Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech Marking Late Sheikh Hussein Kourani’s One-Week Memorial Ceremony

Translated by Staff, Hezbollah Media Relations

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s speech marking one-week memorial ceremony of the late Mujahid Sheikh Hussein Kourani hosted by the party at the Mujtaba [Peace Be Upon Him] Complex on Friday 20-9-2019

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, Abi al-Qassem Muhammad Bin Abdullah and his good and pure household and his good and chosen companions and all the prophets and messengers.

Brothers and sisters, peace and Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you all.

To begin with, we offer our prayers to our great, beloved and dear brother, His Eminence Sheikh Hussein Kourani. May God have mercy on his soul. We present to his pure soul the reward of reading al-Fatiha.

I also extend the warmest condolences to all of you, to my brothers and sisters and all the resistance fighters and Mujahideen, especially his honorable family, including Hajja Um Alaa, all his dear children, his brothers in knowledge, jihad and hard work. I extend my condolences to His Eminence Allamah Sheikh Ali Kourani, His Eminence Allamah Sheikh Abbas Kourani, brother Hajj Qassem Kourani and all of Sheikh Hussein’s many friends and companions who lost this dear, beloved and great brother.

Of course, on this occasion I will divide my address into two parts. In the first I will attempt to identify and talk about some personality traits of the late Sheikh that may be useful to us. In the second part, I will briefly talk about some recent political issues, God willing.

You, me and many of those present in two locations, in the Mujtaba complex in the southern suburbs and in the Yaatar Hussainiyah, know His Eminence the Sheikh since we were young people. I have known His Eminence the sheikh since I was 18 or 19 years old. The first time we met was in Imam Al-Montathar Hawza [seminary] in Baalbek. Up until the last moment of his life, what we know about him was that he was a great and a pious man, a Mujahid, a resistance fighter, an educator, a teacher and a messenger of Allah’s teachings. He was known.

He was the son of a household known for its religiousness, piety, moral values and knowledge. It was a house full of scholars. He was a man with a strong, cohesive and harmonious personality, confident in his convictions. At the same time, he was very modest, very close to the people, the Mujahideen and the resistance fighters as well as the poor and vulnerable.

In order to go beyond generalizations, I would like to highlight some points that are really useful to us, and that we can learn from:

The first point: His Eminence Sheikh Hussein Kourani was one of the founders in this march. When we talk about the march of Hezbollah, the march of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, which was founded after the “Israeli” invasion in 1982, His Eminence Sheikh was one of the founders of its first groups and its first formations.

Here, I must underscore a point, which distinguishes Hezbollah from many of the formation and forces. It has more than one founder. It can be said that this person is the founder of this organization, or that party or this movement. But Hezbollah was formed by a big group of brothers, scholars, teachers and Mujahideen. It is a large group. It is not made up of 3, 7, 9, 12, 15, 20, or 30 people. A big group of people came together, joined forces and arrived at a unified conviction. They then created this blessed entity.

From day one, this entity was founded on piety. From the start, the intentions of the founders of this march were purely dedicated to Allah Almighty. They were true to Allah Almighty. They abandoned their entities, personal partisan considerations, organizational and individual interests to create this beautiful and blessed organization. Therefore, Allah Almighty blessed this march and helped it grow and strengthen. It course has always been one of integration, development, pride, dignity, strength, action and influence.

Some books or some studies talk about a body of nine dear brothers who established it. The fact if the matter is that these nine are not the only ones who founded the party. They were elected as part of an organizational framework representing the founding group. This is being fair to history. None of us have the right to say on any occasion and for any reason that I am the founder of Hezbollah. This blessed and sincere group of Mujahideen and people who made sacrifices is the one that founded this march. One of them was His Eminence Sheikh Hussein. He was at the forefront. This was his conviction, his opinion, his insistence and his stubbornness. He also employed all his relations, all his friendships, his position and influence in order to contribute to the creation of this march, this new framework and this new entity.

Therefore, His Eminence, God willing, as one of the faithful founders will be rewarded for the victories, achievements and services that this march has recorded – in the spheres of intellect, religion, culture, politics, society.

The second point: His Eminence Sheikh Hussein was the son of this institution, the son of this group. In our internal discourse we say he was really the son of the wilayah. What does the wilayah mean?

