Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech on May 13th, 2022

Translated by al-Ahed News

Full speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah at the Electoral Festival in Baalbek, Rayak, and Mashghara

13-5-2022

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most 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.

Peace be upon you all in these squares, in Baalbek, in Ayn Bouday, in Rayak, the city of Sayyed Abbas, the master of the martyrs of the resistance, in the western Bekaa, in the Mashghara plain.

May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you all.

God Almighty says in His Glorious Book:

In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

{Those who believed, migrated, and struggled in the cause of Allah, and those who gave [them] shelter and help, they are the true believers. They will have forgiveness and an honourable provision.} (74)

Allah Almighty has spoken the truth.

I chose this verse because our people in the Beqaa, because the people of the Beqaa – when I say the Beqaa, it means the whole region, the historical name of the region and we must preserve this name, regardless of the administrative name of the Beqaa Governorate and the Governorate of Baalbek-Hermel, for thousands of years this region has been called the Beqaa and its people are the people of the Beqaa – gave shelter, helped, believed, were displaced, and struggled on the path of God, past and present, and in our ongoing battle.

I thank you for this great attendance, which is expected of you. This is how you’ve always been and are. This presence is not surprising at all. Yes, it may surprise the conspirators and those who cause us frustration. It may surprise those who bet during the past years – as I said in the Dahiyeh celebration – through their action and in the media, including the slanders, lies, accusations, insults, insults to honor, figures, and sanctities, the depositors’ money, sieges, sanctions, pressure, blocking loans, preventing aid, and preventing investment in the country. Their goal was to turn the environment of resistance against the resistance.

Allow me to say today that the people of the Beqaa region were most targeted by this conspiracy. They always had their eyes on the Beqaa, especially Baalbek-Hermel. They’ve always wondered since October 2019 - where are the demonstrations? Where are the sit-ins? Where are the tents? Because from the beginning, the issue was not a question of reform and livelihood demands, but rather something else.

Also today, your great presence is an expression of your loyalty, sincerity, and adherence to this resistance, which is you. You are its martyrs. You are its wounded. You are its fighters. You are the families of its martyrs. You are its arm, fist, mind, eyes, heart, and its affection. Today, your presence in this festival and arenas is a clear message and a clear answer, God willing.

The aim of this festival that took place in three places is to express moral, political, and popular support for the following lists:

1- The Hope and Loyalty list in the Baalbek-Hermel District
2- Zahle the Message list in the district of Zahle
3- A Better Tomorrow list in the West Bekaa and Rashaya districts

These lists are made up of brothers, friends, allies, and dear ones. We hope that they will reach Parliament, to be in the service of their country and people, especially in the service of this proud and honorable region, serving the dear Bekaa in its governorates and all its districts.

Before I address the specific issues of this festival and our upcoming [electoral] battle in two days, let me spend a few minutes on the crime perpetrated by the soldiers of the Zionist occupation that led to the martyrdom of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

On the one hand, Shireen Abu Akleh was a witness to the crimes of the enemy for many years. She was also a witness to the injustices committed against the Palestinian people, including the daily crimes, massacres, aggressions, and violations committed against them and holy sites. And today, she has become an oppressed martyr, the victim of one of these crimes. She is, therefore, both the witness and the oppressed martyr.

On the other hand, such is the true face of this enemy. Such is his bestiality which has never changed one iota, committing massacres, including the Deir Yassin massacre, massacres in Palestine, massacres in Lebanon – in Qana, Sohmor, and in the other villages – the massacre of the Egyptian soldiers trapped in Sinai, etc. This is the true identity of “Israel”, its essence and nature: monstrosity, tyranny, arrogance, bloodshed, and, throughout history, the murder of the Prophets. Nothing has changed, nothing at all.

The first who should feel ashamed, humiliated, and degraded are those who normalized with the enemy, be it regimes, governments, elites, and individuals who try to persuade our peoples that “Israel” is an entity whose existence is natural (and irrevocable), an obvious choice, a well-established and developed state with which one can coexist in peace. The first thing that came to my mind as I watched this martyr and her blood on TV is that her blood is on the hands of the leaders and elites who normalized [relations with “Israel”]. This blood is on their faces, cheeks, temples, lips, and hands.

