Sayyed Nasrallah to the “Israelis”: Stop Oil Extraction in Karish, Greek Company Must Withdraw Its Vessel Now

By Al-Ahed news

Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered on Thursday a speech dedicated for the issue of oil and gas, as “Israel” welcomed a floating gas rig from the Greek-founded, London-based Energean company to the Karish gas field.

At the beginning of his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah announced that “We are in front of a new thing that can be summarized by the title, a new “Israeli” aggression on Lebanon. What happened in the past days is an aggression against Lebanon and a provocation that set Lebanon in front of a difficult situation.”

“The ‘Israeli’ enemy tells the Lebanese people and the world that the ship that arrived will start shortly to extract oil and gas from the Karish Field,” he said, noting that “‘Energean’ came for extraction, production, and the remaining stages of export and sale, and not for exploration, as it was claimed.”

Reiterating that “Hezbollah doesn’t talk about the issue of the borders and the disputed area as the Lebanese state tackles this issue,” His Eminence elaborated that “This vessel was located near Karish field, which is located on line 29, i.e. the disputed area between Lebanon and the usurping ‘Israeli’ entity.”

“The Lebanese people today have a big question which is how to act towards the naval ‘Israeli’ attack. After the announcement of this field development, we heard statements and expressing the state’s position in different terms,” the Resistance Leader stated.

In parallel, Sayyed Nasrallah underlined that “We are all facing an issue that must turn into a major national one,” reminding that “We, as Lebanese, have a huge treasure in our regional waters which are owned by all the Lebanese people; this treasure in the sea is the only hope left to save Lebanon from its difficult economic and financial situations.”

“What first endangers Lebanon is stealing a very large area of its waters which include rights and resources; second comes preventing Lebanon from extracting its oil in its waters, and this requires a solution. The third issue that endangers Lebanon is that the ‘Israeli’ enemy and other countries empty the oil and gas fields located in the Lebanese waters,” he detailed.

His Eminence further underscored that “Everybody should feel the national and ethical responsibility as the oil wealth issue is of no less importance than liberating the occupied border villages in 2000.”

“Protecting this treasure, extracting it, and the maximum benefitting from it must be the goals that unite all the Lebanese people,” Hezbollah Secretary General advised, noting that “We don’t have much time to start operating in the gas and oil fields in Lebanon’s waters.”

Back to the 1985, Sayyed Nasrallah recalled that “As the issue of liberating the occupied border strip was raised, from here the resistance was launched. During 15 years, it offered many sacrifices until we reached liberation in 2000.”

“We are heading to face the risks related to the oil wealth, and we must know that the time is not in Lebanon’s interest. The day and the hour are very important. In the course of confronting the naval danger we have to learn that time doesn’t serve the Lebanese interests and every delay might drain more of the Lebanese wealth,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Resistance chief unveiled that “The immediate objective is to prevent the ‘Israeli’ enemy from extracting from Karish.”

According to him, “It does not matter where the ship has stood and where the drilling and extraction are taking place. The danger in the matter is that the enemy will begin to extract in the one and disputed field, while Lebanon is forbidden from extraction, even in its areas and in the blocks outside the conflict.”

“Karish field is one line, and therefore what will be extracted from it belongs to the disputed area,” he stressed.

On the political arena, Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that “Since the year 2000, Hezbollah entrusted the Lebanese state regarding the responsibility of the border demarcation,” noting that “In this confrontation, Lebanon owes the right and the motive. It is in front of a great challenge, and it possesses the strength under the title of ‘the army and the resistance.”

“All the ‘Israeli’ enemy’s measures will neither be able to protect this floating platform, nor will it be able to protect the extraction process from Karish field,” he went on to say, pointing out that “The resistance possesses the materialistic, military, security, information, logistic, and humanitarian capabilities to prevent the enemy from extracting oil and gas from the Karish Field.”

Assuring the Lebanese that “the resistance is capable of preventing the enemy from extracting oil and gas from the disputed Karish field,” His Eminence uncovered that “What ‘Israel’ will lose in any war they are threatening with is way more than what Lebanon will.  ‘Israel’s’ intimidation should not scare anyone at all. The enemy’s threats are not new.”

