Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech at the Memorial Service of Hajja Um Imad Mughniyeh

Speech of Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered at the memorial service of the mother of martyrs, Hajja Um Imad Mughniyeh and hosted by the party in the Mujtaba complex on October 12, 2018

Local Editor

We present the reward of reading al-Fatiha to the soul of the deceased, our beloved and precious mother of martyrs, Hajja Amna and Um Imad, and to the souls of all martyrs.

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our Master and Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad and his good and pure household and his good and chosen companions and all the prophets and messengers.

Peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you all.

To start with, I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the two dear families, the Salemehs and Mughniyehs, on the occasion of the departure of Um Imad. We ask Allah Almighty to place her with the martyrs, the Prophets and the righteous. She has always followed their path and has done well.

On behalf of Hezbollah and the two gracious families, it is also my duty to thank all those who participated in this solace, either through their presence here today or during the condolences period, through statements, telegrams and calls, or through the media and social media. We ask God Almighty to reward them with good and to accept from them this kind consolation.

On this occasion, I would first like to speak shortly about the late Hajja, the fighter. After that, God willing, I will talk about several issues regarding the general situation.

In His glorious book, Allah Almighty says {In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Merciful.  Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent. [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving. Allah Almighty has told the truth.}

What we understand from the messages of the Prophets and the Holy Quran is that this worldly life is a life of examination, testing and afflictions. Every human being born into it and living in it, will inevitably and definitely die in it {Every soul tastes death}. The real and primary role of this world in the great system of existence, in the system of life as a whole, as life [of this world] and the Hereafter, is that it is the home in which Man is given full freedom and choice. He is provided with all the reasons. Everything is subjugated to him in order to prove his worthiness and entitlement for the real life in the other world to create his future there. Thus, it is the home of the corridor and the crossing. It is the door of work. It is the farm. It is the arena of jihad and action. It is the arena of choice and choosing right options as well as the real and eternal life there.

In its positive dimension, the real life, the true bliss, true spiritual bliss and true physical bliss is in that world and not in this world. Even though there are blessings and bliss in this world too. But the real one is there. The eternal and the immortal life is over there. The true pride, true dignity and true sovereignty, {no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined}, as well as the real punishment are all there. Some of the oppressors, corrupters and criminals, who have transgressed in the land of God and filled the earth with injustice, oppression and aggression may receive their punishment. But many of them escape punishment. Yet the real punishment is in that home. The divine court, the divine justice, the divine balance, and the day of the oppressed against the oppressor are there in that world. Meanwhile, this home and this life that we live, brothers and sisters, is the home for work, tests and examinations for us to make our future. As we make our future in this world, we make our eternal and immortal future in the Hereafter. We are the ones who create our garden [Paradise], and we are the ones who create our Hell as well as what awaits us in that Paradise or that Hell.

Hajja Um Imad passed this exam. She lived a long life. God Almighty bestowed her with this long life. From the beginning, since childhood, since she was a little girl then a young lady, God Almighty blessed her with faith, guidance and religious commitment, including worship, manners, chastity, wearing the veil since she was little. He also gave her a sense of responsibility. This alongside faith, worship, a sense of responsibility towards family, people, the Message and the cause that concern the nation are very important.

He gave her a sense of responsibility to carry the burden of living with her father and her family in a difficult time, which is still difficult for the majority of the families in Lebanon. She worked as a seamstress. She then worked as a nurse before she was 20 years old.

Before and after marrying Hajj Abu Imad, she was concerned with delivering the message of faith to others. She cared for the people her age and talked to them about God, living as His servants and the duty towards Him. She taught them how to pray and read the Quran. She urged them to do good deeds.

That was how the young Amna began spreading religion and faith as well as social work. She attended to the poor, orphans and needy while collecting, organizing, packaging and delivering aid to needy families.