The message of this event, O brothers and sisters, is very strong for the Palestinian people, the Arab and Muslim peoples, and the whole world. Unfortunately, some have been quick to try to shift the debate on this dangerous crime perpetrated by the enemy, turning it into a debate on Shireen Abu Akleh’s religion and her religious affiliation. 

I tell you that the strongest message in the martyrdom of this oppressed woman is that she is a Christian. The message declares to all that “Israel”, the temporary usurping entity, has attacked the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region, Muslims and Christians, and has killed, oppressed, expelled, imprisoned, and destroyed the homes of Muslims and Christians. “Israel”, the usurping occupying entity, has attacked both Muslim and Christian holy places. And just a few days ago, during the month of Ramadan, we saw the aggressive Zionist behavior against Muslim worshippers praying on Friday at Al-Aqsa Mosque and against Christians during the Great Saturday of the Holy Fire at the Basilica of the Resurrection (Church of the Holy Sepulchre).

The message of Shireen Abu Akleh’s martyrdom states that all are in danger, whether it is their lives, their blood, their children, their property, their homes, their future, and their Muslim and Christian holy places. The message states that this racist entity – today, the only entity on the face of the earth that openly declares its segregationist (Apartheid) regime is “Israel” – this inhuman, tyrannical regime against all human beings will never change one iota because this is its real identity and essence. 

No matter what those normalizing do and no matter what it may do in demonstrations of hypocrisy, its bestial and criminal nature will always drive it to commit such mistakes and acts of imbecility that will destroy all its efforts and programs. 
We hope that the blood of Shireen Abu Akleh and the blood of the young men and women, men and women, and children of Palestine will awaken the dead and withered conscience of others and cause all the good and dignity that remains in this nation [Ummah], both among Muslims and Christians, to rise up.

Allow me also today to extend my condolences to the families of the martyrs in Nubl and Al-Zahra of the local defense forces belonging to the Syrian Arab Army who saw more than 10 martyrs fall today in a brazen and open attack by the terrorist armed groups in northern Aleppo. I ask God the Most High to grant their families the strength to endure this loss and console their pain.

Returning to our present occasion, brothers and sisters, with the time available, allow me to talk about several points.

1-    The Beqaa and the Resistance:

This title falls at the heart of the electoral battle today as I said on Monday in the south. When I mention the recent history, it is not to waste time. Otherwise, time is short and there are many things that we need to discuss. I mention this recent history, especially, because it is deeply related to our present and with the political, security, and strategic challenges of the present. Hence, it is also related to our future. I also mention it because there are people who are born after the 1982 events. There are people who are born after this year and have never heard of or know about this date. There are also others who try to erase this date and not talk about it.

Therefore, in a few minutes, I must mention the position of the Beqaa in the cause of the resistance. The Beqaa and its people have always been an essential part of the resistance before 1982 and especially after 1982. They were part of the founding [of the resistance], at the front and in the fields, and provided backing and support. The most important confrontation took place in 1982 on the land of the Beqaa. We will remind people of this fact because it is often ignored by many. On the land of the Beqaa, the most important confrontation that halted the advance of the enemy forces took place in 1982. The forces were advancing toward Masna’a. Their plan was to at the very least reach the Masna’a-Chtaura road and to besiege the mountain and Beirut. That’s unless their plan was to advance further to the central Beqaa, the rest of the central Beqaa, and to Baalbek-Hermel.

The battle took place on June 11-12, 1982, that is, days after the start of the “Israeli” invasion, in the Sultan Yaqoub area. The people of the Beqaa Valley know where Sultan Yaqoub is, where the enemy’s hordes, tanks, and armored battalions were advancing and storming. They basically entered a wide area and no real and serious resistance took place there. Within a few days, they arrived at Sultan Yaqoub and were confronted by armored Syrian forces, supported by groups of Palestinian resistance factions there. The confrontation took place for a day or two. It was very severe and very violent. The “Israelis” said and confessed. “Israel” recognized the results. They admitted the deaths of 20 officers and soldiers, the injury of 30 others, the capture of two, and three missing persons. Two of the three are still missing so far. A large number of tanks have been destroyed. The Syrian forces were also able to seize eight tanks as booty, and the invasion stopped. 

This is something from the recent history that we must mention. The invasion stopped at that line. It did not advance towards Masna’a or on to the Masna’a-Chtaura road. It stopped at that line, and the “Israelis” attempted to gain control internally. Of course, there are a number of factors that stopped the invasion; one of these factors is that the battle of Sultan Yaqoub as well as another battle that took place in Mudayrej sent a clear message to the “Israelis” that the Syrian Arab forces will fight here as a red line because they are not only fighting for the rest of the Bekaa but also for the capital Damascus. 

