Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech during the Leaders of Martyrdom and Insight Ceremony

Translated by Staff, Hezbollah Media Relations 

Speech of Hezbollah's Secretary General, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, during the ceremony of the Leaders of Martyrdom and Insight. The event marks the martyrdom anniversary of leaders Sayyed Abbas Al-Musawi, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, and Hajj Imad Mughniyah as well as the forty days since the martyrdom of the leaders of the resistance axis, Hajj Qassem Soleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis and their companions. The commemoration was organized by the party in Beirut, the Bekaa, and the first and second districts of the South.

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 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.

May peace and Allah's mercy and blessing be upon you all.

Allah Almighty says in his glorious book:

{Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.} (Quran, 33, 23) Allah Almighty has spoken the truth.

First of all, I welcome you, brothers and sisters, to this blessed gathering.

I welcome the honorable guests  in Al-Nabi Sheeth, the hometown of the master of the martyrs of the Islamic Resistance, Sayyed Abbas Al-Musawi, the dear martyr and Mujahida, Um Yasser, and their son, martyr Hussein.

I welcome the honorable participants in Jibsheet, the hometown of the sheikh of the martyrs of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Sheikh Ragheb Harb.

I welcome the participants in Tayr Debba, the hometown of the great martyred jihadi leader, Hajj Imad Mughniyeh. And here, in the Sayyed Shuhada (PBUH) complex in the southern suburbs of Beirut [Dahieh].

As usual, on this day we commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of these three leaders. In addition to our occasion today is the forty-day commemoration of the martyrdom of the two beloved and great leaders Hajj Qassem Soleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, or Jamal Jaafar, and the brothers who were martyred with them – the Iranian Mujahideen belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Quds Force and the Iraqi Mujahideen belonging to the Popular Mobilization Units, who had the honor of being martyred with these two great leaders at Baghdad Airport.

In my speech today, first I would like to briefly touch on some occasions that will be taking place in the coming days. Then, I will talk about the martyrs. Thirdly, I will talk about the region and the big new transformations taking place. And fourthly, I will delve into the internal and local situation that concerns all of us at this stage.

Regarding the occasions that will be taking place in the coming days, we congratulate everyone on the birth anniversary of our Lady Sayyeda Fatima Al-Zahra [bright and shining], al-Batoul [the chaste], the daughter of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family. Her father, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, said, “She is a part of my body. She is my heart and soul and what is between them. She is the mistress of the women in the worlds and the mistress of the women in Paradise."

Secondly, we also congratulate His Eminence, Imam Sayyid Khamenei, all officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the dear Iranian people as well as the spirit of our Imam Khomeini, the creator of victory and the souls of the great martyrs on the forty-first anniversary of the victory of the blessed Islamic Revolution in Iran. Since its victory, this revolution has been resisting and enduring all the assassinations, sanctions, blockades as well as the media, psychological and economic warfare. This was made possible by God Almighty and the presence of the faithful, Mujahid and people sacrificing in all fields, before all challenges and at all stages.

The Iranian people reaffirmed that perseverance during two occasions. The first was the historic funeral procession of martyrs Hajj Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis as well as the other martyrs. The second was the protest marking the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution on February 11.

All this delivers a very strong message to both friend and foe. The foe was betting on the collapse of the Islamic Republic’s regime from within, the failure of the revolution and hoping to celebrate New Year's in Tehran. Here, I am recalling the words of John Bolton. This message is directed to the enemy for it to feel despair. It is also a message for all the friends, including the oppressed, those who are resisting and the Mujahideen in our region and all over the world. It is for them to know that they are relying on a solid, strong and towering castle. And the more days pass and the greater the risks and challenges, the strength, the steadfastness and loftiness of this castle increases.

Thirdly, we also congratulate – all these occasions fall in February –the dear and oppressed Bahraini people on the ninth anniversary of their blessed popular uprising which was led by their honest and loyal scholars with His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassem at the forefront.

The oppressed people of Bahrain took to the streets to demand their natural rights through peaceful means. They paid enormous sacrifices in the form of martyrs and thousands of detainees, including religious scholars, symbols and young men. In addition to demanding their natural rights, today they are fighting to restore Bahrain to its natural position in the Ummah after its corrupt and tyrannical rulers turned it into a base for normalization with the Zionist enemy against the Palestinian cause and the sanctities of the nation. I extend all my salutations, prayers, support and backing to this dear, steadfast and oppressed people that remain on their path with determination and persistence on the anniversary of their uprising.

Dear brothers and sisters, let’s return to the topic of our martyred leaders. I always spoke about the common attributes the three leaders shared. Today, the martyred commanders Hajj Qassem Soleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis join these martyred leaders. And once again, these common traits among Sheikh Ragheb, Sayyed Abbas, Hajj Imad, Hajj Qassem and Hajj Abu Mahdi Jamal reemerge. These qualities are faith, strong commitment to human, religious and moral values, loyalty and honesty, love of people and concern for them, extreme humility, great courage, and shouldering responsibility.

Many people live their personal lives with their families and children. They enjoy life and spend all their lives worrying about their homes and families. But they are not concerned about the suffering of their people, country and the oppressed.

These martyred leaders were characterized by shouldering that responsibility since their youth. They were always prepared to make limitless sacrifices and face dangers. They were always fighting back bullets, spears and arrows. However, they always put their trust in Allah, pinned their hopes on the future and carried on with their jihad, work, creativity, achievements and victories. From an early age, they were fond of martyrdom and pursued meeting God Almighty. These leaders all attained the honor of martyrdom on the path of Allah Almighty and were killed by the killers of the prophets and the enemies of religious and human values as well as the enemies of the heavenly religions and humanity in this era – the Americans and the Zionists. Another thing they had in common was that they had a great impact on the nation throughout their lives and after their martyrdom.

These are some of the traits of these martyrs, whose memories we are celebrating today. This is not meant to be a complement, but our great and dear sister, Umm Yasser, also shared these qualities, given the nature of her role.