The center of this social and educational work is the house of Abu Imad. She worked with her friends and sisters to hold educational seminars. They also contacted senior scholars at the time, especially His Eminence Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah (may God bless him) and His Eminence Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shamsuddin (may God bless him) as well as other scholars who are still alive. They worked with them in spreading religion as well as in the educational, voluntary, service, social and public relations field and contributed in the establishment of the organizations for these activities within the existing framework, some of which are still operational to this day. The organizations were established in the form of associations, institutions or committees dealing with educational, social or scholastics matters as well as spreading the faith and the activities of the scouts. This showed her early belief in organized group work within institutions, which is certainly the most effective and allows for the best results and the highest level of productivity.

From the start, her house was a home for all this work and activities until it became one of the houses of the resistance. When Imad grew up – he grew up fast, before turning 15. He along with other young men took it upon themselves to confront, defend, join the resistance factions, and pick up arms. This blessed home became a house of resistance in Shiyah and Tyr Debba, especially after 1988.

But the late Hajja Um Imad’s most important achievement is what was mainly entrusted to women. As Imam Khomeini said women are entrusted with the same thing the Quran was entrusted with: making a man. In addition to all her aforementioned successes, Um Imad succeeded in making a man, a believer, a mujahid, a person who sacrifices and resists, a steadfast person until the last breath and drop of blood. This is how her sons were. Her sons were not only steadfast, mujahideens or resistance fighters. God Almighty bestowed on them the honor of martyrdom. Her three children: Fouad, Jihad and Imad are all martyrs as everyone knows. She also had a grandchild, Jihad Imad Mughniyeh, who is also a martyr. When we talk today about the departure of Um Imad on the occasion of her passing, as I have also mentioned on the occasion of the passing of Hajj Abo Imad, we talk about a mother who offered all her children to be martyrs during her lifetime. She bid them farewell one after the other. She was a model for women believers and a patient woman who has submitted to God’s will. She accepted God’s will. She was proud of the fate God Almighty has chosen for her children who were still young. The fate was martyrdom. She became a great role model for us all, for men and women, especially for the mothers and the mothers of the martyrs. They loved her, got attached to her and knew her especially in the last few years. Among all the sacrifices Um Imad made, allow me to talk about two things due to lack of time. There are many things of course, but I want to talk about two things.

The first thing, in addition to her success in making men, is that she gave us in Hezbollah, in our path, our movement, our resistance and the jihadist movement in this nation an exceptional leader, martyr Hajj Imad Mughniyeh. She did not only give us an exceptional leader through birth, but also through education and the upbringing of this figure. I know and all those who have lived with Hajj Imad know this fact very well. Um Imad had a great influence in building his personality. She impacted his personality. He had great love and affection for his father. But I know and so do the brothers that he had special feelings and great respect for his mother. He took her into account. Some would joke and allow me to convey this joke. They used to say: ‘there are people who feared Imad, and Imad feared his mother.’ It was not fear in a literal sense. But he was keen on pleasing her, loving her and not disturbing her. And I know a lot of these details. Um Imad focused on Imad’s personality. She helped develop it, especially with respect to religion, faith, worship and jihad. She always urged him to be present in these arenas and bear his responsibilities. She was a true mother to him. She was a great supporter of all the tough decisions he made in his life. Thus, this lady presented us with this great achievement – as I consider it – a person like Hajj Imad. We all know that he was in fact an exceptional figure. A large part of his life is still hidden and will appear with time.