We all know His Eminence Sheikh Hussein had convictions and opinions. He had a say in most matters, if not all. His view was based on logic, insight and proof. But that does not mean that this is my opinion and that is it. No, he used to look for more than one proof. The discussions with His Eminence Sheikh Hussein in all matters and issues where he had convictions were not easy.

But whenever a decision – within the approved Shariah mechanisms – was taken in this march, His Eminence Sheikh Hussein abided by this decision, implemented it and defended it. This is what it means to be the son of this institution.

I'll give an example, so we do not keep on generalizing. We need these examples to remember. The first parliamentary elections in Lebanon took place in 1992. Hezbollah was facing a new challenge. Of course, at the beginning discussions took place during our meetings. The martyr Sayyed Abbas [may Allah have mercy on him] was still alive and was the secretary general. I was in the service of the brothers and we continued this discussion. As we were approaching the parliamentary elections in 1992, a long discussion within the party took place. We were almost a group of 11 or 12 members who were tasked with making a decision, one way or the other. Discussions were lengthy. They stretched on for months. The overwhelming majority agreed to participate in the parliamentary elections. Some brothers opposed it. Sheikh Hussein, may Allah have mercy on him, strongly opposed it. He looked for not one, not two, not three but four pieces of proof, and still the majority could not convince him of their point of view. However, when the decision was made to participate in the elections, he, of course, disagreed and said negative things about it. He disliked this matter. He was not intellectually and emotionally in agreement with participating in the elections in 1992. Yet when the decision was made to participate in the elections, His Eminence Sheikh Hussein Kourani, may Allah have mercy on him, defended this decision, adopted it and called on people to participate in the parliamentary elections. He even went himself to the town of Yater and got elected. This is what it means to be the son of the institution and the son of the wilayah.

Thus, this is how the march continued. It continued with this spirit in our brothers and sisters. From 1982 up until today in 2019, we have faced many risks, challenges, threats, difficulties and dossiers. Opinions may vary and views may differ. With a few exceptions, this march remained very coherent, disciplined, harmonious because of this spirit, which was rightly embodied by His Eminence Sheikh Hussein [may Allah have mercy on him].

The third point: I consider this, too, to be one of the most important traits in a person. The true test is here. This test is the test of the self and the personal stature. The test of who am I, where am I, how am I, what is my position, who am I dealing with. Early on, that is since the start of this march, Sheikh Hussein surpassed these personal statures. He passed the test from the beginning. I tell you many in Hezbollah passed this test and I will mention them. But what is this test? It is the test of loyalty, honesty and the readiness to work in any position. My title and my position are not important. The important thing is to be in a place where I can offer something, contribute to this march and be in the service of the resistance, the people and the objectives that others have given their blood, soul and life to achieve. I am ready to give anything. Personal stature is irrelevant. Here is another example. In the 1980s, the post of secretary general did not exist as a title in Hezbollah. There was a Shura [Council]. It still exists, but the post of secretary general was added to it. Back then, the Shura decided to establish a central executive framework since all our formations were mostly regional. It decided that there should be a general executive official who would be the head of the executive framework that was called at the time the Executive Shura Council. Today it is called the Executive Council. The Shura chose me to be head of this new framework and the general executive official of Hezbollah even though I was young at the time. I was less than 30 years old. We had to form an Executive Council. By the way, it was my job to present the names of the members to the Shura to be appointed.

His Eminence Sheikh Hussein Kourani was older than me. He was in the Hawzah and the Islamic work before me. His personal traits are better than mine. He was better than me in everything. He was also my teacher in the Hawza in Baalbek, and he taught me for years. So, by all standards if I wanted to ask Sheikh Hussein to work under me as Hezbollah’s central cultural official, it would be a difficult matter. It was hard for me, of course. It must have been hard for him too. This is a test. The test is when you accept to work under the command of your student whom you taught, guided and raised for years, who is newer than you and you can consider yourself more knowledgeable than him. 

For years he accepted my leadership in the Executive Council and worked as a central cultural official. He also did so later when I was the secretary general and he the head of the Islamic Resistance Support Authority [IRSA]. Not one moment did Sheikh Hussein, may God have mercy on him, obsess about personal stature and say, for example: how can my student be my superior?

I said, however, there are many in Hezbollah who have so far succeeded in this test either with me or with others. And I think this is the main and fundamental issue.

When we are sincere to Allah Almighty and put our personal considerations aside and when we offer what we do or say to Allah Almighty, He will bless our actions and words. He will guide us, teach us, repay us, defends us and make us victorious. It starts here. This is the main spirit.

