Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech on Martyr Leaders’ Day
Translated by Al-Ahed News
Full speech of Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah at the festival commemorating the martyred leaders in Sayyed Al-Shuhada Complex in the southern suburb of Beirut on 16-2-2022:
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.
Honorable scholars, brothers and sisters, the honorable attendees, may the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you all.
God Almighty says in His Glorious Book, In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful: {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.} God Almighty speaks the truth.
To start with, I welcome all of you, our dear valued people, scholars, deputies, ministers, representatives, the brothers and sisters gathered in the town of Nabi Sheet, the brothers and sisters in the town of Jebchit, the brothers and sisters in the town of Terdebba, and the brothers and sisters gathered here in Dahiyeh, in the Sayyed Al-Shuhada Complex.
Before delving into the occasion, it is my duty during the days of Rajab to offer my congratulations to all of you, all Muslims, and all the lovers [of Ali] because Ali has Muslim lovers, Christian lovers, and other people who love him. I congratulate you on the birth anniversary of the Commander of the Faithful and the Imam of the pious, the conqueror of Khaybar – of course the conqueror of Khaybar means a lot to us these days as part of our battle – the conqueror of Khaibar, the killer of Marhab, and the one who broke down the Khaybar gate, who loves God and His Messenger, and who God and His Messenger love; as the Messenger said, the conqueror of Khaybar, Asadullah al-Ghalib, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him.
When we mention his name or remember him in our mind or in our heart, we thank God Almighty first. I want to add that I am one of you, and I thank my father. Each of us should thank their parents. The credit first is to God Almighty and to our parents who introduced us since childhood to this great Imam, to believe in him, to love him and adore him.
I am one of the people whenever Ali comes to my mind, I remember my father and repeat those famous verses that we all know to myself. ‘May God torment not my mother, for she has drunk the Guardian’s love and fed it to me through her milk. And I had a father who loved Abu Hassan, so I became one of those who love Abu Hassan.’
This is a great and blessed anniversary. May it be a blessed occasion for all of you, God willing.
I delve into our occasion, our martyred leaders. This year, the brothers chose a slogan for the occasion. They called it Resolution 1982. It’s been 38 years since the martyrdom of Sheikh Ragheb Harb, 30 years since the martyrdom of the master of our martyrs Sayyed Abbas Al-Musawi, martyr fighter and our dear venerable sister Um Yasser, and their beloved son Hussein, and 14 years since the martyrdom of our great jihadi leader Hajj Imad Mughniyeh. In a few months in June – it will be 40 years since the launch of the Islamic Resistance and Hezbollah. In a few months, our march will be turning 40 years old.
In a smart gesture, the brothers added these numbers – 38 for Sheikh Ragheb, 30 years for Sayyed Abbas, and 14 years for Hajj Imad. The result was 82, and the start of our march in 1982. Our great decision that established this jihad, this martyrdom, and these victories took place in 1982. That is why they chose Resolution 1982. These numbers may not mean anything, and we are not claiming that there are secrets behind these numbers. The aesthetic of the scene is sufficient, and even if we consider it a coincidence, the beauty of this coincidence [is enough].
In any case, the year 1982 for us was the year of the decision, the foundation, the birth, the start, and the continuity that still exists until now. The blood of our martyrs inaugurated this march and made it into everything it is now. The credit after God Almighty goes to this pure blood and the martyrdom of the leaders whose memory we are commemorating today. The martyrdom of the leaders along the way and the march had a great impact. Our march will complete 40 years. We also have the 30th martyrdom anniversary of Sayyed Abbas. Usually when a decade ends, we mark it – 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. We also need to commemorate Sayyed Abbas’s martyrdom anniversary. Of course, in this context, I would like to shed light on a set of programs at the beginning of the speech.
1- During the past few years, a group of brothers and sisters made a great effort to compile Sayyed Abbas Al-Musawi’s speeches, positions, interviews, statements, and what he wrote from the beginning until before the establishment of Hezbollah. They are collected in a complete compilation of Sayyed Abbas's work – about 13 volumes that were printed. I think that it will be exhibited during the coming few days – if it has not been displayed yet – and this of course forms part of history and presence because Sayyed Abbas is a key figure in this march since its inception.
Of course, in the same context, in a few weeks, the complete collection of Sheikh Ragheb’s work will be completed. The compilation will be displayed during an event marking the 40th anniversary of the resistance and Hezbollah in June and May. Also, on the 30th martyrdom anniversary of Sayyed Abbas, God willing, which is in a few days, I will be at your service in a live interview with Al-Manar TV to talk about Sayyed Abbas. I, in all humility, is more adequate to talk about Sayyed Abbas closely. This is because there are people who were born 40 years ago. They did not live with Sayyed Abbas and did not know him intimately. They may have been young – 9 or 10 years old – and saw him on television. But we need to introduce him to those who were born 40 years ago, at the very least. They need us to identify Sayyed Abbas better and clearly. God willing, I will be at your service in a few days live on Al-Manar TV to do so.
Also, in the next few weeks, a conference of an intellectual, cultural, and scientific nature will be held under the title ‘The Master of Our Martyrs: Thought and Biography’. It also aims to introduce the thought of Sayyed Abbas, his biography, jihad, and sacrifices. Of course, something similar must be organized for the rest of the martyred leaders and martyrs.
Going back to the beginnings, when we talk about the martyred leaders of the resistance and the resistance, we do not claim at all that it began in 1982 and that it began with us. The resistance as an ideology, culture, and presence in Lebanon and the region preceded the 1982 invasion. There was the Palestinian resistance that preceded it for decades and had a great presence in the region and in Palestine.