The blessed lives of these martyrs, the events that took place during their lives, what we heard them say and the actions, deeds, achievements and victories the did are all testimony to these common traits they shared.

When you read Hajj Qassem Soleimani’s will that was published a few days ago – and I recommend those who did not read it to do so – you find that you are in front of a knowledgeable and passionate man who lived all the moments of his life for God, yearned to meet Him and hoped for His closeness. He worked hard for that moment and that day. You also find yourself in front of a leader and a fighter, who was concerned for Islam, his country, his people and his nation. He guided them to the elements of strength and the dangers of the road with loyalty, humility and awareness.
It is the same when we listen to what was published from the recorded will of Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the rest of the martyred leaders, Sheikh Ragheb, Sayyed Abbas and Hajj Imad.

The martyred leaders in the resistance march gave us – the ones who are still alive, our present and future generations, our supporters, our people and our nation – a role model, the example and symbols. The resistance is not about speeches, slogans or words. It is not detached from reality. These leaders embodied as did their lives and martyrdom all human, religious, faith, moral and jihadist values. They were embodied before our eyes and the eyes of the people. They were a vibrant and living school that was easy to take as a role model because we are not talking about a perfect world in heaven, rather the men of God who we lived with up close and witnessed their jihad, patience, endurance, honesty, loyalty and martyrdom.

It is these qualities, brothers and sisters, that really explain to us the secret of the heartfelt and emotional relationship between people and these martyred leaders.

We all took part, each in our own areas, in the funeral processions of martyr Sheikh Ragheb and martyr Sayyed Abbas in Baalbek and the Bekaa. The people braved the rain and the snow. We also saw the funeral procession of martyr Hajj Imad. People were all carrying umbrellas and braving the rain. Yesterday, we also saw hundreds of thousands of people take part in the funeral processions of martyrs in Baghdad, Kadhimiya, Karbala, Najaf, and later in Basra. Likewise, millions in Iran took part in the processions. This is not a political procession. The people did not only take to the streets to express a political position.

I said this previously and will repeat. People took to the streets in their millions in Ahwaz, Mashhad, Qom, Tehran and Kerman to take part in the funeral processions of the martyrs. They took to the streets after dawn prayers and remained until after sunset. That is people were out before sunrise and remained until after sunset. Millions of people were waiting for long hours in the extreme cold. And they were bereaved and crying. They all got choked up. Where did all this love come from? They did not know Hajj Qassem Soleimani. He was not a deputy in their cities or a minister who visited their provinces. Some might even saw his picture in recent years.

Where did all this love and passion for him come from? Where did the people from different parts of the world, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bahrain find this love for him? All this love is because they were the men of God and the friends of God. They were the best among God’s friends. They sold their souls, lives and youth for the sake of Allah Almighty. Thus, God put love and affection for them in the hearts of the people. This is a promise mentioned in the Quran. In this world, God valued them greatly through their jihad and martyrdom. In the afterlife, God will also value them greatly the way he promised the mujahideen and the martyrs. With each one of their martyrdom, we advanced from one stage to another more developed and emerged greater and stronger. These are among the blessings of their pure blood and great devotion.

In the early days of the resistance, the blood of Sheikh Ragheb Harb introduced us to a new stage that was different from the stage before his martyrdom. Sayyed Abbas’s martyrdom also introduced us to a new stage different from the one before his martyrdom. The martyrdom of Umm Yasser and her son Hussein also had a special meaning. This was a family of martyrs who made sacrifices. The martyrdom of Hajj Imad also introduced us to a new stage different from the previous one. I explained this concept in some previous addresses, and I will not repeat because we have many things to talk about.

Also today, the martyrdom of the two leaders, Hajj Qassem Soleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, introduced the resistance not only in Lebanon and Palestine, but also in the whole region as well as the axis of resistance and the Islamic Republic of Iran to a new, sensitive and very crucial stage.

During previous stages, the resistance fighters and their supporters preserved the blood and commandments of Sheikh Ragheb, Sayyed Abbas and Hajj Imad. There was development in every stage. There was a great qualitative and quantitative development. The resistance and the people of the resistance were fit for this development and are capable of shouldering the responsibility and developing further. Today, the axis of resistance and its supporters are in front of a new challenge regarding this great development that took place in our region.

I move to the third part of the speech which focuses on a new stage on the regional level.

Dear brothers and sisters, in the past few weeks, the Trump administration committed two grave crimes, in addition to many others, against our region. The first was the assassination of Hajj Qassem Soleimani, Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the brothers with them on the road to Baghdad Airport a few weeks ago. It was a clear assassination committed publicly and was officially claimed. And if you notice from the day of the assassination until today, whenever Trump spoke publicly, he mentions the assassination of Hajj Qassem Soleimani. Why? We will analyze this another time. The second crime is Trump’s announcement of the so-called "deal of the century". The first crime serves the second. And both crimes serve the American and Zionist projects of hegemony, tyranny and authoritarianism over our country, resources and sanctities.

We talked about the first crime in the past weeks, we will return to it in the context. As for the second crime, the so-called "deal of the century", we will discuss it a little.

In form, it is not a deal. The description is wrong because it is one-sided. There was no consultations, no dialogue, no negotiations, or agreements with the other side which should have at least include the Palestinians. Instead, there were dictates. The Palestinians said they did not know what was even written before Trump announced it at a press conference in his ‘black house’. Hence, it is not a deal. It is Trump's plan to put an end to the Palestinian cause. And if we want to describe it accurately, it is an “Israeli” plan to put an end to the Palestinian cause that was adopted by Trump. This is what the “Israelis” have been proposing along the course of the negotiations.

In substance, it is a complete and utter humiliation and aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause as well as Palestinian and Arab rights in the region. It involved the Golan Heights and matters related to Lebanon as well. It included al-Quds, the Palestinian state, lands, divided areas, sovereignty, the borders, the sea, the sky, the refugees. You heard a lot about it, so there is no need for me to elaborate.