The second thing is her hard work, especially in the last decade after the martyrdom of Hajj Imad. This put her under the spotlight. Before that and although she was the mother of martyr Fuad and martyr Jihad, she was not active. She was not put under the spotlight the way she was following the martyrdom of Hajj Imad. This is because Hajj Imad had an important role in the resistance and was a leader in Hezbollah and she happened to be his mother, in addition to having other sons as martyrs. This naturally gave her a certain position. These are natural outcomes. The fathers and mothers of martyrs attain this special emotional, sentimental and moral position in our society, culture and habitat. She entered the limelight despite her old age. She was in her seventies. Despite her health condition and her household responsibilities, she was strongly present over the past years and during a sensitive period in the history of our resistance. Um Imad was present at all the events we held, at the homes of the martyrs, especially in the last few years. Not only did she visit the homes of the martyrs who were martyred fighting the terrorists and Takfiris in Syria, she also acted retroactively. She also visited the families of the martyrs who were martyred many years before the martyrdom of Hajj Imad. I do not want to assert and say that she visited everyone, eve though the brothers and sisters confirmed it. Hajja Um Imad visited the vast majority of the homes of the martyrs despite her age and health. Throughout her long life, Um Imad went to all the events that she was invited to. With her knowledge, speech, humility, love, and compassion, she visited schools, students, associations and the scouts. She engaged in social work, political and media events, etc.

She would always attend, never faltering. Illness, fatigue, or old age never stopped her from carrying out this responsibility. In her mind she was carrying forward the message of her martyred sons’ blood. She received a large number of delegations, deeply affecting them. I saw the size of the moral and spiritual effects she left on the delegations and scholars that visited her or met with her. What is important here is not only the quantity but also the content, the content that was provided by Um Imad through her speech, meetings and her kind and spontaneous talk with all the people she met. I can say here that she was fighting with us and in an advanced position the battle of moral warfare, the psychological warfare and the media warfare. It is what we call the battle of steadfastness in the face of the battle of inhibition and discouraging determination. It is primarily a matter of determination. Determination comes before numbers, preparation, capabilities and the possession of weapons, money, material capabilities and even manpower. The issue, first and foremost, is whether those fighters have the determination to continue the path, to bear the responsibilities, to sacrifice. Even when the Quran talks about God’s prophets and compares between them, He compares their determination. To Him there are two kinds of prophets, those of determination and the rest of the prophets. Determination, will, resoluteness and steadfastness are the main challenge of any people, society, or resistance movement that wants to protect its country, people, resistance, and sanctities and wants to face grave dangers. We have been facing this challenge since the beginning. This challenge has also been growing in the past few years because we, too, are growing. Our responsibilities are growing. Our victories are increasing. It is only natural that the psychological war on us gets bigger. In the battle of awareness, determination and will, our battle is also harder, why? Because our options are also of a different type. There are two main qualities in our choices. First, our options are big and difficult because they are related to fate, to existence, the existence of a homeland, the existence of a state, the existence of a nation, the survival of institutions, the survival of a people on their land, preventing their displacement from their land and preventing the confiscation of their decision-making abilities, present and future. This is our option. The other quality is that our choices are of the costly type. The type that gives blood, the best of young men like Jihad, Fouad, Imad, Jihad and all their martyred and wounded brothers and sisters. Thus, these are the types of the choices, on the one hand fateful and existential and on the other costly and of great sacrificial nature. The battle of awareness over these options is also great and big when these options are faced with doubt. Doubt remains. There are still some people who insist on constantly doubting and pushing towards other options, including surrender, submissiveness, submission, escaping responsibilities, clinging behind the waves of intimidation practiced by the enemy in this arena or in more than one arena. Here, Um Imad’s role was also important. She used to strengthen determination and resoluteness, sharpen the wills, spoke about patience, steadfastness, victories, hard work, success, pride, honor and glory in this life and in the Hereafter that the path of resistance, jihad and sacrifice gives. Why? Because she was in the heart of the event like Sayyida Zainab (Peace Be Upon Her). Sayyida Zainab (Peace Be Upon Her) preserved Karbala for us. Karbala will be remembered through out history until the end of time. Sayyida Zainab was not a historian or a neutral witness. There are many events in Karbala that have been told by the people who were at al-Hussain’s camp. They are one or two people who survived. There are those who were in Ibn Saad’s army. Others classify themselves as neutral observer. There are also people who talked about this battle from a scientific, cognitive, theoretical or historical analysis standpoint.