The fourth point is his eagerness to preserve the cohesion of our march, its unity and harmony. This was already known. This is what we always need. He always sought to consolidate the party into one voice.

As I said, we always went through difficult and harsh conditions. Viewpoints might differ and contradict. Approaching a certain event, issue or battle with a certain political party may also differ. But despite the diversity of opinions, debates and discussions taking place amongst us, our march was always coherent and harmonious because of this spirit.

When we faced some difficulties that is when individuals are put to the real test. At some point, I faced a difficult situation like this. I bear witness that His Eminence Sheikh Hussein Kourani, may God have mercy on him, put his emotions and personal relations aside and was very eager to preserve the unity of this march, the resistance and this institution. He had decisive positions at this level. He lived his entire life until the last moment not allowing a difference in opinion or situation to be exploited and create a gap or disruption in our march or in our body. You’ve heard his words in his books and speeches and even in prayers.

The fifth point is His Eminence’s firm belief in Imam Khomeini, his path and thought. His strong attachment to the Imam, his thought and path was wonderous. When he evaluated positions, performances, behaviors, words or even the terminologies used by some of Hezbollah’s formations or officials, he tried to base all that on this faith, path and thought. Even I told him that he was now acting as a guard watching over this march. Since we are busy with details, procedures, politics, resistance, work, organization, formations and land, you are in a position to guide us and warn us. We accept advice and guidance. Indeed, from the start this was his position and commitment until in his last words and writings he expressed this firm faith in Imam Khomeini, his path and thought.

The sixth point is the orientation. His Eminence always paid attention to this since the beginning, but he was devoted to it in the past few years. He was the head of the cultural council for years. He was busy with it. He was also the head of IRSA for many years, also busy with procedural work. But in recent years, he has devoted himself fully to writing and education, to educational work, to faith and moral education. And of course, we always needed this. His Eminence [may Allah have mercy on him] filled a big gap in our arena. And now with his loss, this gap returns. We ask Allah to fill it with dear, honorable and loyal brothers. We need this education on faith and morality in times of distress to learn patience and trust. However, we need it more in prosperity. If there is prosperity, there is relative prosperity. We need it in times of challenges and times of distress, siege and difficulties. We also need it during victories and achievements. We need this spiritual and moral education, self-discipline. This is what His Eminence worked on over the past few years and dedicated all his time, effort and the rest of his life to.

I will end it here at the last point. His Eminence did not hesitate to offer anything, including his soul, blood, life, health, effort and Jihad for Islam, the Ummah [nation], and the causes we are fighting for. He didn't hesitate at all. He was always present, contributing, advocating and helping. He held to his position in general matters strongly and firmly. He did not hesitate in anything. On the issue of the US, he was ahead of everybody. Even when he was on his sickbed, he sent me two books he had worked on in the past. He asserted that we must work on the project of boycott American goods. This is one form of Jihad and confrontation with this Great Satan. He was vocal when it came to “Israel”, the resistance, the Palestinian cause, the aggression against Yemen. Of course, he did not deliver addresses like me on television, but in all the meetings he was vocal in this regard. In all that is happening in the region, he was always present. And until the last moment, he did not hesitate. His Eminence gave everything he could give to this march. He was present. He gave without expecting anything in return. He did it for the sake of Allah.

May Allah have mercy on him. Indeed, we are feeling this loss. Anyway, this is Allah Almighty’s rule, and we have grown accustomed to this. In the end, our march has endured for generations. The generation before us as well as our generation. We have grown old and grey. There are those of us who were killed, and others die. This is God’s rule. We submit to it.

I’ll talk about some of the current issues, of course very briefly. There is only one subject that will take a little bit of time.

Yesterday during a press conference, His Excellency the Minister of Defense displayed the two drones, the good one and the destroyed one. He presented important and detailed data about the recent “Israeli” aggression on Beirut’s southern suburbs [Dahiyeh]. Here, we are interested in two things. The first is consolidating the equations. We rejected any new equations, any new rules of engagement. The Islamic Resistance's response established this equation and we will remain committed to this equation. The second is affirming our right to confront the “Israeli” drones. One of these drones was shot down. But it does not end here. This is the beginning of a path. As we have said on more than one occasion, we will continue to do so. It is subject to the developments and conditions on the battlefield as well as the interests.