In the end, he offered them a distorted and an uninhabitable state. Some media outlets that I saw took Trump’s map of the state of Palestine and did something beautiful with it. They took it separately from the rest of Palestine and made a map of this supposed country. Then they took this map and showed to people on the streets and in universities. Then they asked them what the picture suggested to them. No one thought that it was a map of a state. What people on this earth would accept to live in a state like this!

In any case, this crime was committed in the White House a few days ago. Will this plan be successful? It depends on the positions that would be taken. America is not an inevitable destiny. The previous US administrations have always offered plans and projects that failed. When did they fail? When the peoples or the countries concerned decided to reject and resist them. These people and countries triumphed and caused the failure of these plans, these deals and these projects.

Today, the most important position regarding Trump’s plan is that of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people, factions and forces as well as the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization unanimously expressed a decisive position. They boycotted and rejected the plan. This was expected and a natural response. They may disagree among themselves about what is acceptable – there are those who are committed to historical Palestine from the sea to the river and those who accept the 1967 Palestine. But you will not find a single Palestinian who accepts a plan that gives al-Quds as well as the Islamic and Christian sanctities to the Zionists. It is impossible. There is no Palestinian group, force, faction, or class that will accept.  This is the cornerstone in confronting Trump's plan.

Of course, we have all followed up on the positions that were issued during the past few days after Trump's announcement of his plan. I will only talk about the main points. There was the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Arab countries in Cairo, the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in Amman, the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (formerly the Organization of the Islamic Conference) in Jeddah and the Parliamentarians for Al-Quds Conference in Malaysia. There were the positions of the Russians, Chinese, European Union, the UN and even the Democrats in the US House and Senate. All these positions, in addition to the positions many countries have unilaterally did not support Trump's plan. They either strongly rejected it or emphasized on the principles of international law and previous projects.

But so far, there is clearly no influential country with a decisive stance supporting Trump's plan as he presented it. There is only Trump and Netanyahu who agree on this plan. This can be taken advantage of in confronting Trump’s plan. I will get back to this later.

In Lebanon, the Lebanese consensus in rejecting this plan must be praised. There was official Lebanese consensus, the President, the Speaker of the Parliament, the Prime Minister, our institutions, the official institutions in Lebanon, the Lebanese forces and parties, the popular position all rejected this deal. Thank God there is something people unanimously agree on in Lebanon, and this certainly is due to the Lebanese awareness. They are aware, as the Palestinians are, about the dangers of this plan on the region and on Lebanon. This plan directly affects Lebanon in several ways:

a.    The plan urged and gave the Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shuba Hills as well as the Lebanese part of the Ghajar town to the usurping entity, the “Israeli” enemy, because in practice, it considered that all the Golan Heights had become part of the usurped land of the State of “Israel”.

b.    The dangers of resettlement: Practically speaking, there is no such thing mentioned as the right of refugees and the right of return of refugees. The strong alternative is to resettle them in the countries of their residence as they say.

c.    This plan, which absolutely puts the interests of “Israel” above all, will rule over any American endeavor in the matter of demarcating land and sea borders with occupied Palestine. This will impact the issue of extracting oil and gas in regional waters. Of course, regarding the issue of resettlement, there is a lot of talk, fears and reassurances in Lebanon about this matter. But what is reassuring is the preamble of the constitution, the national Lebanese consensus in rejecting resettlement [or naturalization], and the Palestinian rejection of resettlement. The Palestinian factions and Palestinian forces in Lebanon also reject the idea of resettlement. But let us be realistic, if there are people in Lebanon talking about fears and concerns regarding resettlement, we have to respect these fears and concerns. Why? Because the positions today reject the plan. But what is the guarantee that these positions will remain the same in the future?

In a year, two, five or even ten, God knows, some transformation might take place in the Arab or Gulf position. Someone might say that there is a hard financial and economic situation, the country is collapsing, and everything will be lost. So, let us accept this financial aid and forget about the Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shuba Hills. Let us be tolerant about the land and maritime border demarcation. Let us accept to resettle thousands of Palestinians to serve Trump’s plan. Can anyone assure us that during times like this we will not find people who will act in this way?

Let us not get angry with each other and other Lebanese people. Although the constitution first and foremost refusal to accept resettlement and there is national consensus etc., fears and concerns regarding resettlement as well as the Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shuba Hills and the demarcation of the land and sea borders must be respected.

Likewise, when it comes to the Arab and the international positions. Earlier, I commended the statements issued by the Arab foreign ministers, the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, etc. However, where does the fear lie? The fear lies when Trump follows the footsteps of previous US governments and attempts to divide this unanimous rejection. For example, some Gulf states have already stared. Even though do not dare support Trump’s plan, yet they say it can be considered. Let us wait and hope. This is how weakness, defeat, and surrender begin. This situation might happen. Politics is the art of possible.

If we were to accept this policy, the “Israeli” occupation forces would be today in the south, in the Western Bekaa, in Saida, in Beirut, along the coastline, and in the suburbs of Beirut. “Israel” would occupy all of Lebanon. But because there is no choice except for the choice of Ragheb Harb, Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi, Imad Mughniyeh, and the rest of the martyrs from the rest of the resistance movements. His Eminence, Imam Sayyed Musa al-Sadr, may God bring him and his companions back, paved the way for this choice in Lebanon. If it wasn’t for this choice, the whole country would have been occupied. But we took this choice, and we are where we are now because of it.

In any case, some might suggest that this plan is available and possible. I tell the Palestinians to accept what is offered to them and let them see what will happen. Hasn’t this already started in Arab and Gulf press?

It is not a condition that the Gulf states start directly. They first send some writers, some mercenaries, some who claim to be educated, and some elite. These people test the waters and pave the road for it. Yes, there is a fear that the Arab position, especially the Gulf position, as well as the positions of other countries might be divided.