Another factor is that within a few days of the occupation, resistance operations began in more than one Lebanese region, and this was a surprising indication for the enemy. The enemy thought that entering Lebanon, it would make peace with the Lebanese, coexist with the Lebanese, and normalize with the Lebanese because there are important political forces in at that time that promised it so. It was here that it was surprised. It was surprised by the rapid start of the resistance during the days following the invasion on June 5 and 6. Another factor is that the enemy saw how the clans in the rest of the Beqaa mobilized. Men and women joined training camps and announced that they would fight until the last drop of blood. Another factor is that Imam Khomeini made a decision to send some forces and a large leadership delegation. Iran made an official decision to fight alongside Syria and Lebanon in the face of the invasion. But the invasion stopped, and we moved to the stage of resistance.

The most important confrontation that stopped the invasion took place in the Beqaa, which has since became a safe haven for all the resistance fighters, movements, and parties as well as their leaders, cadres, camps, operations rooms, offices, and stores. It also became a safe haven for our people who were displaced from the western Beqaa and Rashaya, and the people of the Beqaa opened their towns and homes to those dear people who came from the western Beqaa and Rashaya as well as those coming from the rest of the Lebanese areas. The Beqaa remained the natural link between the occupied territories and Syria, which was at the center of the battle and which adopted the resistance and the resistance factions and parties since the beginning.

As for Hezbollah, let me clarify and confirm our issue in the Beqaa. Just as the resistance of Imam Sayyed Musa al-Sadr (may God bring him and his two companions back safely) started from Ain al-Buniya from its martyrs and wounded, so did our Islamic Resistance. It started from the Beqaa and Baalbek-Hermel, from the religious school in Baalbek, from Janta and the camps of Janta, and from all the villages and towns of the Beqaa. It was led by our master, mentor, leader, and our Secretary General, the master of the martyrs of the Islamic Resistance, Sayyed Abbas al-Mousawi and our great scholars, leaders, and brothers who have a long jihadist history.

Our resistance started from the Beqaa hills, its plains, valleys, camps, homes, the hearts of its people, their insight, their love, and their support. Here, the Islamic Resistance was established. Young people joined it, and people embraced it. From the start, they supported it, protected it, and bore all the consequences.

You and I remember. During those years, I was in Baalbek at your service in those early years – 1982, 1983, 1984,1985 and later on. Operations would take place in the occupied territories and the “Israeli” response would take place in the Beqaa and on the people of the Beqaa. The “Israelis” bombarded training camps in Janta and Ain Kawkab, the gendarmerie in Baalbek, the Sheikh Abdullah barracks in Baalbek, the city of Imam al-Sadr, and the hills where the resistance’s air defense sites were located.

Hundreds of martyrs from the resistance and the mujahideen and our people – men, women, and children – were martyred. The “Israelis” also sent car bombs to the market in Baalbek and across the headquarters of the Lovers of Martyrs on Ras al-Ain Road. You’ve endured all this. This “Israeli” bombing was not only to exact revenge following the resistance operations, but it was always an “Israeli” policy. After a resistance operation, the “Israelis” withdraw to the border strip. They would bomb villages in the south and western Beqaa to pressure the people. The bombing of the Beqaa in 1982 was intended to tell the people of the Beqaa to eliminate the resistance amongst you, from your villages, towns, hills, and valleys.

If you do not want to be bombed, killed, or harm befall you, you must abandon the resistance. This was the message. But what did you do? What did the people of Beqaa do? They did not hesitate, fear, retreat, weaken, grieve. Rather, they became more adherent. There was no voice in the Beqaa and in Baalbek-Hermel telling the resistance, “Enough, we cannot tolerate it any longer.”

No one called out, "Take your warehouses and training camps out of here." No one told the leaders of the resistance and Hezbollah to stay away from our places of residence because you are targets that can be bombed at any moment. Rather, they embraced the resistance, provided it with shelter, and supported it. This is the pinnacle of loyalty, faith, and insight.

