing the fate of the Lebanese soldiers, and securing the borders. These were accomplished.
On the Syrian side, the goals were deporting Daesh and clearing western Qalamoun from Daesh. This was also accomplished with the lowest costs possible.
The Lebanese Army announced the number of its martyrs. At the end of this battle, allow me to announce to this struggling, resistant and sacrificing people that 11 fighters from Hezbollah have been martyred in this battle. You all know that we were fighting in a region measuring 310 square kilometers, mountains, valleys, and (land) mines. Most of the Daesh militants were in the Syrian territory. The Syrian Army made sacrifices too and offered 7 martyrs in the operation of "If you return, we shall return".
So based on figures I was given by our brothers, we have 18 martyrs on the other front - in operation "If you return, we shall return".
We pray to Allah to have mercy on the fighters who were martyred on both fronts. The goals were achieved, and we can say that our mission has been accomplished.
Allow me to move on to the other part of my speech which is about our Second Liberation.
We're before a huge and great victory. We're not talking about liberating 140km2 of the Lebanese territory in the last operation. The liberation we're talking about is that of all the Lebanese territory, as in from now on, no Takfiri terrorist are to be found on any outskirt, hill, mountain, valley, or frontier. All the goals were achieved and completed, and it was a great accomplishment. So here we talk about liberation, and we'll talk about the details next Thursday if God wills. Today, we are before a complete liberation of the Lebanese territory from the control of the terrorist groups. That's first.
Second, the Lebanese frontiers are militarily safe from now on all along the border line, unless someone penetrates from a Syrian valley or hill. That would be another story.
Hopefully, there's no more military threat along the whole border. They've been secured. One of the accomplishments of this battle is the liberation of the Syrian territory from the terrorist groups, which is an absolute and necessary condition in order to secure the Lebanese borders. Let's suppose the Army went up and settled on the Syrian-Lebanese borders. No matter what their potentials are and no matter what the number of forces located there are, if Syrian territory still had terrorist groups, the Army would be drained and soldiers will be constantly martyred and injured and in a state of fighting and high-level mobilization. Today, the Lebanese Army could settle in locations on the borders peacefully without the need for high-level mobilization or high capabilities because the other side is clear of any military threat. If the Army wants to carry out precautionary measures when it comes to the security threat, it can do so in case a suicide bomber wants to pass through or a car is being smuggled.
Today, this is what we call a huge victory, and it's worth being called the Second Liberation. Of course this victory shouldn't slip our minds for even one second.
It's a part of the victories that the region witnessed. Allow me to say that just like fighting on both the Syrian and Lebanese sides at the same time made this battle easier, the other victories facilitated it too.
Let's talk militarily and on the moral level. If Daesh was still in Homs while we were fighting it in Qalamoun, the Arsal Outskirts, Ras Baalbek, and Qaa, would the battle have gone that way? If Daesh was, not in Homs, but in Al Qaryatayn or in Palmyra, which is close by, Daesh could groups itself and its leaderships and fighters would've fought with different spirits and prospects and in a much different moral state.
The battles in Mosul, and today in Tal Afar all the way to the east of Aleppo, Homs, and Hama, reaching to the Syrian Desert, to the South of Raqqa and Deir al-Zour, in which Daesh was defeated and strained, have no doubt left very big effects on the morale of Daesh which was fighting on the Lebanese-Syrian borders.
We cannot divide the battle, the spirits, the planning, or the will to fight. So truly we're before this great victory. Just like we say that on the 25th of May, 2000, we expelled the "Israeli" occupation, we've expelled the Takfiri terrorists (today). This is one of the principal similarities between them. The "Israeli" occupation had taken control of a large area on the borderline in addition to mountains, hilltops, and strategic locations. Here, there was also a large portion of mountains, hills and strategic heights in the hands of terrorists.
The "Israelis" were always a threat on borderline and still are a threat behind the international borders. The terrorists were considered a constant threat on all of Lebanon, especially on the whole of the Bekaa, not only on Baalbek-Hermel and the border villages. Everyone was aware recently of what they were planning for in the Arsal Outskirts. Daesh was planning suicide attacks and bombings in Zahle and the surrounding villages, but the Lebanese Army Intelligence caught them before they took action.
Today, before this reality, some would say that the "Israelis" are something and the terrorists are another. That's not true. The terrorists complement the "Israelis". It is proved day after day that Daesh and all these Takfiri groups were made by the American administration and that they have fought in the framework of the "Israeli" scheme. What these Takfiri terrorist groups have offered to "Israel" is beyond what "Israel" ever had or gained in the last decades. I do not want to compare between the two dangers, but what is more dangerous in my view point is that these Takfiri groups are fighting in the service of the American-"Israeli" scheme, whether they knew it or they not. Their leadership already knows that. The naïve fighters are those who were taken by the fake and shiny slogans.