In Lebanon, there were also Lebanese parties and factions that believed in resistance and practiced resistance in one way or another. Among the Shiite, this matter – when we talk about “Israel” – goes back to His Eminence Sayyed Abdel Hussein Sharafeddine at the beginning of the establishment of the enemy state and the entity usurping Palestine. After him, it was mainly His Eminence Imam Musa al-Sadr (may God bring him back safely). He made it the focus of culture, position, and vision as well as an external organizational and military presence when he announced the establishment of the Lebanese Resistance Regiments, or Amal for short. We do not claim when we talk about our resistance, about Islam, about our march, about our launch. We never confiscate the resistance, nor do we claim that we founded the resistance and launched it or that our martyred leaders are the ones who did that.
We must pay attention to the characteristic that distinguished of the 1982 invasion [of Lebanon]. It is different from the 1978 invasion and the previous, limited “Israeli” aggressions against Lebanon. By the way, “Israel's” attacks on Lebanon since the establishment of this usurping entity have never stopped, whether in the border area or in the depths of Lebanon – fighter jets booming Beirut airport, the assassinations inside Lebanon. This is a well-known matter.
The distinguishing characteristic of the 1982 invasion is that it constituted the biggest threat to Lebanon and the people of Lebanon, the biggest challenge in the history of Lebanon, to Lebanon and the people of Lebanon, to the region, to the Palestinian resistance that was expelled from Lebanon, the Palestinian cause, and Syria.
But the greatest threat was to Lebanon because Lebanon was facing a wide and large occupation and an “Israeli” hegemony and domination. So, Lebanon was in the face of the danger of an unknown occupation and how long it would last. It could have continued, as is the case in Palestine. Lebanon was at risk of being stripped of sovereignty, independence that would end, confiscation of the decision, subordination to “Israel”, entry into the “Israeli” era, as was said during those days, and a change of identity.
Today, one of the issues discussed in Lebanon and in which accusations are leveled left, right, and center is the issue of identity. In 1982, the identity of Lebanon was under threat; the Arab identity was being threatened. Lebanon would have belonged to the “Israeli” era; it would have been attached to “Israel” and the Zionist project. There were also internal wills supporting this direction. Here, I would like to stress – we will leave this for a later time – that it was the resistance with all its factions, including Hezbollah, that preserved Lebanon's identity, the identity of Lebanon that was almost destroyed as a result of the 1982 invasion. Today, anyone talking about changing Lebanon’s identity must remember that in1982, 2000, 2006, and until this day, the resistance is the one that is preserving this identity. It is the one that preserved it with blood, sacrifices, and jihad. It is the one that will continue to preserve this identity.
In the face of this exceptional historical threat, Lebanon also needed a resistance of this kind and nature – a historical resistance, an exceptional resistance. Confronting this “Israeli”-Zionist-American project in Lebanon required a high, advanced, great, quantitative and qualitative level of resistance. In this atmosphere, the Islamic resistance was born in Lebanon. Hezbollah was born in Lebanon. It joined the rest of the Islamic and national resistance forces in the country to fight alongside their people, all the free people, and all the true sovereigns to liberate Lebanon, restore its sovereignty, and create its new and true independence, freedom, dignity, pride, presence, etc. This birth took place during this atmosphere.
Here, the Sheikh of the Martyrs, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, stands out among a group of leaders and scholars as a loud voice, bold and courageous, clear, frank, strong, and solid, present in the heart of the battlefield, facing bullets and death, ready for martyrdom, calling for truth. He rejected occupation, bargaining, and passively waiting for what is to come from the future. He created the present and paved the way for the future. He did not smile in the face of the enemy nor shake their hand. He resisted and called for resistance in all its forms.
The enemy was fed up with his voice and boldness, so they killed him. The position of martyr Sheikh Ragheb Harb, his stances, and his martyrdom represented the title of the launch of our march, the title of the great decision to resist until the end, until martyrdom or victory, until one of the two good deeds. It is the same decision that our brothers and sisters, our men and women, our young and old have made since 1982, with thousands of martyrs from the best men, women and even children following him – all of whom bear his name, voice, will, and position.
Sayyed Abbas followed in the footsteps of Sheikh Ragheb and walked on the path lined with thorns. Since the start of the invasion, we were together. We all know how Sayyed Abbas transformed. At the start of the invasion, he became another person. Sayyed Abbas became a cleric-fighter, whose concern was focused on the front, operations, fighters, axes, training camps, equipping weapons, recruiting the mujahideen, mobilizing people for jihad, and creating an environment for resistance from June 1982 until his martyrdom on February 16, 1992. Sayyed Abbas was devoted to the resistance. Sayyed Abbas only had things related to the resistance and the environment of the resistance, namely the people.
You notice sections in his speeches where this path – the path of resistance and martyrs – is mentioned repeatedly. He believed that this path is the only way for the survival of Lebanon and the salvation of its people as well as the liberation of everything that is sacred. It was with Sayyed Abbas that the path of resistance was consolidated and the resistance was institutionalized and transformed into a strong, solid, broad, and sprawling organized entity.
Sayyed Abbas was the title of our steadfastness, and we went on the path of victory with Hajj Imad, who was a great symbol and represented great value for his mujahideen brothers and leaders in the resistance. They worked together for decades.
With Hajj Imad and his brothers, it was the time of resistance – the resistance that started as a thought, as a soul, as a cause, as a message, as an option, as a path. With Hajj Imad, it was the time of the resistance with action, work on the field, having weapons, with blood, with martyrdom, with victories, with changing equations, crushing the bones of the enemy and the image of the indomitable army.
With Hajj Imad, it was the time of capacity building. The resistance developed quantitatively and qualitatively. This is what he represented for our march. Imad Mughniyeh was the title of victory of our march – a victory that Sheikh Ragheb aspired for, Sayyed Abbas promised to deliver, and achieved Hajj Imad.
Hajj Imad was the title of the development at the intelligence, creative, military, and security levels in this resistance. By the grace of God, coupled with sacrifices, planning, action based on taklif, patience, effort, and jihad, all these victories and achievements were made.