“The enemy’s choice of war will not only have strategic repercussions on the temporary entity, but also existential ones,” he said, noting that “Any “Israeli” foolishness will have not only strategic repercussions but existential ones.”

On the Lebanese side, Sayyed Nasrallah advised that “When the ‘Israeli’ enemy sees that the vast majority of the Lebanese people clinging to this maritime fortune, its calculations will become different.”

“A united stance by the vast Lebanese majority regarding Lebanon’s adherence to its rights will change the enemy’s calculations. Unifying the official position between the three presidencies, and behind them the state and its institutions, gives strength to the Lebanese negotiator,” he added.

As he mentioned that “The popular demand for the Resistance to intervene and deter the enemy in this issue pleases us and doesn’t annoy us at all,” His Eminence explained that “The Lebanese state today is heading to the choice of resuming the negotiations and this is the responsibility of the President of the Republic who is well-known for his consistency and braveness.”

“Should the state pick the choice of negotiations, the state, the resistance, the army and the people should stand by the Lebanese negotiating team to strengthen its stance and give it strength,” he said, reminding that “We are facing an enemy that does not recognize international resolutions, and the only logic that it understands is that of force and arrogance.”

Moreover, the Resistance Leader highlighted that “Based on the experience, ‘Israel’ does not respond to any international resolution but it only surrenders to pressure and resistance. We are facing an enemy that neither recognizes the international law nor the international resolutions; and it was through pressure, attrition, fighting, and resistance that the enemy withdrew from South Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, rather than through the international resolutions.”

“All of the Lebanese people must aim at the level of this national battle away from disputes; we have to be realistic in our expectations and we mustn’t give the people expectations of unrealistic results. Should the state pick the choice of negotiations, the state, the resistance, the army and the people should stand by the Lebanese negotiating team to strengthen its stance and give it strength.”

To the enemy and the friends, Sayyed Nasrallah sent a sounding messages: “The resistance today is one of the options that is available to the Lebanese state and people in this confrontation over the oil wealth. The capable resistance can’t and won’t stand idly in front of the looting of Lebanon's wealth. The mighty resistance can’t and won’t keep its hands crossed amid stealing Lebanon’s resources; all of the resistance’s choices are on the table and without hesitation. We do not want war, but we don’t fear it. When the enemy threatens war, it must know that the resistance does not fear war.”

“Among the most important reasons for the presence and the legitimacy of the resistance is contributing to protecting Lebanon; its main task is to protect the Lebanese land, sea, oil, gas, and dignity; it is the resistance’s religious and national duty,” he said.

Announcing that “Hezbollah will be following up the situation round-the-clock”, His Eminence confirmed that “The resistance has the right to gather the needed information to take any decision.”

To the “Israeli” enemy, Sayyed Nasrallah sent the following message: “You must stop this activity, and any action i.e. related to extracting oil and gas from Karish must end as this field is one and common.”

“The Greek company, its management and owners must know that they are partners in the assault on Lebanon that is currently taking place. This has repercussions, and it must withdraw the vessel immediately,” he advised, pointing out that “Since this moment, the Greek company has to bear full responsibility for any material or humanitarian damage that the ship might be exposed to.”

Unveiling that Hezbollah has established a portfolio that is considered a reference inside and outside Hezbollah for everything related to gas, oil and the maritime wealth as well as the land demarcation, His Eminence explained that “This portfolio is concerned with the issue of demarcating the maritime borders and the exclusive economic zone. We have added to it everything related to the borders.”

He also warned that “The US- “Israeli” strategy of is pushing Lebanon towards starvation, which constitutes a great danger to the social security and that is worse than the civil war.”

“Pressure must be exerted on the sides that are preventing the companies from exploring and extracting oil and gas from the Lebanese waters,” he said, noting that “Given the regional and international developments, as well as the strengths and weaknesses, Lebanon today is stronger than any time before.”