Brothers and sisters, what they want from you today is what “Israel” wanted when it was bombing your hills, towns, villages, and valleys. They want you today to give up the resistance and its weapons. But the bombing is not the bombing of the air force or artillery bombardment. Rather, it is political, media, economic, and financial bombing. The siege, pressure, accusations, and distortion aim to make you abandon the resistance and stay away from it. This is the title that was put up in this battle, unfortunately, this electoral battle. I will come back to this when I conclude this point.

Operations began from the Beqaa to the western Beqaa and were led by brothers who were came from the Beqaa: martyr leader Reda Al-Sha’er, martyr commander Nassar Nassar, martyr commander Abu Hassan Bajaiji, martyr commander Abu Ali Hussein Merei, martyr commander Abu Ali Shahla, martyr commander Sayyed Hassan Hashem, and others.

Western Beqaa and Rashaya were liberated in 1985 within the framework of the “Israeli” withdrawal from western Beqaa, Rashaya, Sidon, Tyre, and Nabatiyeh to the well-known border strip. However, the operations in the western Beqaa front did not stop for many years – from 1885 until 2000.

The participation of the young men from western Beqaa and the Beqaa, who came from all the villages and towns, was key. They were among the leadership, cadres, fighters, martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, who were captured then freed and continued to work until the 2000 liberation.

The hills of Tomat Niha, Abu Rashid, Jabour Lewis, Al-Ahmadiyya, Bir al-Dahr, and al-Shahba witnessed the heroism of these resistance fighters, and we witnessed the Karbala-like heroic confrontation in Meidoun. Our leaders were martyred on those hills and on the path of resistance. The list of martyrs in Baalbek-Hermel, central Beqaa, and in the western Beqaa is long. The people of the Beqaa also took part in the south, in the axes of the south from 1985 to 2000 and until today.

The people of the Beqaa – your men and sons – played a great role in all the operations that took place from 1985 until the 2000 liberation – which is coming in a few days on May 25. Many of them were martyred and wounded.

On the land of the south, many from the Beqaa, including one of your dearest and most precious men, Sayyed Abbas Al-Moussawi, and one of your most precious and dearest women, Um Yasser Al-Moussawi, were martyred. You also took part in the July war. Your men fight in the south, on the frontlines, and in the Beqaa in the face of every [air] landing, threat, killing, displacement, bombing, massacre, and demolition of homes. You have been patient for 40 years. We are you; you founded Hezbollah; you are Hezbollah, and it is not right to say that you are with Hezbollah.

You are the resistance. It is not right to say that you are with the resistance. For 40 years, you have never been stingy in blood, loved ones, money, patience, or support. The resistance was your resistance. It was never forced upon you. It was your faith, your certainty, your affiliation, your will, and your determination. It was your insight and love. Therefore, you made sacrifices and you triumphed. These are your victories.

Today, there is a new position and a new political battle. Those waging this battle announced that they are targeting the resistance. I will conclude this point. I will return to it in the end. But let me ask you O people of the Beqaa, O people of western Beqaa and Rashaya, O people of Zahle and its towns and villages, O people of Baalbek and its cities and towns, what is your response to all those who are conspiring today against the resistance and its weapon.

O people of the Beqaa, you are the resistance; you are the weapon of the resistance; you are the martyrs and wounded of the resistance; you are the men and women of the resistance. Those people are not conspiring against me or my family. They are conspiring against you, your faith, your cause, the blood of your martyrs, your sacrifices, your victories. Your answer should also be of this level. 

Brothers and sisters, we must not forget. Since 1982, who has stood by the Lebanese people and its resistance and helped them expel the occupation that was covetous of our land, water, and goods and who wanted to impose on us an agreement with humiliating terms, as it did on the anniversary of May 17. We must remember those who stood by Lebanon – Syria and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iran and Syria today are also part of the electoral campaign and the electoral war. We must remember those who stood by “Israel”, supported “Israel”, defended “Israel”, and aided “Israel”, led by the United States of America and some Arab countries under the table. We must remember who resisted and who worked with the enemy and who was part of the friendly front and who was part of the enemy front that are now talking about sovereignty, freedom, liberation, independence, and national dignity. This should not be forgotten.

2-    The War With the Terrorist Organizations:

Because Zahle, the western Beqaa, and Rashaya were far from the frontline, it was the fate of Baalbek-Hermel and its people to be the first line of defense. It was their fate to defend the rest of the Beqaa and all of Lebanon in the past few years – I am not talking about things that happened 40 or 50 years ago. I am talking about something that everyone present at the festival remember and have experienced – in the face of the armed groups that were brought to Syria from all over the world. These groups occupied a large area of the eastern chain and the outskirts of Arsal based on their presence in the Syrian territories, in Zabadani, Qalamoun, Palmyra, Qusayr, and the towns of Homs.