"Israel" has a project of occupation. America has a project of hegemony. Daesh and the terrorist groups have an extermination project - the extermination of every Muslim, Christian, Sabian, Yazidi, or any human being. They seek to exterminate humanity, history, cultures, civilization and everything else. When our region gets destroyed along with its armies, regimes, governments, institutions, and social structures, it will be handed over - destroyed and drained - to America and "Israel" so they can have us under their control and impose their conditions on everyone. Therefore, who do you think is crying over Daesh in Syria and Qalamoun and Iraq? Netanyahu and "Israeli" officials are the ones crying and screaming, the ones who have problems with Trump's administration, that has applied itself to the mission of destroying Daesh, while it believes that Obama's administration was the one that made Daesh. So let nobody say that the difference between the Liberation of southern Lebanon and this battle is that the liberation of the south ranks first while the battle with Daesh ranks tenth. That's not true. It ranks second. It is a continuation of the battle against the "Israelis". Read what the "Israelis" are writing - the Lebanese people and the Arabs don't read that much - read what they're writing, especially these days with the breakdown of Daesh in Iraq, Syria, and then Lebanon. That way you could be sure that this is a real "Israeli" scheme.
Now whether the Lebanese government acknowledges it or not, this is its own business. The same thing happened on May 25, 2000. The situation was different then. The holiday was consecrated but it was ignored at the time of one of the former Premiers. However, afterwards the premiers used to undertake a certain mechanism to observe the occasion of May 25, 2000.
Now we have the occasion of August 28, 2017. I am talking here for the purpose of historical accuracy. I do not want to specify a certain date through that, but today and on this date there remained not one Takfiri or member of Daesh or the Nusra Front on even one grain of Lebanese sand or hills or mountains. Afterwards, should the government adopt this holiday and specify it on August 27, 25, or 31, or September 33, we do not have any problem. I am not competing with anyone; I am talking here for the purpose of historical accuracy.
Well, accordingly, I end with the following call. Do you still remember that on May 25, 2000, Lebanon was happy with the victory except for those who betted on the "Israeli" occupation and the army of Antoine Lahd, and they were in the country? As such there was a happy majority, while some people had pale, cheerless faces because their efforts did not work out. Despite it being a national victory and a national holiday, the people of southern Lebanon and Mount Lebanon were the happiest during this victory and liberation. The reason is simple. It is because the occupation was spreading its hegemony on their mountains and hills. The occupation was controlling their cities and imprisoning their sons and daughters. The occupation used to open fire on the workers and farmers and issue daily threats. We still remember the shelling of Saida and Nabatieh and the beheaded children and students scattered on the streets. It is very normal that the residents of the south be happier on May 25, 2000, because they suffered more and offered more sacrifices.
Today, all of Lebanon is victorious, and it is supposed that the overwhelming majority be happy except for those who betted on the Nusra Front and Daesh and the regional and international powers which stand behind Daesh and Nusra. It is normal that they be very miserable, and if you can offer them condolences don't fail to do so. In case in the coming few days and for two or three weeks they cursed, swore, and defamed, let them be at ease. We understand their sorrow and pains. However, the overwhelming majority of the Lebanese for sure are happy. Were it not for these confrontations that took place for years up until today, Daesh and Nusra and their like would have spread to the Bekaa, the north, and reached other places in Lebanon. What a catastrophe it would have been, and we see what has befallen the surrounding states and societies which are afflicted by them.
However, it is normal that those who are the happiest with the Second Liberation are our honorable people in Bekaa, because it is the people of Bekaa whose mountains, barren outskirts, and orchids were occupied. Booby-trapped cars were dispatched to them, and suicide bombers used to descend onto them in Hermel, Bekaa, Ras Baalbek, and Zahle, and the entire area was threatened. Now that this nightmare is lifted from their mountains, hills, barren outskirts, hearts, houses, and towns, indeed they will be the happiest people because they were the ones who suffered most. Moreover, in this battle, they offered the most sacrifices. True our brothers and people and the soldiers and officers in the Lebanese Army came from all of the Lebanese areas and fought on this front. However, no doubt, every village in Bekaa, especially in Baalbek-Hermel, has one martyr, or two or three, and one wounded, or two or three.
The people of Bekaa made this victory with the blood of their dear sons and the best of their young men and the wounded who are still in their homes and hospitals. Thus they have the right to rejoice and feel happy and proud of this victory which is a national victory in general, and also a distinguished and outstanding victory for Bekaa in particular.
Accordingly, we - the resistance and the people - want to celebrate this victory, and we do not want to postpone the victory until after Friday, because Friday is an Eid and Saturday is an Eid, and on Sunday people will also be in the atmosphere of Eid. Indeed we are able to make a celebration tomorrow or the day after, but our dear brothers in the Amal Movement have a celebration on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the kidnapping our Imam and senior leader, his eminence Imam Sayyed Mousa al-Sadr - May Allah restore him and both his friends and dear companions safe and sound. God willing we will go Thursday afternoon to celebrate this occasion in the city of Baalbek in a vast and comfortable spot near the well-known Ras al-Ain meadow, and near the historic mosque which is present there. It is said that Sayyeda Zeinab, the womenfolk, and children in Karbala, Imam Zain al-Abideen (peace be upon all of them), and the heads of the martyrs were brought on the long journey of captivity to a place near this noble place where we will hold the celebration.