Some might say that the ‘deal of the century’ or Trump’s deal was born dead. Thus, some might consider that since it was born dead, then it is over. No. it can be said that it was born dead. But it can also be said that there is a scheme. On the outside, it would seem that the world is rejecting it. But the one who came up with the idea has a project of hegemony and domination. He insists on reviving this plan and implementing it. He will do so by resorting to all the means, including causing divisions and discord, inciting sedition, destroying armies and societies, imposing economic and financial sanctions, intimidating, etc.

Therefore, we are facing a serious project and plan. It should be confronted with the same level of seriousness. This requires a wide and broad position and permanent action.

Taking all of Trump’s crimes including his plan, the assassination of the leaders Hajj Qassem Soleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis as well as his previous crimes, we find that this requires us to enter into a new stage. Brothers and sisters, this new stage requires from the people of the region to head to the main confrontation.

This latest development, this latest crime ... This is what I meant by every martyrdom takes us to a new stage. Today, we are facing a new and inevitable confrontation. Fleeing from it means to hide because the other side launched an attack. This means that you are not the one who struck first. It is the other side that is attacking first, killing, launching wars, assassinating, depriving rights, chasing people, punishing them and blockading them. I am saying this to all those that will say that Sayyed Nasrallah and Hezbollah are taking us to a confrontation with the US. We are not taking anyone into a confrontation with America. America is the one who is confronting all the peoples and governments of this region who still refuse to surrender. This is the correct way of saying it.

The US administration is the one imposing this confrontation on the ummah when it kills leaders publicly and brutally and when Trump confiscates Islamic and Christian holy sites, give al-Quds to the Zionists, liquidates the Palestinian cause, takes away the rights of the Lebanese people and the rights of the Syrians to the Golan, and imposes his conditions on the region. By doing the aforementioned, he is declaring war. He is crossing all red lines. He is shedding blood every day, not us.

As for us, we are still in reaction mode, a slow and late reaction. I call on the people of our region to embark on the main confrontation with the original, the head of the serpent, the source of corruption, and the symbol of tyranny, oppression, and arrogance represented by the consecutive US governments including the current one headed by Trump. Among all the previous governments, this is considered the most evil, most fanatic, most brutal, most aggressive, most arrogant and most corrupt administration on earth.

Listen to them addressing the world. Listen to the way Pompeo addressed the Europeans during the Munich conference yesterday or the day before. Listen to the US Defense Secretary address China. China is not a small country. It is a superpower. You can sense arrogance in his voice when he addressed China, imposed his conditions on it and laid the roadmap for it.

Never has there been in history an administration more arrogant, more tyrannical and more brutal than this administration. This administration insults its allies and the people giving it hundreds of billions of dollars on a daily basis and in every address. It knows no limits, no values, no respect for international laws, international society, and heavenly values. Nothing at all.

It only sees its interests and money. There is no other law. Frankly speaking, Trump is clearly and transparently exercising this type of leadership today in the world, even in his address today inside the United States. There has never been a model like this in the history of US politics – the insults, arrogance, and disregard for everything. So, we are facing a challenge – a diverse US aggression, including wars, assassinations, dictation, deals and plans to liquidate the central issue.

It is the one imposing [the choice of resistance] on the people of our region. If they want to defend their dignity, pride, presence, holy sites, oil, gas, natural resources, freedom, and future and to prevent the confiscation of the aforementioned by America and “Israel”, they have no choice but full-on, popular resistance. I am not talking only about armed resistance. Armed resistance is one form of resistance. They have to resist with all its dimensions – cultural, media, political, economic, and judicial, and all forms of resistance that can be used by people.

In this battle, brothers and sisters, we have to be aware first and foremost. We should not impose options on our people. It is our responsibility to be conscious, aware, to know, and to call for truth, the clear truth. But people are fleeing from it. By doing so, they are fleeing their destinies. So, we need awareness. We want to convince people of the facts, the facts that are available and clear. We need not to fear America. We need to put our trust in God Almighty, in our ability and the ability of our nation.

This is what the martyred leaders wanted to teach us. We need hope for the future and to know that America and “Israel” are not an inevitable destiny. Let us take America in the past century as a quick example. Today, there are studies on social media and the internet regarding the direct and indirect wars that the US launched in the world. Dozens of wars, their names, their duration and the human casualties these wars caused are all documented. I do not want to talk about them. Rather I want to talk about our region. We have witnessed several examples. The following question is for every Lebanese, Arab, Muslim, Christian, and free person in our region. Are the US governments responsible for these wars or not? Let us discuss this subject. We do not want to dictate our convictions on anyone. I will give four quick examples.

1.    The existence of “Israel”, its installation, its support, its and protection in everything.

Two days ago, one international human rights organization, not affiliated to any Arab or Islamic state, decided to release statistics on companies operating in the West Bank, in “Israeli” settlements. It deemed this act as illegal and illegitimate. Yesterday, Pompeo lashed out at it – an international organization acting on the basis of international laws and resolutions by the UN and the Security Council. He attacked and threatened it. In addition, when the Palestinian Authority wanted to turn an “Israeli” war criminal over to the International Criminal Court, the US threatened it. It threatens it every day.

The US bears primary responsibility for all the wars as well as “Israel’s” wars and crimes in the region. It is “Israel’s” supporter, protector and financer. It provides it with weapons. It is responsible for all the wars in Lebanon. The Lebanese people should not forget 1948, 1978, 1982, 1993, 1996 Qana Massacre, 2006 war, and the constant threat on Lebanon. who killed our people and committed grave crimes in Lebanon? “Israel”, and America bears responsibility. Today the aggression against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the blockade, the hunger, the daily killings in the West Bank, and the displacement of millions of Palestinians abroad. Therefore, America is responsible for all of “Israel's” wars and practices, even from a legal and human rights standpoint.

2.    The war that was imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran in the eighties. For eight years, two countries were destroyed. There were hundreds of thousands of Iranian and Iraqi casualties. Entire cities were destroyed. The economies of the two countries were also destroyed. Who decided this war? Under whose protection? Who supported it? The US administration. It provided the weapons. It urged all the world to give Saddam Hussein weapons. It allowed Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries to give hundreds of billions of dollars. This is not an exaggeration. Saudi alone gave Saddam 200 billion dollars in eight years, and oil back then was not like in the past few years. When this war took place, [Donald] Rumsfeld, the former Secretary of Defense, personally gave chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein to kill the Kurds in the north and the Iranians.