Brothers and sisters, this resistance follows in the footsteps of its martyred leaders and all the martyred leaders who came later, including Sayyed Mustafa Badr al-Din and Hajj Hassan Laqis.
Many leaders and cadres continue to work to confront this enemy, the threats of this enemy, and the ambitions and projects of this enemy. They protect Lebanon and victor the people of Palestine. They always have their eyes on Al-Quds and the holy sites. Despite all the conspiracies and all the difficulties inside and outside, this occasion allows me to talk a little about the enemy and the resistance every year because several years ago we were immersed in internal events as well as events in the region.
With the remaining time, allow me to speak a little about the enemy, a little bit about the resistance, and to end the last section with internal challenges.
The enemy:
Some people in the region and in Lebanon imagine that the future of the region is linked to a fixed element called "Israel" and the “Israeli” entity. They cannot imagine a future for the region away from this. That is why some tend to recognize the enemy, coexist with it, and normalize with it, as is the case nowadays. Unfortunately, Manama in Bahrain has received the head of the government of the “Israeli” enemy, in an advanced step of normalization with the enemy. However, the resistance movements in the region, including us, have a different view and not illusions. I will not talk about slogans, hopes, and aspirations but rather a realistic vision based on realistic data and reading. We realistically believe that this entity is temporary and that this entity is beginning to decline.
So, I would like to talk about the arc began heading downwards. They usually use, as you know, some terms; there is an ascending arc that is going upward. It then reaches a point where it begins to decline – this is called a downward arc. I believe that the downward arc for “Israel” and the Zionist project began declining in 1985. Why? This happened when the resistance in Lebanon, with all its forces and factions, imposed on the “Israeli” enemy to withdraw from Mount Lebanon, Beirut, Dahiyeh, Sidon, Tyre, Nabatieh, the western Bekaa, and Rashaya. “Israel” hid behind the security belt and the well-known security tape. During these years, the result of which was the year 1985, all those who came to consolidate this project, including the Americans, the Marines, and others left, and the enemy army withdrew. It is here that the arc began going downward, and this matter was completed in 2000 when Greater “Israel” ended.
“Israel's” army, which cannot remain in Lebanon, the weakest country in the region as they believe, cannot establish a state from the Nile to the Euphrates with this downward arc. With the downward arc in 2005 withdrawal from Gaza and then 2006 defeat, Greater “Israel” fell. Greater “Israel” fell in 1985. It drowned more in 2000. Greater “Israel” fell in 2006 with the outbreak of the Intifada in Palestine. With the formation of the axis of resistance in the region, this downward arc descended even more.
The general trajectory of the entity is downwards. This is not my assessment. Hezbollah, in the end, is part of this battle. If it presented this assessment, it might be accused. But today, many of the enemy’s senior leaders, philosophers, and theorists in the “Israeli” entity, as well as research and assessment institutes for national security speak this language. That's what I'm going to talk about a little when I talk about the enemy. Hence, we see “Israel” in decline. We see it on the way to demise. It is only a question of time. The future of the region is a different future from what others see and base their calculations on. Many calculation were made in the 1980s and 1990s following the 1993 Oslo [Accord] in Lebanon and in the region. All of which are now gone with the wind.
Of course, perhaps as I am speaking now, many people are saying is speaking in another world because unfortunately during the past ten years our region, not just Lebanon, our region has been preoccupied with tremendous internal events and developments, dangerous invasions, and major crushing projects that were in place. And now, with the difficult and harsh economic repercussions that exist, Lebanon, inside Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and in many countries in the region, even those that have reconciled with the “Israeli” enemy are suffering from major economic and living crises even within the entity sponsored by America. We will discuss this topic a little bit.
People are taken aback by what is happening in this entity. But as part of the axis of resistance – as a resistance in Lebanon, with our country, our borders, our land, our gas, our oil, Lebanon's oil being in the circle of threat – we must follow up on the developments taking place in this entity on a daily basis. In conclusion regarding the entity and the enemy, we stand in front of an entity in crisis that is moving towards decline. The army is also in crisis.
The importance of the army
We must talk about the “Israeli” army because it is the protector of this entity regardless of whether it can survive or not – this entity cannot survive for one day. This is known because it is an artificial entity; it is an unnatural entity; it is an emergency entity; and its fate is linked to the fate of its army. There are many countries in the world and in history, even if their army collapsed, the state and society would remain because it is the son of the land and is rooted in this land, etc. However, “Israel” is not like that.
1- An entity in crisis:
I will say a couple of words about the “Israelis”. I am not coming up with anything from my own.
Every year, the “Israelis” assess the national security institutes. Former prime ministers, former generals, former chiefs of staff, former Mossad chiefs all talk extensively. At the beginning of February 2022, “Israeli” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid as well as other officials talked about three very grave threats to the entity.
The first threat is a nuclear Iran. The second threat is the axis of resistance, including governments, movements, and the development of the capabilities of the axis of resistance, especially in the missile field and drones. I will not explain them because they are clear. The third is the societal crisis, the internal crisis, the internal problem, the internal stalemate in the “Israeli” entity. Many do not know anything about this or do not follow news about it.
Foreign Minister Lapid, who is supposed to rotate and head the government instead of Bennett, the current head of the “Israeli” government, says:
The biggest threat is the disintegration of the social fabric of the “Israeli” society, considering that without internal social immunity we will not be able to confront Iran or Hezbollah or deal with allegations that “Israel” is a racist state.
You know Amnesty International and other institutions have declared “Israel” an apartheid state. Today, the only country in the world classified as an apartheid state, I think and to be on the safe side, is “Israel”. In the past, it was South Africa.
Of course, the Americans defended this issue. The former “Israeli” Chief of Staff Gabi Eisenkot – everyone who leaves the service writes books, presents theories, and becomes a strategist – warned that the rift in “Israeli” society – listen carefully, this is not a journalist for us to say one that is bored. This person is a chief of staff that considers himself a strategic theorist – is more dangerous than Iran and Hamas.