These armed groups first posed a threat to all the towns adjacent to the eastern chain, regardless of whether these towns were inhabited by Muslims or Christians. They carried out bombings in the area and planned bombings in Zahle. They sent car bombs to the southern suburbs and Beirut, attacked the Lebanese army and the internal security forces, killed officers and soldiers, dragged them in the streets, and arrested and detained others.

They used to bomb towns from time to time and were planning to invade towns in Baalbek-Hermel, especially some Christian towns, as was later revealed in some documents and papers. If their project were to be victorious in Syria, they would’ve posed a threat to all of Lebanon and not only to Baalbek-Hermel, Zahle, western Beqaa, Rashaya, and Beqaa.

Once again you stood up. You are the real guards who do not sleep; the true, honest, and loyal guards who stood up to guard the homeland and the Beqaa and to protect honor. The resistance in all the Lebanese regions stood up with you; their youth came to fight in your mountains and barrens where they had previously trained, and many of them died as martyrs in the barrens of Baalbek-Hermel, and then you triumphed.

Once again, we must recall these positions, this battle, and this ordeal. What were the positions of the other political forces that are today calling for sovereignty, freedom, and independence? Let's state things frankly, even if I do not like to name people and parties, but they are known to you. We all remember how they prevented the army from confronting. This is because they were the main parties in the government and the majority in the Lebanese government at the time. Otherwise, the army had faith, courage, and the ability to confront. They prevented it with a political decision. This is sovereignty, freedom, and independence!

They tell you we only want the army to defend Lebanon. But you prevented the army from fighting a battle that threatened the towns and villages and confronting car bombs that attacked Hezbollah, the army, army officers, and soldiers. The army was ready, but you prevented it.

I tell you, if you were a majority in any government, you would never dare to make a decision for the Lebanese army to confront any “Israeli” aggression or respond to any “Israeli” aggression. This is an experience. Even worse, they supported the armed groups, including Daesh and the Nusra in the media, politically, financially, weapons wise, and food wise. They sent delegations and held press conferences. Can you forget that?

It has not been 15 or 20 years, for us to forget this incident. This happened a few years ago. To those who say that they love the Beqaa and its people – Muslims and Christians – and want a happy, free, and dignified life for the people of the Beqaa, you left the people of the Beqaa to face killing, captivity, bombing, and fragmentation. It was the people of the Beqaa – Muslims and Christians – who took up arms and fought in the border villages. They fought in the border villages together, shoulder to shoulder.

Allow me to address our Christian people in these villages and ask them a question. Consult your conscience, reflect a little, and think. Did the leaders of the Christian parties – some, of course – that bet on Daesh, the Nusra, and the armed groups in Syria, prevented the army from fighting, and supported these groups – these political leaders are known – think about you? Did they think about your blood? You, the  Christians in Baalbek-Hermel, the Beqaa, and Zahle. Did they think about the people of the villages along the frontline first? This means the people of al-Qaa, Ras Baalbek, and other villages along the frontline! If the frontline had fallen, Deir al-Ahmar, Shalifa, Sareen al-Tahta, and other villages, as well as Zahle and the whole area would have been in danger. Did they think about you? Your blood? Your homes? Your money? Your honor? Your safety? Your dignity? I tell you they did not think. If you consult your conscience, you will know that this is the answer. Why?

Because these political leaders of some Christian parties considered this battle and this ordeal as part of the global war on Syria. Their concern was to bring down Syria, to bring down the state in Syria, and to besiege the resistance in Lebanon, while the Christians in Baalbek-Hermel and the Beqaa are collateral damage like in any battle. This is how they think of you.

But the people of Baalbek-Hermel, the people of the Beqaa – I know young people who belong to these political parties, who contrary to the decision of their leaders, were ready to take up arms. They took up arms. If this weapon that you are demanding today to be given up and if it was not in Baalbek-Hermel, what would have happened to Baalbek-Hermel, Zahle, the western Beqaa, Rashaya, and the Bekaa? What would have happened to all of Lebanon? Where were they?