3.    The war in Yemen, which is almost nearing the end of its fifth year. Who believes that this war with its gravity is taking place without American approval, American protection, and American logistical support. To begin with, why would Trump care? The war in Yemen is one of the most important weapons markets for selling planes, missiles, shells, and tanks. What is he looking for? Is he after morals and values or money, dollars, and markets for weapons?

4.    And finally, Daesh [ISIS]. I will not talk about all the terrorist groups, and I don’t want to open files from Afghanistan until now. I will just talk about Daesh which committed grave massacres in Iraq and threatened its fate. There is no need to repeat. You all know what it did. It also committed grave atrocities in Syria. Do not forget that Daesh alone was able to seize control of more than 50% of the areas in Syria. More than 50% of the areas in Syria was captured by Daesh. Entire provinces in Syria and Iraq were captured by Daesh. It committed horrible massacres, raped women, captured them, etc. Is there a need to talk about the atrocities of Daesh?

In Lebanon, there are those who stopped them at the border, praise be to God. Who is responsible for Daesh’s atrocities and crimes? The Americans. Trump himself admitted this. Senior US military and security officials as well as diplomats admitted this. The evidence supports this. Where did Daesh get its fighters from? Tenths of thousands of fighters from all over the world were given visas, facilitations and allowed to pass through airports. Where did Daesh get its weapons from? Where did it get funding from? Who bought oil from it? Who bought antiquities from it? Regional countries. Who promoted it in the media during the first moths of the alleged revolution that will change the regimes in the region? All the regional countries affiliated with the United States of America.

This is part of the awareness that we need.

O people in Lebanon and in the whole region, today, let us take all these wars and count the number of men, women and children that were killed and injured, the houses that were demolished and the livelihoods that have been destroyed, the countries that were torn apart. It is first and foremost the responsibility of the successive US governments and the current Trump administration. Shouldn’t people stand up to this killer, this monster, and this terrorist, who carries on with his terrorism, killings and wars, or should we bury our heads in the dirt and wait for our destiny with humiliation?  

Thus, this is the awareness that we need. These are only examples. Otherwise, there are many more, Mashallah.

The US resorts to all means available in order to impose its projects, plans, and hegemony. It resorts to military warfare if the situation requires it. When it comes to proxy wars, it has proxies and tools to fight for it. In other situations, it resorts to assassinations, directly or indirectly. Or it imposes sanctions, economic pressure, and blockades. Where it is necessary to open judicial files, it opens judicial files and utilizes the media all over the world to serve its psychological and soft warfare against peoples, leaders, and governments.

On the other hand, we must confront this with the same means and tools, and not just resistance. I repeat and say, we do not just mean armed resistance. This is just one form [of resistance]. We need to resort to a comprehensive resistance throughout the region – our Arab and Islamic world – in confronting this terrorist, arrogant, oppressive, and tyrannical monster that is the symbol and basis of all tyranny in our region and the world. We can resort to means.

Here, I call on all the scholars, the elite, the political forces, the institutions, the governments, the people, and everyone concerned in this matter to think and put plans and programs. We enter a new stage called the great, diverse, and comprehensive resistance front in confronting the great Satan and the tyrannical and oppressive American arrogance.

I will give you two examples. In the legal and the human rights matters, regardless of the international courts that may or may not respond, you find that the Americans quickly open files and transfer it to the judiciary. People start to panic and be afraid. Today, they are exploiting the September 11 attack. They have set up a judicial body and a judicial follow-up and want to hold Saudi Arabia responsible for the September 11 incident. God knows how many $ 100 billion they want to plunder from it. They open judicial files on everything.

Why don’t we in the Arab and Islamic world – Lebanese, Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians, Afghans, Yemenis, Bahrainis, Pakistanis, North Africans – compile files regarding U.S. crimes in our region. Even regarding Daesh, let the lawyers include the statements made by Trump as well as military and security diplomats and officials to these files. These statements are all over the internet. Then let them present these files to the local and international judiciaries. This is one form of resistance whether it yields results or not. It is not always about carrying a rifle. We have to carry a rifle. There is not discussion on that. I tell you this. All the people of the region will carry a rifle when confronting this tyranny and arrogance. This tyrant left no chance and no choice for anyone but to carry a rifle. But other means are also required. Let Trump be prosecuted. Let Rumsfeld, Pompeo, and Esper be prosecuted. Let them all be prosecuted and face the peoples of the world.

It is a form of boycott. Even today in the United States of America, we find it in the movies. Sometime ago, Condoleezza Rice was lecturing at a university. American students stood up and called her a war criminal as if saying “you don’t get to lecture on international law”. This one form of resistance that is required. All forms are required.

Regarding the economy, they [the US] directly resort to sanctions. A while ago, the brothers gave me a piece of news. I could not verify it well, but it says that an American official is threatening Lebanese officials with sanctions if they do not release the murderous agent and criminal Amer al-Fakhouri. This means he is threatening the Lebanese government, Lebanese officials, the Lebanese judiciary, and everyone that is concerned with this file and can take the decision to release al-Fakhouri.

The US uses sanctions as a weapon to subjugate the whole world. This means that you have to forgive the Americans for inflicting wounds on, shedding your blood, killing the martyrs, and taking away your water, oil, gas, future, and dignity. You should not oppose them or else you will be directly sanctioned. And there are people who when they hear sanctions they start to tremble. What kind of life is this? This is the kind of humiliation the Americans want the people and the whole world to live in!

On the other hand, we do not have an economic capacity like the U.S., but can we not resort to sanctions? A while ago, the idea of boycotting American goods came up. This hurts the Americans, why don't we resort to it? This does not cause problems with anyone. We are free. There are American goods and other products. I do not want to name the other products. But we can buy these other goods. Why do we have to buy American goods? Because of the technology and the features? Some people would say ‘mawlana, our maraji [religious authorities] did not issue a fatwa regarding this matter.’