The following is the text of what he said: People are worried not because of the Iranian threat but because of internal weakness. The bloc is weakening; there is inequality; there are frictions between sectors; and the lack of integration of entire masses into society.
It should be realized that there is no national security without social solidarity. And the former “Israeli” Prime Minister Netanyahu, who’s considered to have governed “Israel” for a long time, said that he will strive to make “Israel” reach its one hundredth anniversary.
He wants to make every effort so that “Israel” will complete the hundred years. Why? It is not self-evident. It is not a given that “Israel” will survive and live for a hundred years. It is not axiomatic, as history teaches us that no state has lasted for the Jewish people for more than eighty years. This is Netanyahu and not Hezbollah, the Islamic Jihad, or Hamas talking about the future of the entity. The “Israeli” prime minister knows exactly what he has. He needs to make great efforts to keep “Israel” alive. Of course, there are those who believe that they are injecting life into it – the countries that normalized with it are serving the Zionist project by financially supporting the entity. These countries are trying to inject some life into the “Israeli” entity.
The general in the reserve, General Shaul Arieli, who is also an “Israeli” orientalist specializing in the Arab-Zionist conflict, said that “Israel” has adopted a number of strategies that have failed to achieve and embody the Zionist dream on the occupied land of Palestine, and it continues down the path towards losing this dream. Some “Israeli” political analysts or journalists may not be well-known, but they have emphasized that “Israel” is taking its last breath.
"Israel" is taking its last breath. It is tasteless to live in this country. We must leave for San Francisco or Berlin. Well-known Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy said that "Israel" has become the most dangerous place in the world for Jews. "Israel" will not be able to stop the process of internal self-destruction, as the cancer it is suffering from has reached its final stages, and there is no way to treat it.
Listen carefully, he said that there is no way to cure it, not with the walls that they build on our borders, inside occupied Palestine, and in the vicinity of Gaza, not with iron dome systems, and not even with nuclear bombs. This is a reality. This is a model. I will mention some samples that the brothers collected and wrote down. Otherwise, if we sit down and read what the “Israelis” say, what senior officials say, we will remain until morning reading. This conviction is being formed today in the entity. This is not based on dreams, fantasies, or slogans, but rather stems from a realistic field reading of the reality of the “Israeli” entity.
I will mention points that are related to this.
- The decline of the “Israelis'” willingness to bear the risks of combat. This is one of the army's crises today. “Israeli” youth do not go to the army against their will. If they do go to the army, they go to electronic and cyber work and things that do not involve fighting and risks.
- The desire of the “Israelis” to not bear and the decline of the confidence of the “Israelis” in the army and state institutions. There are numbers.
- The increase in reverse immigration:
I will read some numbers. The results of a recent opinion poll among “Israelis” revealed that 40% are thinking of leaving Palestine and returning to where they came from. We call on them to do so and we congratulate them for that. We are also prepared to contribute to the price of travel tickets due to the deteriorating economic situation.
- Inequality and disappointment due to the faltering settlement with the Palestinians – the entity continued to face these challenges, dangers, and acts of resistance.
A study issued by the Begin Heritage Center stated that 59% of Jews in “Israel” went or are considering going to foreign embassies to inquire and apply for foreign nationalities, while 78% of Jewish families supported their young children to travel abroad and so on.
- The economic situation:
Although America is with them and supports them annually with billions of dollars, while preventing Lebanon from getting a penny as aid, yet the economic situation inside the entity is a difficult and catastrophic.
In the last census they had, there was 1,079,500 unemployed people. The unemployment rate has reached 23%. This affects the entity and destroys it. This is an artificial entity that cannot live and survive in this way. There are many descriptions to the economic situation, the loss of strong and reliable leadership, internal cracks in the entity, the conflict between secular and religious, eastern and western, nationalities, white and black, parties and politics, as well as right and left, rampant corruption in the entity and in society, crime spreading inside the “Israeli” society. All of these put this entity in a slippery slope. I am not saying tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or in a year or two. We are talking about a path, a path that will not last long. There are events that greatly accelerate the arrival of this path to its end.
The same goes to the “Israeli” army. There is decreased confidence in the army, the army leadership, and officers. This was reinforced by their repeated defeats, including in 2006. The problem of incentives for officers and soldiers is that no one is ready to be killed as they were in the past. The repeated criticism of the army leadership by the “Israeli” community; the human gap within the enemy entity and within the soldiers, conscripts, and officers as a result of the existing societal divisions; the cost and feasibility as well as the great debate about the huge spending on the army in exchange for limited feasibility; the efficiency of the reserve forces, which declined during the past years; the poor logistics services; the food crisis (we say how Gantz said he wanted to provide aid to Lebanon. By God, we saw how his soldiers on the border were searching in the garbage for food to eat.); poor food quality (you’ve see news reports on “Israeli” channels); transportation problems – they will have a problem with this in any future war; salary class; poor discipline; a culture of lies and silence – senior generals talk about this; blurring the facts; the social media dilemma; and the worst and most dangerous are the sexual crimes in this mixed-gender army. When they said that they wanted to allow female soldiers to combat units and tanks, what will result then!!
Anyway, this is the enemy entity and the enemy's army. This downward arc is heading to this direction. Today, some Arab countries that have been asked to normalize, they were asked to do so to provide it [“Israel”] with time, life, breath, a new chance for this entity to continue and to help this entity out of its real crises. We are not talking about illusions.
Hence, the resistance here, the axis of resistance is moving within a clear horizon, within a promising horizon – the Palestinian people today through their steadfastness, sacrifices, pure blood in Nablus, in Jenin, in Al-Quds and through all the burdens they endure in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and in prisons.