Of course, with regard to this matter – because you must make your political choices as well – we are not talking about asphalting a road or digging a water well. We are talking about your presence in the land, your survival in the land, your blood, the fate of the future generations, your sons and grandchildren, your honor. This was the nature of the battle. This matter does not only concern the Christians, it also concerns the Shiites as well as the Sunnis.

In Syria, these groups committed horrific massacres against the Sunnis. Today, Daesh left Syria and was taken to Afghanistan. What is it doing in Afghanistan? One day, it blows up a Shiite mosque in Mazar Sharif. Another day, it blows up a Sunni mosque in the city of Kabul. There is no difference between a Sunni and a Shiite. If you do not follow their way of thinking and belong to their school, your blood is permissible to be shed whether you were Shiite, Sunni, Druze, Muslim, or Christian. There is no difference. This is what was waiting for the Lebanese in that battle.

Today, it becomes clear who was concerned, truthful, faithful, the defender, the protector, the one who made sacrifices, and the guards.

Today, marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of martyred leader Sayyed Mustafa Badreddine, may God be pleased with him. I must remember him during our festival. He was the one who led the security confrontation in the face of all the car bombs and a large part of the military operations in the outskirts and adjacent Syrian areas. Instead of confronting measures, we must go to the depths, to the enemy's heartland, to its operations room, to the car manufacturing plant, to the booby-trappers and bombers who send suicide bombers. This is what our martyr leader Sayyed Mustafa Badreddine did. And if, after that, we enjoy safety and security – no car bombs in the Beqaa, Dahiyeh, or Beirut – it is because of the blessing of this leader, these leaders, these martyrs, and these mujahideen.

Concluding this point, brothers and sisters, you must make up your mind. This scene will be repeated in the face of any danger the Beqaa as well as its Muslims and Christians are exposed. When it is part of the international game, these are part of the cosmic war machine. They are part of the conspiracy machine against the country. They are part of the battle front that serve the enemies’s projects and other projects. You must make up your mind; will you be with those defending you or conspiring against you? Will you be with the rifle, with the hand that raised the rifle to fight in the Beqaa, or with the hand that offered the rifle to the armed groups to shed your blood and enslave your women? They are on the other list anyway.

3-    Development, State-Building, and Other Issues the Lebanese suffer from:

When we talk about the problem of electricity, it is the problem of all the Lebanese people; the problem of agricultural and industrial production is also the problem of all the Lebanese people; the issue of the depositors’ money is the problem of all the Lebanese people; unemployment problem is a problem for all the Lebanese people.

In order to address and develop the region’s problems – of course, a lot has been done so far and the brothers explained a lot during the electoral campaigns. Hence, there is no need to explain – and the various issues that people face, the presence of a state is necessary. It is necessary to have a fair and capable state. Fair means security for all areas, balanced development for all areas, and care and attention for all areas. With our own capabilities, we are making efforts. We have made and are making great efforts that are well known to you, and this is our duty.

There are many things that have improved in the past years, but the journey is still long and the road is far, especially the with regard to issues that all the Lebanese suffer from, not just the people of the Bekqaa. All this must be addressed – let me tell how – through a strong presence in the state. I do not want to repeat what I said in the speech I delivered in the southern suburbs because as we said the speech delivered in the south and the other in Dahiyeh address all of Lebanon, and it was addressing you as well.

There are issues and files that no party, regardless of their human and material capabilities, organization, current, or political group can address. These are central files that no one except the state can address. So, the natural way is to have a strong presence in the state, and this is what we wanted to advance in, especially in the next few years. In every place where we have a notable presence, we are able to serve the people, through some ministries.

Praise be to God, for the past period, there were ministries that provided services. Brothers and sisters, as experience has proven, we are among those people who – I do not claim that we are alone – do not benefit from the ministry when we assume a post – not for ourselves, our families, party, sect, or region. But we work in the service of all the Lebanese. We do not take money from it, but rather spend money on it. We do not take money from the ministries that we are responsible for. On the contrary, we spend money in them. This experience is present in all the ministries we have been responsible for.

And this is the experience of the past two years during the coronavirus [pandemic]. The Minister of Health was our brother. Hence, through our strong presence in the state, we can advance in serving all areas. Of course, priority is given to deprived areas and areas that have been neglected for decades, foremost the Beqaa, Akkar, and the North, although today deprivation and the problem of development and poverty transcend areas and sects.