In any case, the decision to confront the drones has had a clear impact on the number and the size of drones. “Israeli” violations of Lebanese airspace are on the decline. Later on, we will present before and after figures regarding this direction. Today, however, I would like to emphasize that we are moving along this path, which depends on the battlefield.

The second point, regarding the collaborators and the file of the Lebanese who fled to the Zionist entity in 2000. Here, I want to elaborate a little. In the past few days, one of the collaborators who was in charge of the Khiam Detention Center was arrested. A lot of talk spread in the country, and all of you have followed it. There is no need for me to give details. But I would like to assess the situation and talk about the solution.

The calls of the detainees, who were detained in Khiam or in “Israeli” prisons, their families and the Lebanese public are natural and sincere. This painful, condemning and angry cry is a natural reaction. No one should be sensitive to this reaction. On the contrary, they must understand and accept the matter. In any case, this was very useful and important. Not only was the collaborator arrested. The incident also warned of a dangerous and deviated path. This way of addressing the issue of the collaborators should be stopped. I would like to talk about more specific things regarding this matter.

The first point concerns the collaborators who worked for the “Israeli” enemy until 2000. Now, we are talking about those who escaped. Some of them joined the Lahad army. Others worked in the security apparatus of this army. Some worked in the civil administrations and dealt with the “Israelis”. They were soldiers, servants, employees and workers for the “Israelis”. They are collaborators and must be prosecuted. The severity of the crime will later be classified whether this agent killed, tortured, kidnapped, arrested, imprisoned, raped, looted, raided and inflicted physical or moral harm upon people or did he guard a certain position? They are collaborators. All are partners from a legal point of view, not just from a religious point of view. They are all agents and should be punished. Yes, the punishment depends on the crime committed. It becomes a legal discussion. When a collaborator was a perpetrator, a criminal, a murderer, a rapist, a kidnapper or wreaking havoc on the ground, his punishment must certainly be different, tougher and more severe.

Prosecuting the collaborators is one of the constant principles. I do not think that there is anyone in Lebanon – a supporter of the resistance or belongs to the resistance factions – at the very least who have bargained on this principle or engaged in a buy and sell policy. Never! At the very least, everyone having connections to the resistance, the resistance factions and the resistance parties, as well as others, have not compromised on this principle.

The second point is related to the families of the collaborators. When some collaborators fled in 2000, their families including wives, children, parents or siblings fled with them. Since 2000 that is before the understanding between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement, all the resistance movements, including Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, as well as the national and Islamic parties agreed to approach this matter in a certain way.

On that day, it was said that those who fled to “Israel” were forcibly deported. Let us correct this terminology. There is nothing called forcibly deported to “Israel”. No one forcibly deported them. There are people who fled, and there are those who remained. No one approached the people who remained in their villages. Those who were not collaborators were not approached. There are people who left the south and went to other Lebanese areas. No one went after them. And no one opened their files. There are people who fled. Thus, the term ‘forcibly deported’ is wrong. It is a wrong description. They fled to the “Israeli” entity. We have since said that our principle, our commitment, our religion and our Quran say: {And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another.}

 I would like to remind the Lebanese people about the resistance’s operations. The young men of the resistance faced dangers and difficulties. You remember the operation to plant an explosive device for one of the leaders of the collaborators, Aql Hashem. He was a criminal and corrupt. This video of the operation still exists. And if they like, we can show it again. The men did not go through with the operation when the collaborator was standing on the device because his wife and family were by his side. The men had a course of action which entailed that we kill the collaborator and the traitor who fights with the enemy on the battlefield. But we have no business with his wife, children, daughters, mother and father. At least, we have not prepared a file that would confirm whether they were collaborators or not. But we were sure he was a collaborator. He was the leader of the collaborators. So, they postponed the operation for another time. And when he was alone with soldiers, they blew them up.

I want to remind everyone of the history of the resistance, the resistance in Lebanon in 2000. When we recall this issue, we are not asking anyone for gratitude because some people are quick to accuse us of wanting gratitude from them. We are not asking anyone for their gratitude. These are our ethics. This is our culture. This is our religion. This is our Quran. This is our Prophet. This is our national and moral commitment.

Look what the French Resistance did. It is known. I will just remind you. They killed thousands. They did not even set up trials. They caught them, killed and slaughtered them, knowing that there was a state in exile. They did not arrest them and wait until the state returns and establishes judicial bodies to try them. Thousands were killed. I read in some research books that more than 10,000 French soldiers were charged with working for the Nazi army. They were killed without trials. The French resistance carried out actions in the field and killed them.