What is required here is steadfastness in resisting, not giving up, and not despairing because they are standing before a horizon. Today, we are talking with each other now more than ever that a political settlement has no horizon, a non-existent horizon. Today, more than ever, negotiations have no horizon, no horizon. The only horizon that is open, promising, real, serious, and that can bring results within years is this one – the horizon of resistance. Also, if we add international and regional developments, the change of priorities of major powers in the world. Now, there is no time to explain this.
We, the Lebanese, are preoccupied with our difficult economic, living, and financial situation, and now we are going to elections. I want to say in this part, yes, I am not underestimating this enemy. It still possesses a lot of strength and capabilities. I am not saying that it has ceased to exist. Rather, I am saying that it is in a state of decline, in a state of descent. That is why it is deterred. Now, you have some people in Lebanon that would tell you that you are deterred and the “Israelis” are deterred. There is no problem because it is “Israel” that has been since 1948 attacking, kidnaping, killing, committing massacres, and bombing our infrastructure, airport, bridges, and roads. Today, the resistance deterred it. One of the reasons for deterrence is not only the equation – the equation and the strength to confront the enemy are the basis – but also the reality of the enemy, its weakness, and its inability to withstand many burdens that it once bore in the past. Keep this in mind.
2- The resistance:
We’ll talk about the resistance in a couple of words. Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to tell you something. Every year, I usually like to present a report to you and to the souls of our martyred leaders, Sheikh Ragheb, Sayyed Abbas, and Hajj Imad to tell them where we are, what we have accomplished, and what is new with us.
There are people in Lebanon who believe that today they are intimidating the resistance with tweets, statements, articles – of course paid for with money – and objections, etc., and they believe that the resistance is now confused, frustrated, depressed, unstable, and does not know what to do. This is an illusion. They also think that the resistance is provoked, frightened, and occupied – how will it confront those who are carrying out this behavior? The resistance, regardless of all the games that are going on – I call these games – and the economic and living situation, the difficult life, and real suffering [is always ready].
I’ve always told you, and today I want to confirm that there are people in the resistance whose sole job and task is the resistance – building it, building up its capabilities, developing it in all fields, and keeping pace with the enemy on every level – informational, operational, estimations, capabilities, plans, resistance, maneuvers, and the resistance’s readiness. Rest assured that anything you hear in Lebanon, including disputes, conflicts, insults, tweets, anything from social media, and even the $500 million that Feltman spent are all worthless. They are dust scattered like ash blown by the wind on a stormy day. This is of no value. On the contrary, the resistance is carrying on.
Also, the resistance is in a state of constant confrontation with the enemy, but people do not feel it because sometimes there is no direct combat. There are many things that happen in secret that are not talked about or expressed. I will focus on one topic. In recent years, “Israeli” knows that going to war is an expensive and difficult matter. Therefore, it continues to threaten with war, but it has so far has not resorted to it because it knows the cost. We talked about “Israeli’s” society, entity, and army.
It invented something called the “campaign between wars”, and you’ve heard this term. It is not a war, but it is a battle between wars. For example, it is trying to carry out a security work in a certain way in Lebanon – sending drones over Dahieh to blow up a place there as was done two years ago. It does the same thing in Syria from time to time. The “Israeli” planes launch missiles from the Golan and strike some targets inside Syria. This is what the “Israeli” calls the "campaign between wars" (CBW).
I do not want to engage in a lengthy analysis on this subject. I want to talk only about the part about the resistance. Among the objectives of the CBW is striking targets in Syria to stop the transfer of qualitative weapons to Lebanon. the “Israelis” do not have a problem with bullets, ammunition, Kalashnikovs, or RPGs to pass through. They don’t have a problem with these. They know that the quantity in Lebanon is more than enough. “Israel’s” concern has always been qualitative weapon reaching Lebanon. It is no secret that this type of weapons has so far been coming from the Islamic Republic that publicly, honorably, and proudly supports resistance movements. We thank them for this.
The “Israelis” know that this is happening in this way, and that is why they are striking [targets] in Syria. “Israel” set one of the objectives – this is not the only objective – to stop the transportation [of weapons] to Lebanon. Well, this posed a threat. What I want to talk about it today is for you to be assured, happy, and have more confidence and faith and also for the sake of the “Israeli” public opinion that is being lied to by the “Israeli” army who is informing them about the results of the CBW.
It is true, for the people, that I am revealing secrets. But the enemy knows these secrets; they are not concealed from them. Therefore, I am not revealing a secret about the enemy. Rather, I am telling you something so that you may be happy about it. Hence, the disruption of transportation from Iran to Lebanon – I am not saying that it’s been disrupted or not, this is another research, whether it was affected or not affected is also another research – has no doubt constituted a threat.
This resistance, this resistance school, the school of Imad Mughniyeh in this resistance, the school of Qassem Soleimani in this resistance, which is in fact the school of His Eminence the Imam and the Leader, may God protect him, is turning the threat into an opportunity. This is a threat, let us transform it into an opportunity. I want to tell the “Israelis”, your campaign between wars led to excellent results for us, and you are the loser and not the winner. What is turning a threat into an opportunity? It is the following:
1- I can announce today that for years and not just now and as a result of the fact that we are facing the threat of transporting precision missiles to Lebanon, we have the ability to transform thousands of our missiles into precision missiles in cooperation with our brothers – we have smart and specialized technicians and individuals – and experts from the Islamic Republic. We’ve started this process years ago and have converted a large number of our missiles into precision missiles. We don't need to transport from Iran. Your CBW is useess and has no result. This is the first point.