Brothers and sisters, we want several things in the next four years. It is possible that these four years will not be enough for us, but we are talking about the foreseeable future. There are several things. I will mention four very points quickly and give examples.

1-    What we are promising you is to work on a strategic project for the Beqaa, Baalbek-Hermel, Zahle, the western Beqaa, and Rashaya – the tunnel project that connects Beirut to the Beqaa. This is an old project. It was raised in the Lebanese Parliament in the 50s. It was also put forward in the 50s in the program of one of the representatives of the Baalbek-Hermel region. It was raised again to the Lebanese government in 1963 by the Japanese government. The Japanese government provided a free study on the tunnel and its cost. It was possible for the Lebanese government to implement it, but it did not implement it. Why? The answer is clear. The issue was raised again in Parliament in 1993 and in the current term of 2018, and I think in 2019, the Bekaa representatives united. No one should claim that they are alone. They submitted a proposal, and the Lebanese Parliament voted to propose a law to allow the Lebanese government to complete a tunnel between Beirut and the Beqaa. Later, His Excellency President General Michel Aoun and His Excellency Prime Minister Hassan Diab issued this law in a decree that became available in the Official Gazette. The law stipulates that the government is authorized to construct a tunnel for the Beirut-Beqaa Road using the BOT method or in partnership with the private sector and presenting an integrated project, including a plan, the costs, and the stages of implementation. This means that this project is being followed up. The party that is primarily concerned with this is supposed to be the Ministry of Works. Then, the government will decide on the plan, projects, financing, contracts, etc.

Of course, this project has forms and sizes. It has various proposals. One of which is to build a tunnel between Beirut and the Beqaa – I do not want to go into details of where it will stretch from and ends because there is a discussion about this. It can be a tunnel or a highway inside a tunnel for cars coming and leaving, for trucks, and for transport.

There is a broader project that involves railways – a railway next to the highway. Another project talks about electric lines, communications, pipelines for transporting water and oil, etc. These are all details. What matters is the project itself.

Basically, we say today and based on what the Minister of Works, the current Minister of Works, who is also the son of the Beqaa region, has started, according to my information, contacting ambassadors, countries, and private companies. So far, he has spoken with the Italians, the French, the Turks, the Chinese, the Egyptians and the Iranians. Let us leave talking about the Iranians for the end because they are guaranteed. But the priority is for no one to cower and say the Americans will impose sanctions, etc. We started talks with the Italians, the French, the Chinese, the Egyptians, and the Turks. These are your friends. We went to the West and the East; we did not just go to the East. This will be followed with all seriousness.

This project, God willing, will be pursued by all the deputies of the Beqaa Valley. This is not a subject of competition between parties, currents, movements, or political groups.

I call on all the deputies of the Beqaa who will be elected in the three constituencies and will represent the Beqaa in the new parliament to make this a priority. The Minister of Works, whether he is one of us or someone else in the next government, must demand and follow up. Same goes to the government, the head of government, and the executive branch. This may not be achieved in a short period of time. But there must certainly be a follow-up, continuity, and pressure because this is a project that concerns the lives of people. It is a very strategic project for the area. At the very least, it will save people time commuting between the Beqaa and Beirut and all the Lebanese areas, those taking the Dahr Al-Baydar road. They will save money and expenses, transportation and petrol, transportation difficulties, transportation risks, traffic accidents.

It will also provide an opportunity for the movement of goods. One of the problems is the movement of goods and agricultural crops from the Beqaa to Beirut or to the port of Beirut.

It will open and restore the port of Beirut to its distinguished and strategic position in the region and the Arab countries. It will open a transit line to Syria and the entire Arab region.

It also has very great economic and social outcomes and blessings. We must work on it in any case. This is first.

2-    We must prioritize the agricultural sector and the agricultural and handicraft industries. Knowing that the Beqaa is an agricultural area, the most important problem it faces is strengthening the agricultural sector. This requires effort in the government and continuous demand.

Governments regarding this matter are still negligent. We, Hezbollah and Hezbollah institutions, are making efforts. And I tell you, we will make more efforts that will focus on improving the conditions of agricultural production and on agricultural cooperatives and increasing their number and helping sell agricultural production through the state or through our relations and efforts.

God willing, and we ask God to grant us success in this field. This is also a matter of great importance.

