Sayyed Nasrallah: Assassinating Soleimani, Al-Muhandis Set the US Troops on the Track of Being Expelled from the Region

By Zeinab Abdallah

Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech on Sunday marking the first martyrdom anniversary of the Islamic Revolution Guard [IRG] Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units [PMU] second-in-command Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and their companions.

The martyrs were assassinated in a US drone strike ordered by outgoing President Donald Trump a year ago near Baghdad International Airport while martyr Soleimani was on an official visit to the country on January 3rd, 2020.

At the beginning of his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah condoled with the demise of Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, a prominent Iranian scholar and philosopher.

His Eminence further extended condolences to the families of the commemorated martyrs, emphasizing that the painful tragedy will be commemorated in history minding its size and the blood that was shed during it, in addition to its repercussions on the entire region.

“We mustn’t deny the grace and the kindness of those leaders, and we admit this and talk about it to the people and the world,” Sayyed Nasrallah added, underscoring that “when we are loyal to our great martyrs who were faithful in shouldering the responsibility, it will come back to us in the worldly life and the afterlife.”

“One of the main factors of victory is loyalty, and loyalty requires us to thank all those who have backed us," Sayyed Nasrallah noted.

His Eminence further highlighted the necessity of thanking Hajj Qassem Soleimani and Hajj Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis for all what they offered, in addition to all those who represent the martyrs for the sacrifices they offered.

Hailing martyr Soleimani as a hero and a global symbol of sacrifice, loyalty, and defending the oppressed, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that “What has been uncovered about the achievements Hajj Qassem has made is still little [in comparison with what is still unknown].”

“We’ve witnessed great and remarkable shows of loyalty to the blood of the martyr leaders since their martyrdom until today,” Sayyed Nasrallah said in reference to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Turkey and many Muslim and non-Muslim nations, pointing that “we in Lebanon are also concerned with showing this loyalty to those leaders.”

Since the year 2000 until this day, the Resistance was the side that is protecting and defending Lebanon, the Hezbollah leader noted, stressing that Lebanon’s main source of pride is the Resistance which was unconditionally backed by Iran.

“Iran’s support to the Resistance in Lebanon and Palestine has been unconditional,” Sayyed Nasrallah made clear.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Resistance leader slammed certain Lebanese media outlets that tended on Saturday to fabricate a statement made by the IRG Aerospace Division Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizdeh: “There are in Lebanon certain sides that take fabrication and falsification as a profession.”

“It is true that we in Lebanon are a frontline, also is Gaza, but Hajizadeh didn’t say that we are a frontline for Iran, but a frontline to confront the ‘Israeli’ occupation,” Sayyed Nasrallah underscored.

“The resistance is the only side capable of protecting Lebanon’s oil resources thanks to its weapons, in addition to the Iranian and Syrian support,” His Eminence noted, reiterating that “The resistance in Lebanon is among the most independent resistance movements in history.”

Lebanon and Gaza are naturally the frontlines of the Muslim Nation due to their geographical position near the Zionist entity, and tensions have been high in the region and the Zionist entity is on alert on the first martyrdom anniversary of Soleimani and Al-Muhandis, Sayyed Nasrallah went on to say.

“We in Lebanon cannot equalize between those who backed us with their stance, money, weapons, and were martyred by our side, and between those who conspired against us and supported the ‘Israeli’ enemy, Sayyed Nasrallah said, setting a similar equation for the regional countries such as Palestine, Syria, and Iraq.

“The Palestinian resistance factions couldn’t equalize between those who support it and those who conspire against the Palestinian people and their sanctities. Syria couldn’t equalize between those who conspired against it and supported the Takfiri groups, and between those who defended it and supported it. The Iraqis couldn’t equalize between those who sent them Takfir suicide-bombers and between those who helped them liberate their lands.”

The Hezbollah leader then hailed the Axis of Resistance, nation, peoples, the resistance movements and their political parties, and the regional countries that have shown loyalty and appreciation to the martyrs Soleimani and al-Muhandis.

“There are major concerns among the Gulf countries, and ‘Israel’ has raised alertness ahead of the martyrdom anniversary of leaders Soleimani and al-Muhandis,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, explaining that “Tension is high in the region and we don’t know where would any incident end up; some assume that Iran would depend on its friends to respond, but when Iran wants to respond it will do it by itself had it been via a security or a military response.”

His Eminence further made clear that “The friends of Iran are the ones who decide if they wanted to respond to this crime, and Iran is not weak, it is strong and it decides how and when it responds.” He also admitted that the Axis of Resistance was able to contain the big strike of assassinating martyr Soleimani.

“The US supposed that by assassinating Hajj Qassem it would weaken Iran and the Axis of Resistance, but we are the ones who know how to turn this threat into an opportunity,” Sayyed Nasrallah outlined before addressing the US, ‘Israel’ and all those conspiring against the resistance: “When you kill our leaders, we will be more stubborn, solid and adherent to our rights.”

His Eminence also warned those betting on weakening us through killing, wars, and booby-trapped cars, telling them that they are delusional.

While noting that the slogan of expelling the US from the region wouldn’t have been applicable before the assassination of Hajj Qassem Soleimani, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that the martyrdom of leaders Soleimani and al-Muhandis has set the US troops on the track of leaving Iraq and the region.

US President Donald Trump said that the US has found Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group], and this is true because there are reasons behind the existence of Daesh, Sayyed Nasrallah added.

Regarding the recent clampdown targeting Hezbollah’s financial institutions, Sayyed Nasrallah uncovered the party’s information that “the US has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for media outlets to produce reports about the al-Qard al-Hassan Association.”

While referring to blacklisting Hezbollah as a psychological goal to frighten the Lebanese people, Sayyed Nasrallah addressed those behind it in much confident tone: “Even if you besieged us in the land, we have the mountains, the sky, the seas, the angels, and all of Allah’s creatures that we know and don’t know. We have Allah by our side, and whatever you did you will fail, it is because those who depend on Allah will emerge victorious. Victory is not but from Allah.”

His Eminence said before finishing his speech that he will appear in the coming days to tackle several important Lebanese issues he wanted to give sufficient time.