There are maraji that issued fatwas on this in the past. But this matter does not need fatwas. This is part of the battle. Listen to Trump’s speeches. Like I always say, he does not talk about democracy, human rights, or freedoms. He only speaks about the billions of dollars, the job opportunities that he provided, and the money he looted and gave to the Americans. Isn’t that right?

Thus, his strength is something else. His weakness might be of an financial and economic nature. In Lebanon, the resistance discovered the “Israelis” weakness. “Israel’s” weakness is the human element – {And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life} (Quran 2, 96). The “Israelis” fear death. When their soldiers are killed, their society is shaken. It does not matter if you destroy their tanks. They will get other tanks. Destroy their building, they will build others – using Arab money too. But the central point that shakes the Zionist entity and the Zionist project is the occupier.

What is America’s weakness? It has two weaknesses, security and economy – that is money, the dollar, and the value of the dollar. Can’t we do that in the Arab and Islamic world? One might say that even if we started [the boycott], we are still the minority.

We and some of our brothers in the resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine were the minority. We started alone, and then our numbers grew. We then became the axis of resistance. It is easy if the scholars, the parties, and the leadership worked seriously in boycotting American goods. Let us say we are going to boycott certain companies and not all of them.

When we spoke about the Americans and the confrontation with the US administration following the martyrdom of Hajj Qassem, there were Americans in the US who wrote to us. You do not need to attack our armies and soldiers. We can send you the addresses of Trump’s companies in the world, you can boycott those. That will hurt him because his life and God is money. Thus, this is also one form of confrontation.

In any case, we must think about all these means. This is part of a program, a simple example of a program. Certainly, we can sit, think, and set up plans in the political, cultural, media, economic, legal, and human rights fields, in addition to the military and security aspect. We are a strong nation that is alive and has determination.

Yesterday, you saw how unarmed people in some Syrian villages and towns in the east of the Euphrates stood in the face of US military vehicles. And since the Americans were cowards and weak, they needed to bring in “Israeli” warplanes to secure the withdrawal of their vehicles, which were struck with stones some angry Syrian people there.
Before concluding this section regarding the region, I just want to say a few words to show loyalty to Hajj Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis. I address my dear Iraqi brothers and the dear Iraqi people – this courageous and loyal people but are oppressed at the same time. I tell them, dear ones in Iraq, you knew Hajj Abu Mahdi. You even knew him during the time of the opposition. But let us talk about him in the past few years. This man spent the remainder of his life on the battlefield. When Daesh surfaced in Iraq, he left his house, family, daughters, his life, and everything personal to him. He lived in the operation rooms, the frontlines, and berms. He toured the provinces and fought in all them. All those years, he carried his blood in his hand, his shroud on his shoulder and asked for nothing. With all loyalty and honesty, he longed to meet Allah Almighty.

In any case, the honorable and rational marjaiya in the holy city of Najaf appointed Hajj Abu Mahdi and Hajj Qassem of leading this victory. He was one of the leaders of victory. There is no doubt about that. Of course, we should not overlook the merits of the rest of the leaders, the mujahideen, and the martyrs. But there are central figures, and among them is Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Today, we show loyalty to Hajj Abu Mahdi, the man’s who was known for his seriousness, courage, loyalty, honesty, permanent presence, his efforts, and his participation in creating the historic victory of defeating Daesh.

It is also a day to show loyalty to Hajj Qassem who was one of the first to defend the Iraqi people against Daesh. During the remainder of his life, his absolute priority was defending and fighting in Iraq. We know that.

These two great leaders were killed by America in the open at Baghdad Airport. The primary responsibility in responding to this aggression and crime falls on you. It is your responsibility today, dear brothers and sisters in Iraq, to defend these leaders and martyrs in the battle against Daesh.
 
First, preserving the Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). We, as brothers, recommend each other and do not dictate anything. You have to preserve the Hashd. We all know that America wants to liqudate the Hash because it is one of the guarantees and factors of strength in Iraq. Loyalty to Hajj Qassem and Abu Mahdi is to adhere to the Hashd, preserve it, strengthen it, and especially preserve its faith and jihadist spirituality. It is not important for it to remain as an institution. What is important is the spirit and its content because it was a fundamental and decisive factor alongside the rest of the security forces in Iraq to resolve this battle. America does not want the Hashd. Some regional countries see the Hashd as a force in Iraq, and therefore the responsibility is to preserve the Hashd.

Secondly, expelling the US forces out of Iraq, this is your decision. This is your decision as well as the decision of your scholars, your leaders, your political forces and parties, and the prime minister. The parliament took this decision. The millions of Iraqis that took part in the great and historic demonstration made their slogan against the US presence in Iraq clear. You have to continue to work on expelling the US forces with the means you choose and see as effective and achieve this objective. This objective must not be forgotten or lost.

The Americans want to play on time until the people calm down. Then the blood spilled would be lost and people become occupied with other concerns. This affliction, this revenge for the unjustly spilled Husseini blood at Baghdad Airport is your responsibility, you, the lovers and defenders of Hussein and the sanctities of Hussein (PBUH).

Finally, to work for the good of Iraq. This is what Abu Mahdi lived for, and I know he lived for this, even Hajj Qassem. The concern Hajj Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian man, had in this world was to see Iraq strong, capable, dear, sovereign, free, and present on regional issues. He didn’t want to see the country isolated on issues concerning the nation and the fate of this region. This is your responsibility.

The last section is related to the domestic and local situation, brothers and sisters.

Domestically, the first challenge that is occupying the minds of everyone in Lebanon is the economic, living, financial, and monetary situation.

Wherever we go now, wherever the Lebanese sit, they are mostly talking about this issue. The deal of the century distracted them a bit. The assassination of Hajj Qassem and Abu Mahdi distracted them. Some problems and developments in Lebanon distracted them. But generally, in every gathering, the main concern is this [the economic situation].