I always said the resistance in 2000 did not kill a chicken. The people who surrendered, we handed them over to the Lebanese army and the Lebanese judiciary. Regardless how the judiciary addressed this matter later. This is a point of reproach alone. There are people who fled and made the decision to escape. We have nothing on those people. And when we were asked, we always replied: We do not have a problem with them returning. But after they stayed and lived in occupied Palestine and with the enemy for weeks, months and years, when they come back, they should hand themselves in to the Lebanese army intelligence to be investigated for one hour, two hours, one day, two days. Then they are in the custody of the army, who will make sure that when they were in “Israel” they did not become agents or were recruited and sent back to Lebanon as agents. This is standard procedure.

Now in 2019, we say the same thing. In the context of the discussion that took place, some tried to raise this issue. What is the position of this issue with regard to the understanding between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement?   We were clear. We said we would welcome their return but within the legal mechanisms. That is why a draft law was subsequently submitted to Parliament. A breakdown between the two was conducted on the basis of operational mechanisms.

No one is saying open the borders and the crossings and let all those who fled to “Israel” return to Lebanon without any questions or accountability. This is wrong. At the security level, it is wrong. Legally it is wrong. At the cultural level, it is wrong. And at the national level, it is wrong.

Yes, we are saying there are legal mechanisms. People who were not involved in collaborating [with the “Israelis”] are welcome to surrender. There are a lot of people and families who returned.  Sons and daughters of agents returned and surrendered themselves to the army intelligence. They were investigated and cleared on collaboration. Thus, this issue is clear. Regarding this dossier, I would like to shed light on two points briefly.

The first point was revealed by the recent incident. It needs to be addressed. It is the issue of the charges being dropped after the statute of limitations expires. More than 10 years have passed since this collaborator was sentenced. So, his sentence was dropped. In any case, there is good in what happened. When this agent came, there was commotion and the issue became clear. His arrival shed light on this side, which we may not have been paying attention to. This needs to be addressed. There is already a real discussion regarding these kinds of crimes. This person was the warden of Khiam [detention center] who killed, tortured, violated, etc. We try him in absentia! You sentence him to 15 years! A weak sentencing in absentia! Then the charges against him are dropped because the statute of limitations expired! In any case, there is a legal problem regarding this issue. We agreed to talk to the rest of the parliamentary blocs, study this issue and legally address this file. The types of the sentences and the crimes should be specified. This is not right, neither subjectively nor objectively, by all considerations. You cannot convince the Lebanese people, the detainees, the families of the martyrs who were tortured, raped and severely harmed to be calm. You cannot convince them to accept the idea that the law sentenced the person who committed crimes in the Khiam detention center in absentia and the charges were dropped due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. This is not right. In any case, this point should be addressed.

I would like to add something regarding the atmosphere in social media. This requires attention.

There are many on social media who post pictures that we do not know. But are those their pictures? They put names, but are these their names? When something happens, there is always someone who tears up everything in the country. We always face incidents like this.

I will give an example that should be remembered but not repeated. A few months ago, a power ship arrived in Zahrani. Some people spread rumors about Hezbollah, Amal and the ship. Neither the leadership of Amal nor the Hezbollah leadership had anything to do with what happened. These people provoked one side against the other, then people clashed with each other. The easiest thing to do is inflame a problem on social media. Then people will fight each other.

Back in the day, when political forces wanted to deliver an address or issue a statement, they would sit and discuss what points or words to write on a piece of paper in order to avoid causing problems between them and their popular base.

Nowadays, one takes to social media and throws out a provocative sentence. Then you find people exchanging positions and responses and dragging the country into a problem.

I would like to reiterate the call to the supporters of the resistance and to all the Lebanese people. You should be cautious and pay attention. We should keep stones on top of stones in every matter. Unfortunately, no stone stays on top of another.

Of course, there is a part of it that aims to target. It is not that there is someone who wants to toy with people. No, part of it is aimed at targeting.

For example, in an incident of this kind, even if there is a certain mistake made by the Lebanese army, this mistake must be addressed within its borders. In the end, the relationship with the army leadership is excellent. People should sit and talk with each other. No one is infallible. If there are any mistakes, they should be addressed within the established mechanisms.