Zainab was in the heart of the events. zainab was the second part of Karbala. The first part was al-Hussein. It ended with his martyrdom. The second part starts with the journey of Karbala with Zainab’s voice, stance, cry, courage and patience. Zainab (Peace Be Upon Her) was able to what she did because she was at the heart of the events. Her words drew a steady line in history. Her stance changed the equations in conflicts and history. Her sighs and words invoked strong feelings and patience in the hearts of women and mothers throughout history because she was the daughter of martyrs, the mother of martyrs, the aunt of martyrs, and the sister of martyrs. And she was in the heart of the events. This made Zainab a different woman in her actions and influence, in her words and in her position. in addition to her personal traits, this made her an exceptional leader and woman in history. From this position, Um Imad was influential to our path, movement, resistance, to the families of our martyrs, and to the great patience we see in the families of our martyrs and on the faces of the martyrs’ mothers. I know that a lot of our martyrs’ mothers seek to do this. Today, on the occasion of Um Imad’s departure I tell them: Yes, you, the mothers of the martyrs, the wives of the martyrs, the martyrs’ daughters, the martyrs' families, and fathers and sons in general, you all have a responsibility. But I tell the ladies, including the mothers, wives and daughters of the martyrs, your responsibilities are very important due to your humane and emotional position. You also have effect on this environment, society and generation. You also bear this responsibility; to continue the path, to reveal the path of the martyrs and their goals, to show the righteousness of this path which is being blockaded and challenged in every arena. Yet it is stronger than any blockade. It is stronger than iron because it belongs to the school of ‘the triumph of blood over sword’.

Um Imad is the same in her death as in her life. She is one of the symbols of our resistance, our jihad, our battle, our steadfastness and our victories. She will remain so. She will always have this eternal impact, God willing.

Brothers and sisters, there are some points I would like to discuss briefly in the remaining time, God willing.

The first point: I would like to pause a bit over President Trump's speech or speeches in the last few days to take lessons and discuss the options. He demanded from some rich countries that he supports money in return for protection. But he focused his campaign – so far it has been four times and they are counting them – on Saudi Arabia.

Just a reminder on what he said and says: ‘we protect you. You have to pay. We do not get sufficient payment in return for your protection. You have a lot of money.’ He told them once: without us, your planes can’t stay in the sky.' After that he said – once again: ‘without us you cannot rule for two weeks and you have to pay. Of course, in each one of them, we have to add ‘you have to pay’. A few months ago, he told the Gulf rulers and Gulf States, he told everyone, ‘if it was not for us, you cannot remain one week. The most recent was two days ago when he said ‘Iran was going to take (control of) the Middle East in about 12 minutes.’ This is what the president of the United States of America said. He said that Iran was going to take control of the Middle East with 12 minutes. Who is he addressing? He was addressing all the Middles Eastern countries and not just the Gulf States. Before taking office or when he took office – this is a great achievement. He made the Iranians busy with themselves.

Well, this is a summary, of course with every phrase "you have to pay", "you have a lot of money ", "pay". In the end, he said they will pay.

This is America and this is the US administration.