There are several topics regarding this issue. For example, people are always asking about the fate of the deposits, the money that people worked hard for throughout their lifetime and deposited in the banks. What is the fate of these deposits? These are not deposits. To people, these are the fruits of their labor.

There are many phenomena that exist in our societies including the problem of the spike in prices of commodities. Sometimes these prices rise without limits and control. There is also the problem of availability of some commodities. There is the issue of the price of the Lebanese Lira and the dollar and manipulating it as well as threats the national currency is facing. There is an increase in the unemployment rate. There are no job opportunities. Not only did unemployment rise, there are companies that have collapsed and shops that have closed. There is stagnation in trade and the economic movement in general. The industrialists face problems marketing their products. Farmers have problems selling their produce. The school tuition fees have increased. Well-off and middle-class families, who enroll their children in schools where the tuition fees are a little higher, are now unable to pay these fees.

There is also a very grave concern among people about the effects of these financial and social situations on the security, such as theft, crimes, and psychological breakdowns. Now, we are beginning to hear about a certain individual, who was suffering from psychological issues, commit a massacre. Another individual had a psychological issue, entered the place and killed someone. These cases might be increasing.

There is concern regarding the state’s services for people. Eventually, when you resort to austerity measures and the difficult financial situation, all health, social, and development services will be negatively affected. Also, this is one of the people's concerns.

Shortly, even most municipal councils will have no more funds, and their presence becomes meaningless. In any case, there are also concerns regarding the public debt and the whole economic situation. However, this is only a quick of the issues that are directly affecting people.

This situation needs to be addressed. Undoubtedly, we are all responsible and concerned in addressing this situation. Since the beginning of the events on October 17, we made our opinion clear. I will not repeat from the start. But I would only like to remind you. Our position and opinion from the first beginning were to address the situation differently not through high ceilings put forth by some in Lebanon.

With regard to the president, the government, and the parliament. As a result of the pressure exerted by the protests, the government – even with its formation where a large part of it still exists – could have done great things. We could have avoided many of the negative things that took place.

Now, what’s done is done. From day one, and I would like to stress on this sentence because there are people in Lebanon who would take parts of the speech and leave the rest. For example, you say ‘La ilaha illallah’ [There is no deity but God.]. They take ‘La ilaha’ [There is no deity] and make you an atheist.

From day one, because I have said these words, I said we are not concerned about the resistance, the budget of the resistance, and the salaries of the resistance fighters. We are worried about the people and the country. We are afraid for the country. Of course, they took the first part and omitted the second part.

All the positions that we have taken since October 17 until today are out of fear for the country as well as the economic and financial situation and to avoid, to a large extent, the situation we are in.

Therefore, we will not run away from the responsibility. And we have accepted to take part of the responsibility for what happened. We did not give up the responsibility now, and we will not run away from the responsibility in the future.

The main point that I would like to tell the people is that we, as Hezbollah, never think in a partisan manner. We never thought like that. We do not think of ourselves in the following – our salaries and budget are secured in one way or the other, so there is no problem. Never! We worry about people’s concerns. People across Lebanon are our people – from all the sects and governorates.

We always used to say, there is no economy called a regional economy, an economy belonging to a certain sect or city. We are one country. We share everything. Our fate is one. That is why today I want to assure you that we are ready to bear full responsibility and a big part of the responsibility. We are ready to take part in the responsibility of addressing the current situation. We are not running from anything at all.

Because of the positions that we took since October 17, yes, we paid a price from our dignity. We lost face. There were some who asked us why we took those positions because there were people who did not use to rail at you are now railing at you. This is not important. It is not important whether you insulted or not. What is important is that you are doing your job and fulfilling your responsibility towards your country and people regardless of the emotions, the enthusiasm, and some extreme visions. This is our position.

We learned from Imam Khomeini and from the school of Imam Khomeini to do our duties. The obsession that governs our minds is what we will answer Allah on the Day of Resurrection and not what people say about us or what history writes about us. What good is history on the Day of Resurrection? What is important is my reply on the Day of Resurrection when I stand before God Almighty. Should we – me, Hezbollah, and everyone of us – give compliments, flatter, and indulge even if the country is headed towards collapse, chaos, and civil war just for the sake of not being insulted and losing popularity.

We were not like this and never will be.

We will continue to bear all the responsibilities that we regard as being in the interest of our country and our people no matter the sacrifices, the blood, or dignity because every battle requires a different kind of sacrifice.

We were hoping that the previous government would not resign even though it was the demand of some of the protesters. And our position was clear. We hoped that a comprehensive government would be formed. All this did not happen. The current government was formed.

We must pay tribute to the courage of the prime minister and ministers in the current government. They have come during a difficult and sensitive circumstance. Almost impossible tasks await them. When a prime minister like Dr. Hassan Diab and ministers in the current government accept this responsibility, they should be appreciated and respected by the Lebanese people, who oppose and support the government, because there is a difference between taking responsibility and running away from it. There is a big difference between them, and they are not equal. They are not equal at all.

We, very clear and frankly, hope and call for the success of this government. We have given it our vote of confidence. We support it and will not abandon it. Some tried to promote that ‘Hezbollah has distanced itself’, abandoned it, and left matters to them. We will stand by them, help them, and support them with all that we can because the issue is concerns the fate of a country. Now, I will come back to the issue of whether it is a Hezbollah government or not in the end.

Today, what I would like to say to all Lebanese is that we are facing a situation. There is a consensus that there is a very difficult economic situation. There is no debate about it. The debate is whether we are bankrupt or going to be bankrupt, whether the country has collapsed or is going to collapse, and how far are we from bankruptcy and collapse. This is what the debate revolves around. There is no debate that the economic, financial, and monetary situations are very difficult. There are other challenges nearing too.