However, when someone interferes and turns this incident into some kind of problem between the Lebanese army and the supporters of the resistance, the resistance forces and not only Hezbollah is wrong. Who does this serve? This serves the “Israelis”. This serves the Americans and the American policy in the country. There is no need to go into detail now.

For decades we have been talking about the golden equation: the army, the people, the resistance. Suddenly faced with a certain event, we find the people are becoming divided. And we find someone who wants to drive a wedge. A conflict between the resistance and the army and the supporters of the resistance and supporters of this army serves who?

Therefore, people should be alert, especially young men and women on social media. They must be alert and remain immune, strong and firm. They should not provoke and be provoked. Awareness should rule over emotions and feelings of provocation.

There are also attempts to hot the alliances. Sometimes it through false information and incorrect data.

This person wants to target the alliance between Amal and Hezbollah. That person wants to strike Hezbollah-Free Patriotic Movement alliance. That person wants to strike a certain alliance. We should be cautious of this, especially our brothers and sisters.

The third point is assisting in the return of the displaced Syrians. I would like to add something new today concerning al-Qusayr area and its villages, the Qusayr area in general.

Due to military conditions, the return to this area was delayed. The displaced are returning normally in other areas. A few months ago during the summer and based on the decision of the Syrian leadership as well as the desire and insistence of the residents of al-Qusayr who have been living there for the past few years – the residents of al-Qusayr, Lebanese and Syrian, who were part of the battle – there was communication with us. Arrangements were made for people to return. We arranged our situation in Qusayr and its villages in proportion to the complete return of the townspeople and the villagers. There was no problem at all.

The procedures have started a while ago by the Syrian government inside Syria. Today I want to announce to the residents of al-Qusayr who are in Lebanon that we will not hassle them and ask them to register at Hezbollah’s displaced file, which in turn we give to the General Security. Register with the Lebanese General Security which will, God willing, provide facilities according to the adopted mechanisms with the Syrian government. As of today, this door is open, and coordination is ongoing with the Syrian government inside Syria. Work has begun on regarding this matter. There are families that have returned to Qusayr and some villages. With regards to Lebanon, you can start registering names and steps to secure this return according to the adopted mechanisms between the Lebanese General Security and the concerned authorities in Syria.

In this context, I would like to point out that during the past years, a lot of lies have been said about demographic changes in Syria, especially along the border areas. Hezbollah and the government in Syria have been accused of being complicit and conspiring to create a demographic change! Where? On the Lebanese-Syrian border with the Bekaa, at least in Zabadani, Qalamoun and Qusayr areas.

In any case, today I would like to take advantage of this incident to recall what I said a while ago. Let them head to Zabadani area – the city of Zabadani, its towns and villages – and take a walk. They will find it prospering, especially during the summer. Let them go to Qalamoun and see if there is demographic change. Is there demographic change? Let us say 10 houses w`ere built or five houses were built. Is the demographic change? There is nothing. 

All these are false slogans that were trying to give the conflict a sectarian dimension other than its real dimension that emerged and is being revealed and confirmed every day. Same thing in Qusayr. The residents of Qusayr are returning. There is no demographic change.

There are tens of thousands, more than 25,000 Lebanese who have been living in these villages and towns for more than a hundred years before the crisis took place. Many of them remained during the crisis and are now there.

Hence, let us close this door by calling on the return of the residents of al-Qusayr to their homes respectfully and free. There is no problem at all. Let us end all these constant accusations and false allegations regarding demographic change in border areas.

Regarding this file, I tell the general security and the returning people of al-Qusayr, if there is anything required of Hezbollah, any assistance, any contribution or any service – considering that we have a presence there and relationship – God willing, we will be ready and in service. We will not hesitate.

The fourth point is a brief talk regarding the “Israeli” elections. You saw how Netanyahu forced on “Israel” another election just to remain prime minister. He forced the usurper entity to hold a second parliamentary election after months. And he held it. During these months, he did everything he could. He launched an aggression against Iraq, the Hashd Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Units]. He escalated his aggression against Syria. He intensified his rhetoric against Iran, the attacks on Gaza and the West bank as well as the suffering of the Palestinian prisoners.

He also announced his intention to annex settlements in the West Bank and perhaps all of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley. He attempted to change the equations in Lebanon and the aggression on Lebanon, which almost dragged the region into a major confrontation.