I would like to quickly say some remarks. First, while I was listening to Trump, I remembered what we used to read and hear from His Eminence Imam Khomeini. He described the successive US administrations and not the American people as arrogant and the Great Satan. We mostly know the Great Satan and the forces of arrogance. However, among the not-so-common descriptions in the discourse is that they [successive US administrations] are the plunderers of people, plunderers. In other words, they are thieves. America is a thief, a state of thieves, a state of plunderers. The Imam emphasized it a lot in his speeches. Former governments were a government of plunderers. There is no doubt. But they plunder in a diplomatic manner. They steal from a person in a respectable manner. They steal from them and address them as ‘Your Majesty the King, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Mr. President.’ Now someone has come to steal from them in a different way. Today we are facing public looting, looting in the open, looting with arrogance, looting with tyranny and looting with greed. There is no limit to Trump’s greed. He has his eye set on the thousands of billions of Arab dollars deposited in US banks. He wants them all. He will take them. I tell you, he will take them. Now I will tell you why? His greed has no limits. He does not only want the thousands of billions in American banks. He even wants the oil, gas, money and potential that the Arab countries have. He considers that this is his right and less than his right because he protects them. If it weren’t for him, they would not be in power. If it weren’t for him, they cannot stay a week or two weeks. Thus, we are in front of a model of public looting, shameless public banditry, which has no limit to its greed. We are in front of a government, an administration and a president different from previous presidents. Those were hypocrites. They used to talk about human rights and spreading democracy, justice and freedom. But Trump’s speech during his electoral campaign or since he took office two years ago is not about moral values, human rights, freedoms, justice and democracy.  What does he always talk about? He talks about money and the billions and millions of dollars, taxes, customs and trade war. Today he heads one of the most important superpowers in the world. His standards are based on money. The international community, the United Nations, the Security Council, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court mean nothing to him. They are worthless. He deals with them with contempt, threats and humiliation.

Today we are faced with a model of America that has also become so arrogant and insulting that it humiliates its allies and friends, offensive language, and repeated insults. It did not happen once to say it was a slip of the tongue. It happened just once because he was angry or speaking in a mass speech. It happened once, twice, three, four, five and six times. During his electoral campaign, he used insults, personal insults. He insulted countries people. It was not only insults to this king or that prince or president. It was insults to everyone. On the other hand – of course with the exception of the resistance axis – we find smiles, silence, submission and deadly silence from the so-called America's friends, allies and loved ones in response to Trump’s insults. There is an American president practicing daily humiliation not against his enemies but against his friends and allies. Doesn’t he do that? Trump also practices intimidation. He frightens the people of the region as well as the countries of the region especially the Gulf States, especially Saudi Arabia. He tell them ‘without us, you can’t last a week. Without us, you can’t last two weeks. Without us, you can’t last 12 minutes.’ There is something bewildering. I would like to talk a little bit about the ’12 minutes’.

In any case, regardless of whether Iran can take control of the region in 12 minutes, the Middle East and not the Gulf states, this shows the greatness of Iran in the eyes of Trump. The resisting Iran, the firm Iran, the steadfast Iran, Iran which has never bargained over its religion, its prophet, its sanctities, its sovereignty, its wealth, its money or a drop of its oil, is in his eyes great and can control the Middle East in 12 minutes. While Trump sees Iran that has been besieged for 40 years as great, in his eyes his allies whom he sold so far hundreds of billions of dollars worth of planes, weapons, missiles, tanks and ammunition and all the world’s markets are open to these countries cannot stand for 12 minutes. If he exaggerated a little, one week. A little moretwo weeks. What is this?

Of course, part of this talk is intimidations. One might think, what is behind the ‘12 minutes’. Even Iran does not want to take control of the Middle East. But it does not claim that it can control the Middle East in 12 minutes or one week or two weeks. Unless he is depending on the position of the people of the region, who have a real stance towards the American project, the “Israeli” existence and the regimes that are forcefully imposing these two projects on our people. This is another discussion. Thus, it is intimidation.

What is the purpose of this intimidation? Blackmail. He wants to blackmail them so he can sell them more weapons. For them to ask him for more protection so he can take more money. I want to use a description from certain known and exhausted terms and discourse in our region. I can say that through his speech, Trump revealed that a lot of our Arab and Islamic countries are paying Jizya [or tax] to America and Trump to protect their thrones. This is the description.

Let's move on to the lessons. This is a speech for our Arab and Islamic governments, for all our people. We tell them two things. I do not want to go any further than this.

The first thing: Who are you betting on? Your governments, your countries, your future, your present, your security, or your economy? Seriously, who are you betting on? On Trump and on the US? Are you betting on the one who humiliates you, insults you, loots you, robs you and blackmails you in return for protection? When you run out of money, it is unknown what he will do to you. We all saw how the US dealt with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi [the deposed Shah]. They denied him a visa to the States to get cancer treatment. He gave his youth as well as Iran and its capabilities in the servitude of the US and its interests. Are you betting on these people? He takes your and insults you everyday. How would he treat you if you didn’t have money to give?