Of course, some may say that yes, the “Israelis” know, and the American knows. During the past years, the Americans, Satterfield and those who came before him would come to Lebanon, speak with Lebanese officials, and pressure them to stop this project. They demanded them to stop this project, and a lot of work was done through diplomatic channels; we received many threatening messages over the past years. Of course, the “Israelis” are looking for places. I like to tell them that we usually don't put everything in one place. Spread out, right! When we spread out, you go and search. “Israel” is searching for places and activating its agents. I'll touch a little more on the drones. “Israel” became in need of activating a larger number of agents and the main issue is to search for places. Same applies go the subject of drones. Let them go and search for places. God willing, we will be waiting for them. By the grace of God Almighty, the awareness of the resistance fighters, the folly of the enemy, and with the blessing of your prayers, God willing, we may be facing an Ansariya 2 operation. This is because “Israel” does not trust its agents. It’s agents bring it information; when it reaches the implementation stage, it will send commandos. It will send “Israeli” soldiers and “Israeli” officers, who will either come from the sea, will be drop in a remote area, or will be landed somewhere. We are waiting for them. I tell the “Israelis” that we are waiting for you, in the hope of an Ansariya 2 operation, God willing. And you all know what Ansariya 2 means.
Another example on the subject of the campaign between wars; what is the matter that the “Israelis” are afraid of? The “Israelis” and the others are talking about two important matters other than the ground forces, the infantry, the special forces that are supposed to enter the Galilee. They are focusing on the qualitative weapons, on the missile capability, and the drones. The subject of the drones today is well-known.
The drones are one of the Yemeni people’s most important weapons in defending themselves against all these tyrants. Well, it wants to prevent us from bringing drones from Iran. Also today, it is not a secret from the “Israelis”, but so that you may rejoice, just as we possessed the technological ability to transform our missiles into precision missiles, we in Lebanon and for a long time have started manufacturing drones.
If you want to buy, please submit your orders! We do not need to say from Iran. therefore, this objective of the campaign between wars has no value. If it continues in this manner, God knows what we will manufacture and what we will do because we are a people in the presence of need and in the face of threat, we do not remain silent; we do not calm down; we do not sit down; we do not surrender; we do not despair. In the face of need and threat, we must look for all opportunities. Our Lebanese resistance youth possess minds, understanding, intelligence, ability, will, and determination to acquire any experience that exists in this world.
The attempt “Israel” made in the suburbs two years ago when it sent two drones and one of them exploded while the second was disrupted was part of the campaign between wars. Since then, yes, we have faced the threat of drones. Before that, the drones were used to gather information. But with this transformation, it went towards an advanced step forward, which is an operational step. Drones began to be used in operations. Today, it sent a drone to Hay Madi neighborhood. Tomorrow, it will send to an office, a mosque, a gathering, a forum, a march, or a celebration!
Here, we were in front of a threat; we could have either surrendered in front of the threat or turned the threat into an opportunity. The resistance turned the threat into an opportunity, so it made the decision to activate the air defense that has existed for many years, since the time of Hajj Imad. However, the resistance made the decision to activate the minimum level in the face of the drones. Now, in the face of warplanes is another research.
That is why I said in the interview a few days ago, yes, so far, during these past two years, there has been a very big decline in the movement of “Israeli” drones in the skies of Lebanon. This is a very important development; one of the reasons for their need is that they have started recruit agents left, right, and center in Lebanon to fill the imbalance or the vacuum created by a great absence of drone, which gathered information.
Today, this possibility is no longer feasible. The number of drones and times they entered Lebanon decreased. They even enter with caution, after studies, meticulously, and with monitoring. Imagine that the normal drone that used to be frolicking in the skies of Lebanon dozens of times a day, if it wanted to enter Lebanon today, the air force would enter with it to protect it from the air defense of the resistance. This is also a great achievement. This is a threat that has been turned into an opportunity. Of course, when this weapon is activated, it will become stronger and more effective, and its presence will become greater in all future events and occasions. The resistance is now continuing. I will briefly talk to wrap up the part about the resistance so I can move to the final part and say a few words.
I tell you, the resistance as a structure, capabilities, and readiness is in a state of progress and development. For example, the previous summer and spring were among the biggest training seasons in decades. At a time when those inside were in chaos, NGOs were being formed, and millions of dollars were being paid by the American embassy, the resistance was conducting the largest training and rehabilitation program in decades, last summer. Hence, the resistance as a structure, capabilities, and readiness is in a state of progress and development regardless of everything that is going on around it. We affirm, here, its presence within the equation that we always stress on – the army, the people, and the resistance. This is with regard to the resistance. I believe that this report will satisfy you and, God willing, the souls of Sheikh Ragheb, Sayyed Abbas, Hajj Imad, and all our martyrs, and most importantly, God Almighty. We are here to fulfill our duty towards our country, our sanctities, and our people in the face of this threat and these ambitions.
The internal challenges:
The internal challenges that are occupying the Lebanese people are two big titles.
1- The first title comes first not in terms of importance but rather in terms of order it was mentioned – preparations for the parliamentary elections and what’s after the elections.
2- The second title is daily concern that has to do with the economic, living, financial, monetary situation, banks, depositors, etc.
- On the subject of elections, religious and political websites and the media direct daily accusations that [we] want to postpone the elections or cancel it. There are those who plot to postpone the elections. When they talk about postponing the elections, I do not see them focused on accusing our brothers in the Amal movement or the rest of our allies as much as they are focused on the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah. As if it is required every day for each of us to clarify and say that the elections will take place on time and that we do not accept that they be postponed, etc. to the extent that I would like to tell you today: I am one of the people who is beginning to suspect that those who often talk and accuse us of postponing the elections seriously want to postpone the elections. They do not want the elections since the calculations they made and built hopes on it did not work for them. Hence, they figured that instead of this embarrassment, let us just postpone the elections. In fact, they are the ones who should be accused, not us. Therefore, there is no need for us to stress on the importance of holding the elections on time.
- Regarding Hezbollah, our brothers have announced on more than one occasion, and on this occasion, I confirm that we will be taking part in the elections as in all previous seasons, with seriousness, vitality, strong presence, interaction, responsibility, and great mobilization, as in all previous elections, because for us all the elections were important. Meaning, we cannot say that these were not fateful and these are fateful. All elections in Lebanon are fateful, but sometimes they are very clear and fateful and sometimes fateful but needs an explanation.