First, with regards to handling the economic and financial file, I call for separating it from the political struggle between parties, parliamentary blocs, and leaders. Let us approach this file in a different way. If we want to address our economic situation, we have to agree on political matters. The economic and financial situation will not be addressed if we disagree on everything. With regard to “Israel” and Trump’s plan – even if we all rejected it on the surface – the regional situation, the positions toward Saudi, Iran, Syria, and the resettlement [of Palestinians]. We are in disagreement about many issues. Put them aside. Put the political settling of scores aside. Now, there are no parliamentary elections to make bids. Put these bids aside.

Thus, the first thing is to separate the economic issue from the political conflict in the country.

Secondly, we should stop making accusations. It will not help during an economic crisis. Everyone has his own reading about the situation and can speak for hours and hold the other side responsible for the current economic and financial situation in Lebanon. There might be some truth in his speech and a lot of mistakes. But we will not get anywhere. So, just put accusations aside.

Thirdly, let us give the current government that accepted to take responsibility a chance, a reasonable chance with a possible time frame. No one should, let us say, give it 100 days and say, ‘we are ready to appoint you the king of Lebanon and change the system if you can end the economic and financial crisis in Lebanon within one month.’ This is nonsense. We should give the government a reasonable time frame to take part in preventing collapse. I am not saying to address the economic and financial crisis, to prevent collapse, and to prevent bankruptcy.

Fourthly, providing assistance. Any party, any bloc, or any person supporting or against the government that has an idea, can provide assistance, can secure support, has a national duty to do so. This is not a partisan matter. If this government fails, it is not known if the country would remain and if someone on a white horse would come and form a new government. What country are we going to form a new government in?!

Today, failure has consequences at the national level and not on the political forces supporting this government in Lebanon. Because of the regional situation, the sectarian situation, and the composition of the political forces, the political forces remain immune to a large extent. Who will pay the price of the results even if they were a failure? The people, the public. In order not to let the whole country pay the price, it is everyone’s responsibility to help this government. At the very least, allow it to do its job. If they do not want to help it, let them not fight it and cut the road on it. Let them not incite the Arab countries and the rest of the world against it. Let them not incite against it because its consequences are catastrophic at the national level.

Support the correct steps. I would like to say to the Lebanese that there is hope. One of the challenges today is that there are people who want the Lebanese to despair and tell them there are no solutions and no possibility of addressing the crisis. We have to surrender and give in to the outside world. We have to hand over our necks and our country to the outside world and sell our state and our properties to the outside or to others. I tell whoever is promoting despair is committing national treason.

The Lebanese people can address the difficult crisis they are going through today, but the matter needs awareness, courage, cooperation, sacrifice, and giving up miscalculations. People with ideas should discuss and cooperate.

I call on the government to either initiate unilateral or bilateral side meetings with the political forces and parliamentary blocs or to form a committee –not a dialogue table – that would include the opposition and the supporters of the government and have a serious discussion because the economic and financial situation is in danger. It is not the time, now. When a person dear to you, falls on the ground and is in a difficult condition. You take him to the hospital. At the hospital, you talk to the doctor. The priority is to inform him of his condition and the treatment – how to put the IV, how he will go to the operating room, and how he will be revived. Your priority is not to discuss with him clothing, what I said and did not say, and what I meant and what you meant.

The priority today is to work on saving and reviving this situation which is threatening everyone and not just an area, a sect, or a political party.

In the context of incitement, I said I will return to the issue of the government whether it is a Hezbollah government or not. Some Lebanese people insist on saying or writing that it is a Hezbollah government and incite the outside against it. Calling the government a Hezbollah government is called incitement. Of course, I tell you frankly, this does not harm us. Saying that it is a Hezbollah government, and that Hezbollah controls the country is nonsense. This, however, harms Lebanon. It harms the possibilities of addressing the situation. It also harms Lebanon’s relations with the Arab and broader world. Some say that my position towards Yemen’s oppressed people harms Lebanon’s relations with the Arab and broader world. Yesterday, women and children went to take a look at a destroyed military warplane belonging to the Saudi-led coalition. Fighter jets bombarded them. 40 people were martyred. I was just condemning the Saudi bombardment of unarmed Yemeni women and children standing on the street. That humane position was said to harm Lebanon’s relations with the Arab and broader world. That was me expressing a very natural and legal humanitarian position.

So, please do not make a false incitement that harms Lebanon’s relations with the Arab and broader world by calling this government a Hezbollah government when you know it is not.

Yes, Hezbollah does not disavow it. Hezbollah supports it. Hezbollah backs it. Hezbollah wants it to succeed for sure. All of Lebanon knows the nature of this government, the prime minister, the ministers, and the forces supporting this government. It is a lie to call it a Hezbollah government. I said this does not harm us and it will not affect our budget since you are interested in this matter. It will not affect our money or our salaries. But it will harm the country. So, stop inciting against the government. This is part of giving it a chance.

When some political forces in Lebanon say we want to give the government a chance, part of giving it a chance is to stop inciting against it through the media, on the street, in embassies, an in international relations. At least remain silent or provide advice. Let this government do its job. What we look forward to more is for you to let it do its job. Help it. If this government was able to stop the collapse and the descent, calm the financial and economic situation, calm the people, address some issues regarding the debt, the deposits, and the hike in prices, it is providing the Lebanese people as well as everyone residing in Lebanon a great service. This is what I wanted to say domestically.

I apologize, as usual, if I took from your time, but the nature of the files, the events and the great responsibilities on us required that we talk about these positions.

On the day of our martyred leaders, we renew our pledge and allegiance to them as we done for years. Today, Hajj Qassem and Hajj Abu Mahdi join to those we renew our allegiance to. We will continue this path.

Sayyed Abbas’s will and Sheikh Ragheb’s position, which the nation needs today, stipulate that whoever cannot fight the Americans not shake hands with them, not recognize them or recognize their interests, and not submit to them for “the stance is a weapon, shaking hands [with the enemy] is an admission.” We are in need of Hajj Imad’s jihad. We need all the victories and successes of Hajj Qassem, Hajj Abu Mahdi, and the martyrs to defend our countries, sanctities, and our people from dangers.

May you be rewarded, God willing. Thank you, and may Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.