He gambled with everything in order to remain prime minister.  He even subjected his people to danger in order to remain prime minister.

The American assistance provided to him was not given to any former prime minister in previous elections as I recall. This assistance includes the annexation of al-Quds, the Deal of the Century, the annexation of the Golan and Trump’s absolute support for Netanyahu. There is also Western support. Despite this support, he failed to secure a majority in the elections that would enable him to form a new “Israeli” government. This also failed.

What I would like to point out is the following:

In the face of the current scene, we can understand the crisis within the leadership of the enemy entity. The “Israeli” entity has never gone through a crisis like this before. There is a loss of confidence in the political leadership. This dispersion in the distribution of the number of deputies. Usually there used to be two or three parties. Now there is a large number of parties sharing seats. There is even a vertical divide in the enemy’s society despite sharing many common interests.

This, of course, is an indication of the weakness and imbalance in the structure of this entity, which is beginning to age. This is a normal matter, and we must read it on this basis.

The other point is that when we are following the “Israeli” elections, we are not interested in Netanyahu or Gantz or who will win. No one should be deceived by this issue, right, left or center. The “Israeli” aggression, “Israeli” ambitions, “Israeli” terrorism, the security of the region, targeting the people and states of the region, usurping the rights of the Palestinians, oppressing the Palestinians are all one whether it was right, left, or center.

There is no difference. One does not see much difference. Even when we go back in time, there were wars and massacres committed by the Zionist entity under the right-wing governments. And there are also wars and massacres the Zionist entity committed under the left-wing governments. What is the difference between Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin and Sharon, Shamir, Ben-Gurion, Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and Gantz? They are all the same.

Therefore, we follow this matter because there are benefits in doing so. But this has no value during bets. This Zionist project, the enemy’s government, these ambitions, these objectives, this aggression and this terrorism are one. It does not matter what kind of government comes next. That is if a government was even formed and they did not head into a third election due to their political crisis.

The last point is what happened in the region a few days ago. It is the targeting of Aramco facilities by the Yemeni army and Yemen’s Popular Committees, which was claimed by the official spokesman and explained and clarified and so on.

I will not talk too long about this subject. I will speak briefly. There is no doubt that the event was very important. It shook the region and left significant repercussions on the world. It also had international repercussions. I want to make a few points regarding this matter.

The first point: Unfortunately, it turns out that oil is more precious than blood, to international public opinion, the media, the political and governmental interests or even the United Nations. Of course, this is not new. We have previously said this and so have others in the past. And I want to add to what the others said. Oil is more precious than blood. According to my knowledge, no one was killed in these facilities. The media did not report any casualties. There were only material losses. The oil and iron facilities caught fire and burnt. Condemnations were issued. If you take the war on Yemen, for example, it has been going on for almost five years. There have been daily bombings of Yemeni civilians by the Saudi-Emirati coalition fighter jets for the past four years and several months. Their mosques, schools, hospitals, homes and markets were bombed. Their women and children killed. All these are documented on television and do not need more documentation. But there was no one to condemn this. This matter did not shake the region, the world, the United Nations, the US administration or the European countries. To them this is a normal thing. Like yesterday, a young Palestinian woman was killed in cold blood at the Qalandia crossing in occupied Palestine. The incident was also regarded as normal as if nothing happened. People in the Arab world did not hassle themselves to condemn it or denounce it. It was not even mentioned in the news because this is not oil. It is only blood.

This is the first point. It is in fact a condemnation. Who wants to show solidarity is free, in Lebanon and elsewhere. But we also ask him to show solidarity with the body parts and blood of the Yemeni children and women as well as the sick, the besieged, the thirsty, the hungry, the oppressed, the dead and the displaced people in Yemen. Let him show solidarity with them. Let it balance and equate between blood and oil at least. In any case, it is an unjust equality.

But this world is like this. This is the world of power, the world of money and the world of economy. Man, his blood, dignity, rights and future are not included in the list. Should they exist, they would be at the bottom of the list.

The second point that I want to make is that usually when I speak about Yemen, I am very cruel to Al-Saud and the Saudi regime. Now, I will not be cruel. I will advise them. It is not a news advice. But it is related to the incident.