Therefore, the first thing is a call to reconsider. Who are you betting on?

The second thing is discussing the options. Which is the most honorable, the best and the cheapest for you? To be submissive to Trump and the US? Or to return to the region, to stop the war they are waging, to stop paying towards internal wars, to enter the region with the spirit of reconciliation, cooperation and positivity? Despite the destruction and devastation caused by the war in the past years in our region, you hear calls for reconciliation, dialogue and halting the war in Yemen, in Iran, in Syria, in Iraq, in Bahrain, and elsewhere where there is pain and wounds. However, there are those who want overlook all these wounds and pain for the future of the people of this region.

Which is cheaper? You can either pay jizya to Trump or spend hundreds of billions on your people to address the problems of unemployment and job opportunities, address the problems of illnesses, health and the environment, address the problems of ignorance and illiteracy and address many other problems.

The door is still open. There is still a possibility. Of course, I am talking to shed light. There are people who have given up. They might not even have a chance to review, reconsider or think about their choices. But I believe that the scholars of this nation, its elite and its people must ponder upon this new experience with US President Trump. They should reconsider their choices and their attitudes as well as the attitudes of their leaders, regimes and governments. Then, act on them.

The second point is the “Israeli” issue that took place a few days ago which included the farcical psychological warfare of Netanyahu and others in the “Israeli” entity over the subject of the missiles. I would like to emphasize what was conveyed by mediation. I would like to officially confirm our policy so that it is clear for the future because this is a long story between the “Israelis” and us. Some would say that our policy is to be silent when it comes to military matters, the resistance’s weapons and capabilities and the resistance’s numbers and its equipment. But the correct description is constructive ambiguity.

This silence is a purposeful silence. This is a purposeful silence from the position of the battle. For the people to know, we do not have to present answers whenever Netanyahu or anyone else states that Hezbollah possesses this in that place. It is wrong to respond to them because it will only puts us in the enemy’s game.

Tomorrow when it says that there is Hezbollah’s depot there or Hezbollah’s rockets over there. And we reply and say no, they are not there.

Perhaps some remember, it spoke about 2000 targets it destroyed on the map. Hezbollah does not issue statement refuting “Israeli” claims of a plant, place, building or house.

This denial is providing free information to “Israel”. Of course, what happened recently was an initiative by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry. It is certainly a very welcome initiative. We never suggested this idea to them. It was an initiative by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry. It considered that the issue of the airport, its surrounding and its wall is a sensitive subject and will leave a moral and psychological impact on tourism, economy, etc.

It exposed the falsity of Netanyahu’s allegations. I do not want to go into details. I thank His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ initiative. He was active, energetic and strong. This also means advanced diplomacy in the battle to defend Lebanon and to confront Netanyahu and the enemy’s deception.

But I want to emphasize that our policy is constructive ambiguity. When the media called, our media relations gave no comments. We do not comment. I also hope for future reference that no one pressure us or expect us to comment because they will not get a comment if we were pressured.

Providing free information even if it is in the context of denial (“here there is nothing”) is a free information service for the “Israeli” enemy.

There is another matter in this context. I would like to thank the people for it. On the second and third day, the “Israelis” sent SMS messages on cellphones, especially in Dahiyeh [the southern suburbs of Beirut]. It sent people messages reading: There is a depot under your house, there are rockets below your apartment, there is a headquarters there, and so on.

The objective was to frighten people and cause panic. A lot of people on TV replied jokingly “it is true”. The reply to the allegations of the incompetent “Israeli” officials should be sarcastic.