Today, the elections are fateful and very clear. They do not need an explanation like in 2018 or 2009. During those years, the elections needed a little explanation, today we are going to clear fateful elections, because they explained it, and we do not need clarification regarding this matter. I will talk about this point. For us, today I am interested in officially declaring our electoral slogan for the upcoming elections because from now on, all electoral machines, regions, and events have to work on this subject. The mottos is: “We remain to protect and build.” The slogan for the upcoming elections is “We remain to protect and build.” In previous seasons, the slogan was “We protect and build.” In this season, we want to confirm our previous promises and say, “We remain to protect and build.” And for those who want to prevent us from protecting and building, we tell them, “We remain to protect and build.”
We will continue with this promise and path. We will protect through this true golden equation, call it what you will. The resistance is part of the equation. We will develop, fortify, and build it. We have spoken enough.
- The second part of the equation is the army which we insist on protecting, strengthening, and providing it with money and weapons – qualitatively and quantitatively. We also insisted that the door of support for the Lebanese army should not remain a single door; it should open the way for the rest of the world that came forward in the past and can offer gifts, donations, or different types of assistance because the goal should be to strengthen the army in order to protect this country. As a national institution, we respect, and appreciate the role of the Lebanese army. We consider it the basic guarantee for the country’s security and unity. It is part of this equation that we believe in to protect Lebanon in the face of all dangers.
- The third part of the equation and the most valuable part is the people. Why are the people part of the equation?
If the resistance is not based on a nurturing environment, if its people – fathers, mothers, young, old, scholars, elites, and politicians – do not embrace it, abandoned it, absolved it, stoned it, and besieged it, it will not be able to defend them, their dignity, their blood, their honor, their existence, their present, or their future. The people and the environment are an essential part of the equation.
Therefore, when we talk about victories that were not made by the armed resistance alone, the environment embracing it is a fundamental, strong, and major factor in making victories. This means you – the people in villages, towns, cities, schools, fields and factories – even if they do not carry arms. It is enough that they are in a position of awareness, have faith and commitment, and are embrace this resistance, defending it, not abandoning it, and not plotting against it. They are partners in all the victories that have been made so far.
Today, this environment and these people are the targets. Countries cannot target the army for other accounts that have nothing to do with “Israel”. When they make a decision that the country must collapse, then their policies towards the Lebanese army will be different. They tried military wars against the resistance and failed. They also tried assassinations and failed. They tried the campaign between wars and failed. What is left?
The third part of the equation remained, which is a very basic part. It is a constituent part, which is the environment and the people. Therefore, they have tried in recent years and will continue to work on the Lebanese people, the Lebanese public opinion, and the environment that embraces the resistance. Today, we do not need to infer and say that they are working on this environment. But people do not read about what they are talking about in “Israel”, “Israeli” officials, writers and researchers, journalists. There were conferences held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, and other places in the world on how to get rid of the resistance in Lebanon. Conferences were held abroad, and many Lebanese participated in them. Everyone spoke clearly – we want to pressure this environment for it to abandon the resistance. This does not need clarification and analysis. How do we pressure the people? How do we put pressure on the environment embracing the resistance?
In speaking, in language, in logic, there is no problem, but this will not lead to a result because the logic of resistance is stronger. Every day, we say that this is our defensive strategy, and we are not afraid of any dialog about the defense strategy or of any dialogue table. This is our approach to defending and protecting Lebanon. Tell us what your approach is. This is the credibility of our path. Tell us the credibility of your way?
There is no logic, no argument, no evidence. So, they are outside logic, and in the language, they only do insults, disparagement, accusations and slander, and squandering dignity the way you see on social networking sites, the media, etc. All this is being paid for – accusations, accusations, accusations. One journalist from among those arrested admitted that they paid him for the article. According to him, they paid him between $300 to $700 per article accusing Hezbollah. These people should be thanking us instead of insulting us because we’ve become their source of income. If it weren’t for us, not one would pay them to write insults, accusations, and slanders. They asked him to write an article about Hezbollah and the Beirut Port for $700. But this would not lead anywhere.
Insults, accusations, and slander do not make the environment of the resistance give up the resistance. On the contrary, this increases its faith in the resistance, hold on to it, and defend it. God knows what would have happened if we did not hold the people back! Is this true or not?
Hence, this road does not lead anywhere. What road works? Economic pressure, life and livelihood, medicine, food, bread, gasoline, diesel, pension, salaries, and the price of the dollar. Strangle the country and hold the resistance responsible for everything.
As for those who stole, the corrupt, those who plundered, those who made wrong policies, and those who have hundreds of millions of dollars and billions of dollars – there are people who made billions of dollars. I am not speaking randomly – these people are blameless. The problem in Lebanon is the weapon of the resistance. If you give up the resistance, you will eat bread. This is the biggest lie. Look at all those who gave up the resistance, what are they eating now? Are they eating bread?
You can go and search for these people. We will not mention the names of countries and people in order not to offend anyone. In any case, the environment today is the target; it’s in the crosshairs. Here comes the issue of elections, and they talk about its clear and explicit title. What are the goals of the elections?
We want to reach a majority in Parliament in order to reach the resistance’s weapons. For example, a very intelligent and clever person might come out in the south and announces that he is a candidate. He then introduces his political project – to implement Resolution 1559, knowing that the Lebanese people of the south have suffered the most from the occupation and the brunt of the occupation. Therefore, they will hold on to the weapons of the resistance the most. The people of the Bekaa and others will also hold on to the weapon, but they were under direct occupation. This person will tell you that he is a candidate and his political project is to implement Resolution 1559. What kind of candidate is this?