Now, Saudi Arabia’s sole concern is how to protect its oil facilities. So, it started thinking of buying air defense systems from the Americans even though it already has air defenses and Patriot missiles in place. It also considered buying air defense systems from South Korea or buying what President Putin offered them – to buy the S-300 and be as wise as the Iranians or buy the S-400 and be like the Turks. Putin said this. This is not easy for the Saudis. We are talking about a very large country. When confronting drones that have the ability to maneuver, you can line up your defense systems and missiles in one direction. But the drones would attack from another direction or side. They can also come from behind you. But there are also missiles that have the ability to maneuver. So, what will you do? Are you going to buy air defense systems for the entire Saudi airspace? How much money will it pay? It will be very expensive and will not be feasible.

The least costly option for Saudi Arabia when it comes to protecting its oil facilities, infrastructure and so on, as well as for the UAE, since the official spokesman was also threatening the UAE. Now, Saudi Arabia can withstand several strikes. But how much can the UAE bear?

The advice is for both of them. The least costly option is ending the war. That is the least costly. Ending the war on the Yemeni people will protect the facilities and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. Why is it less costly? Because you would not have to buy new air defense systems. It will also save Saudi Arabia the cost of its daily war on Yemen. It is also better and more dignified for you than to be humiliated by the Americans. Do you know what we are facing now? Pardon me, but we are facing a new milking operation.

Now Trump is sitting with his legs folded and not at all upset. He is talking right, left and center about war and peace. On the one hand, he says I will wage a war. Then, you will bear responsibility. After that I can’t protect you anymore. Then, I did not commit to anything. And if you want me to help, you must pay. This is humiliation. Save yourself the humiliation. Save your money. You will also save yourselves, your infrastructure and your national security. This is the only equation. The only way to reach these objectives is to stop the unjust war on Yemen and the Yemeni people. Leave Yemen and the Yemeni people. Leave them sit, discuss, agree and reach a solution.

As for the rest of the attempts, getting help from the Americans, the British or the international alliance, will only lead to more destruction. You know that the opposite axis is strong, very strong.  What happened at the oil facilities is one of the indicators of the strength and of the courage of this axis. It is also an indication that those defending themselves in Yemen are prepared to go to great lengths to defend themselves.

If you want a lesson, this is a lesson. But inciting America and the West against Iran and waging a war against Iran will not work. You have to let this go. Trump was clear. Trump wants money. Trump doesn't want a war. Trump has elections. And whom are you betting on? You are betting on an administration that is a failure. God willing, later the brothers will prepare a study on the failure of the Trump administration and policies. The administration failed in Venezuela. The headlines were a military coup in Venezuela, war on Venezuela, punishing Venezuela, a civil war in Venezuela and sanctions on Venezuela. It has failed in Venezuela. It failed North Korea. It failed in subduing China in trade. It failed in Syria. It failed in Iraq. It failed in the Deal of the Century because this deal is a failure. Now there is a possibility that Netanyahu will lose. In any case, I don’t want to talk ahead of time.

Now, in our brother Dr. Zarif’s B team, the first B which is Bolton is gone. The second B, which is Benjamin Netanyahu, might also be gone. It failed in the Deal of the Century and with Iran. It failed to subdue Iran and to force it to surrender. Today, Trump is begging for a meeting with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Eminence Sheikh Hassan Rouhani. And you are betting on him.

I repeat and tell you. Iran is so powerful that all the noises, yelling, threats and accusations that you have made these days have not shaken one hair in the beard of any of the officials in Iran. All this does not scare them or frighten them because they are strong, united, coherent and they have mastered working within all the equations.

We do not want to attack you. The advice today is reconsider your position. Think carefully. War on Iran will destroy you. Continuing the war on Yemen is not the solution. It is an absurd war, and if you carry on with it, you will pay the price. This was one strike, and it halted half the Saudi oil production. The second strike would be deadly. This is the case. Your house is made of glass. Your economy is made of glass same as the glass cities in the UAE. Those who live in glass houses, have economies made of glass and cities made of glass should return to reason and end the war. It is less costly and more dignified for them. It is also merciful for the people and the vulnerable.

We have taken up your time. We tell our beloved brother and mentor His Eminence Sheikh Hussein Kourani [may Allah have mercy on him], Oh beloved brother we will carry your goals. We will preserve your will and commandments. We will remain on your path. We will fulfill all your hopes and dreams that you have spoken about in your writings. Your soul was present and will remain present with us. May Allah have mercy on you. May Allah put you together with the prophets, messengers, Imams, the righteous, the martyrs, your loved ones and your children who are martyrs of the resistance. Peace and mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you all.