I know that our brothers in the Amal Movement - since the first anniversary - are committed to marking the occasion on August 31. I believe and according to my personal analysis - and I do not have any information to this effect - that they will hold it on August 30 because August 31 is the day marking the stay of the pilgrims on Mount Arafat, meaning the day that precedes Eid al-Adha.
We are obliged to hold our celebration on this day to stand in Baalbek at the very time in which the pilgrims to Holy Mecca stand on Mount Arafat. While they will be performing the rituals of Hajj, we will manifest the concepts of Hajj.
Next Thursday afternoon, in that celebration, those who offer sacrifices will meet, but they will not be people who offered sheep or camels as sacrifices like Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who was about to offer his son as a sacrifice based on a divine demand. They eventually offered their children and dear ones as sacrifices.
So on Thursday - the day of standing on Mount Arafat - those who offered their sons as sacrifices will meet. It will be the day of stoning the big and small devils who want to demolish our societies, crush our will, distort our religion and our Islam, and distort the divine religions. It is the day of stoning the hegemony of "Israel" and the greater devil - America - on our region.
We are the ones who stone the big, small, and medium devils every day. On Thursday, we will celebrate stoning the devil in this victory over all of those devils. On Thursday - the day of standing on Mount Arafat - we will thank Allah Almighty for guiding us, and we will thank Allah for what he entrusted us with, and we thank Allah for the victory He bestowed on us. Anyone who contemplates what took place in this area over the last six or seven years till our day, and analyses the facts, will realise that what took place is more of a miracle. More of a miracle. Because today in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, and at least in the battle with Daesh and the Takfiri groups, we are making victory after victory in a battle which was supported by the whole world: huge amounts of money, huge media outlets, great states, regional states, endless facilitations.... Let's thank Allah for what He entrusted us with, for guiding us, for granting us victory, for strengthening us, and for making us proud and honored by the victories we are making.
Furthermore, it is known that we Shia Muslims in particular have a favorable deed to do on Arafat Day - namely it is visiting Imam Hussein (peace be upon him). If we are in Karbala, it will be great to visit him, otherwise we visit him from afar, from whatever place we are in: a square, roof, mountain, hill...Thus we will meet where his family and dear ones stopped in the journey of captivity, and where the head of al-Hussein and the other martyrs rested. We will address al-Hussein and say: "O Abu Abdullah al-Hussein!" Peace be upon you! From that square several years ago we declared the slogan "Zeinab will not be captured twice". Do you still remember?
We will gather on Friday to tell al-Hussein: O My Master! O Abu Abdullah al-Hussein. We will visit him on Arafat Day and tell him: O our Master! We fulfilled the promise we made to you. We were not among those who promised you and then betrayed you, abandoned you, and left you.
On Thursday, we will all come. It will be great for those who can come from other provinces to show up, however, usually we do not like to overcrowd people.
However, the people of Bekaa who are the ones most concerned with this ceremony and are the first owners of this victory and this achievement are invited to show up. On Thursday, men and women, young and old, from all towns, cities, villages, and families, are invited to the massive popular march to the city of Baalbek to thank Allah Almighty for this victory and to renew their oath to Allah Almighty, and to the Prophets of Allah, and the messengers of Allah, and to the Master of Martyrs Abi Abdullah al-Hussein (peace be upon him) on Arafat Day and to assert to him that they are the people of generosity, loyalty to the oath, endless sacrifices, patience, and perseverance in tough situations. They never altered and will never alter no matter who conspires and collaborates against them. On Thursday, they will show perseverance God willing because they are fit for this great victory which they made with their will, (sacrifice of their) sons, and dear ones.
Let the message on Thursday be to renew the oath also to the absented Imam and Leader Sayyed Mousa al-Sadr, and also to renew the oath to the Master of the Islamic Resistance Martyrs - Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi (may Allah have mercy on him), and to every dear and holy sanctity. We are the people of this land, and we will remain proud and honorable. We will never quit our land and leave. We will not travel or migrate. We will die here as I used to tell you: in all battles, we live here in dignity and with our heads raised (high). If our country and homeland was threatened by an invader or occupier or Takfiri, we will fight him. We will not wait for anyone in the world to fight for us, and we will gain victory over him. We will be martyred here, and we will be buried here.
We do not have but one passport - the Lebanese passport. We do not have two nationalities. We have one nationality. We have one history, one land, and one future. We are the sons of this land as are all the Lebanese people. God willing on Thursday, we will express this stance with a massive, great, and dear attendance which our people will always express, and they are always the attendees and makers of great, massive, and dear turnouts.
Farewell! Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings. May you be safe and blessed in all future victories, God willing.
Al-Ahed News