Today, clearly, there is a party going to the elections and its slogan is hostility to the resistance, targeting the resistance's weapons, and disarming the resistance.
That is why I said that the issue does not need an explanation. With the exploitation of the difficult living, social, and economic situation and the fallacy of holding the resistance responsible for these conditions, this, of course, puts on people the responsibility of protecting this choice so that this choice can protect it. We will talk later about this subject because when we enter the election season, God willing, we will talk about the subject since they are related.
Also, in this context, we are protecting Lebanon's identity. We are protecting Lebanon's Arab identity. The Arab identity is not the identity of normalization, nor is it the identity of surrender to the enemy. The Arab identity is another matter. We are also protecting Lebanon's identity, which is stipulated in the preamble to the constitution and in its legal articles. Lebanon is a country of freedoms since its foundation. What is Lebanon’s characteristic that everyone always praise?
I will elaborate this point later because it is part of the political battle today in the country that – there is a group accusing us that we want to change the identity of Lebanon. It is the one that wants to change the identity.
Part of Lebanon's identity is freedom of expression, freedom of the media. Lebanon has always been a refuge for all political oppositions from the Arab world and the world.
Who wants to turn Lebanon into a country of oppression, a country where it is forbidden for anyone to open their mouth, where no one can speak and take a stand? However, there is no problem in Lebanon if you are insulting and cursing Syria and the Syrian people or Iran and the Iranians day and night. Now, regarding the Ukraine crisis, you can talk about Russia as much as you want, there is no problem. Talk about China however way you want, there is no problem. But you cannot talk about these. This is Lebanon’s identity.
The identity of Lebanon is the identity of freedoms. In Lebanon, those who gathered the day before yesterday in the Resalat Hall are the ones who protect Lebanon’s true identity and freedoms in Lebanon. In Lebanon, the country of freedoms, the oppressed Bahraini people have the right to mark the anniversary of their uprising on February 14. The oppressed Yemeni people have the right is to speak about the children, women, and people who are being slaughtered every day due to the American-Saudi aggression on Yemen. It is the right of any person in this world to come to Lebanon and speak. We sacrificed blood in Syria. Meanwhile in Lebanon, here were people, media outlets, as well as Syrian and Lebanese opposition saying whatever they want. We did not say anything or object. We did not demand that action be taken nor did we make any laws. Now, they are calling for laws. We consider the Islamic Republic to be a very high moral standing. This is not a compliment. It is attacked on a daily basis in the media and on social media. But we did not demand a law and repression. The most that a person can do is to file a case before the Court of Publications – he’ll have to wait for the ruling. You must decide if this is a country of freedoms or not.
Either there are freedoms or there aren’t. Freedom cannot extend to one thing and not the other. Today, we are the ones defending Lebanon’s identity on the issue of freedoms. This topic needs a long discussion. But I want to say a couple of words. Yes, we’ve been building, serving, and working for our people from the very beginning, even when we had limited resources and we did not take part in the state. And when we took part in the government, we served the Lebanese people since it was an official position that must not be exploited for the sake of a region, sect, party, or group. In all the places where we worked – our ministers, deputies, and brothers – we were in the service of the people. I will talk about this in length later.
One of the rhetoric being spoken in Lebanon is that life is not only missiles. True, this is one of the fallacies. It is true that life is not only missiles, but missiles in Lebanon are the ones protecting life. These rockets are the ones preventing a third Qana from taking place. The missiles are the ones protecting the state, the country, the people, the borders, etc. Shall I tell you who said that we are only a party of missiles?
Here, I woud like to talk about our opponents. There is no problem between us and our allies and friends. I want to talk about our opponents who speak this language. What have you done and what have we done? Of course, later I will talk in detail.
Some of our opponents have been in the government for thirty years and have overseen ministries that have received huge sums of money. Some of our opponents have been in the government since 2005.
I want to ask them: let us see what you’ve done with the state's money and the money that came to you as donations from abroad. Produce documentaries, show the Lebanese people what you have done. Where are the universities, high schools, schools, orphanages, hospitals, health centers, vocational institutions, roads, infrastructure, services, education, and student support? Of course, some people gave something. But there are many people, especially who’ve been in the government since 2005 and others who’ve been in the government for 30 years, have they given money? What have they done? Let them tell us what they have done.
Only since 2005, the Americans said that in recent years we have provided Lebanon with ten billion dollars. Where? Mohammed bin Salman says we paid the Lebanese people from 2005 to 2017, twenty billion dollars, where? Let us see the 30 billion dollars. Where is the 30 billion dollars? Let's see it. Where are the institutions that serve the Lebanese regions and the Lebanese people of all sects. Yes, do you know where you can find the thirty billion dollars? You find the bulk of them in the banks, in the money that was smuggled abroad. As for us, we are ready to say what we have done and what we have given. We, our friends, our loved ones, and those around us are ready to present numbers. What we’ve done and are providing is known. We will continue with this topic.
Hence, even on the issue of building a state, we have a lot to talk about, but now the time is no longer available for this matter. Over the next few weeks when we reach the elections, people must be aware and reasonable and hold people accountable with awareness and logic. People must not be fooled by rumors, fallacies, or words that distort facts. Rather, they should look for their salvation and future that they must create with their own hands. Searching is related to protecting and building. God willing, we will talk later about the elections, the electoral program, the nominations, and the electoral alliances.
To our martyred leaders, our martyrs, all our loved ones, the families of the martyrs, the wounded and their families, all our liberated prisoners who have suffered from captivity and the darkness of cells and prisons, to our proud and patient people who made sacrifices and are faithful to Sayyed Abbas, Sheikh Ragheb, Hajj Imad, Imam Musa al-Sadr, and this history and present and are looking forward to a future of glory and dignity, we pledge that are with you. We will safeguard the will – we will protect, build, victor, and accomplish.
Peace, mercy, and the blessings of God be upon you.