They are failures. No one should help them succeed. This is the responsibility of everyone in Lebanon, because in all cases, harm will befall everyone and not a particular party. Everyone, including the media, the politicians, the people in all regions must be attentive and careful. We must adopt a broad title "we must not help the enemy in its psychological warfare against our country, our people, our government, our state and everyone in this country" because this is a free service to the enemy and falling into the enemy’s psychological warfare trap.

The last thing I want to follow up on is that we do not have anything new with regards to the formation of the government. I, at least, do not have anything new. We, like the rest of the political forces, urge the formation of the government. Unfortunately, although we have said more than once that we are urging the formation of the government for the national interest, yet some insist on saying that Hezbollah is occupied with the events in the region. We are not occupied, bothered or annoyed or anything of that sort.

If you want to talk about the interests of the party as a party without taking into account the interest of the people or that disintegration is a controversial and hypothetical, this is your business. If you formed a government or not or whether it took a year, two or even three years, this is your business. This is when talking about the interest of the party.

When we talk, we talk about the interests of the people. Everyone talks about the economic situation, the financial situation and the living situation. Winter started and rainfall has begun. Problems, including floods in cities and villages will start. Over the course of several days, we saw torrential floods in the northern Bekaa in the Baalbek-Hermel region. Everyone is talking about the waste crisis and other crises. What are you waiting for? Everyone knows the reasons for the urgency to form a government. What are you waiting for?

In any case, this is the political scene regarding the formation of the government. The Lebanese people should learn a lesson when they see how the political forces and leadership are addressing this issue, what are their priorities and which interests are they prioritizing.

So we are in front of challenges. Of course I emphasize on the importance of speeding up the formation of the government. We await what the coming days will bring because there is a talk about activating communication. There is some kind of hope. I do not know and I do not want to confirm anything regarding this matters. What I want to emphasize, especially on the relevant ministries we are responsible for, is that even though it is a caretaker government and caretaker ministries, yet it they must take responsibility.

Today, what is happening in Baalbek-Hermel regarding the issue of the floods? There are people who left their homes. There are businesses that were affected and damaged. Winter is coming. God willing it will rain. It is not a problem. All is good. The state ministries should hurry up and bear their responsibilities quickly and without any hesitation and bureaucracy. It should be – let us say – in a jihadi and revolutionary manner. It should be suitable with the events that are taking place in Baalbek-Hermel and the Bekaa. A few weeks ago, similar things took place in other places. The relevant ministries, administrations, municipal unions, municipalities and heads of the municipalities should be in high alert.

I would like to emphasize in particular on our brothers who have direct responsibilities in the municipal unions or in the municipalities to address this kind of natural events with a high level of emergency. They must assume that they are fighting in a battle. When shooting begins, there is no time for: later, tomorrow, after tomorrow. You have to leave everything you are doing and check up on people, head to their homes and ask them what they need. We should offer help with all our abilities and capabilities, even from our personal capabilities. Hezbollah institutions, officials and apparatuses should address this with a very high level of responsibility because winter is coming and we do not know how are things going to be in the future.

In similar events, the ministries should not resign from their responsibilities under the pretext that there is no government, even if they needed money. There are some ministries who ask in advance. There are legal and constitutional ways. This can be addressed. What is important in the general sense is that efforts should be made. Eventually, a government must be formed. Even though we always advice each other, we hope and ask that the talk about external factors should be avoided. When we talk about disassociation, let them disassociate themselves from this subject. Some tried to hold Iran responsible. Others tried to hold Syria responsible. I assure you all that neither Iran nor Syria interferes in the formation of the future Lebanese government. This is a Lebanese matter. The Lebanese people should bear their responsibilities.

Today we are at a stage where the only available decision is a Lebanese one. The region and the whole world are busy with something else. The Lebanese must prove through this experience that they deserve freedom, sovereignty and independence.

May Allah have mercy on the great and dear mother of martyrs. She was the symbol of sacrifice and the title of patience and steadfastness. She will remain a school for our path and jihad. May Allah have mercy on Um Imad, her martyred sons and all the martyrs. Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.

Source: Hezbollah Media Relations, Translated by website team