3-    After the establishment of the idea of the two governorates in the Beqaa and the completion of the structure of the Baalbek-Hermel governorate, there is a project that we will all work on as well. It will help the citizens and relieve them of their burdens whether in the administrative issue or in administrative decentralization issue. The Lebanese all agree on administrative decentralization. After that, we will discuss the details, but the principle is agreed upon and it must be achieved during the tenure of the new parliament.

4-    This is the last point before the final title. The last tittle is a general one, and we will be concluding all our festivals with it. The last point is to work in the new parliament and the new government to end the Lebanese-Syrian relations file. This matter must end. We all know that the return of normal relations between Lebanon and Syria and the return of normal relations at the border crossings, in the economy, in projects, in visits, and in exchange on more than one level will benefit Lebanon, especially the Beqaa. This is a vital condition for the Beqaa, at the official level and at a lower level which is the Beqaa and Syria, the crossings, the borders, the problems, and the facilities.

All this, God willing, we, the brothers, and the representatives have worked on it and will be working on it in the next stage. Today, one of the achievements of these endeavors is the opening of the border crossing. Relations with Syria are also important for the Beqaa and its people. It is very important. If this tunnel was later implemented, with measures taking place there and some improvements, this matter will bring great benefits to the areas of the Beqaa.

4-    The Conclusion:

The conclusion of the speech today and for this festival in the three constituencies and in all the festivals that were held, as well as my address is directed to all those who will vote on May 15.

Look, brothers and sisters, we will advice you a little. During the electoral campaigns, we heard many strange, ridiculous, and funny things. And if this indicates something, unfortunately, other than the issue of the resistance and its weapon, it indicates the level of meanness as well as moral, cultural, and intellectual decadence of some who present themselves as leaders who want to build a state, protect the country, and solve crises.

I will give examples. Whoever did not hear, let them hear because today we must determine our options. You’ve decided on them early on. There is a person who is already responsible for the disappearance of $ 11 billion and for failed economic and financial policies that led to the accumulation of tens of billions of dollars of debts on Lebanon. He presents himself as the economic savior and the financial savior, when he was the reason for the calamity. He holds Hezbollah responsible and says that the path to salvation begins with liberating the state from Hezbollah.

Another person does not want to liberate the state from Hezbollah. Even though this person in not important. I am mentioning this because it was an idea that was told. He wants to liberate the Shiites from al-Husain; he wants to free al-Husain from the Shiites. Can you imagine this? This is an electoral slogan – the liberation of Imam al-Husain from the Shiites. O silly, can you take al-Husain from our hearts, minds, and souls? We are the ones who have been crying for al-Husain for 1400 years as if he was killed yesterday. We cry for him with our heart, eyes, and minds.

Some of the brothers object when I use some phrases. However, allow me this time to use them because he, seriously, is imprudent. Another person’s electoral slogan is liberating Muslim women from the veil. There are people who want the Lebanese to walk around naked! He is fighting his electoral battle because he wants people to walk naked, of course not completely naked, three quarters naked! This person presented himself as an important figure who wants to swim, dance, eat, and drink. My brother, who is preventing you?

Hezbollah is 40 years old. Did it prevent you from swimming, dancing, eating, and drinking? This is absurd. Instead of Lebanon’s symbols being scholars, jurists, thinkers, and great intellectuals and inventors, instead of the history of Lebanon, the identity of Lebanon, and the symbols of Lebanon being thought, diligence, jurisprudence, philosophy, culture, poetry, literature, and art, and instead of speaking about the first and second martyrs, the Karaki Investigator, Gibran Khalil Gibran, Mikhail Naimy, Hassan Kamel Al-Sabah, and Imam Musa Al-Sadr, they talk about going to the beach, swimming, and dancing. This is the identity they want to preserve. My brother, preserve it. Who is standing in your way? This is misleading. This is ridiculous. This is insulting people’s intelligence. You can laugh here.

Do you know in 2009 in the districts of Matn, Jbeil, Kesrouan, Zgharta, Bsharri, and in the districts with a Christian majority, what was said to the people? They were told that if they voted for the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah will have the majority and they will make wear a chador. Some people believed this. We do not even force people in Dahiyeh or Baalbek-Hermel to wear the chador. If they wear it, may God increase their goodness. Can you see the absurdity? This is the level of the political battle today. They make accusations. I want to comment on this topic. Also, to end this electoral battle, what is the whole problem in the country? 

Truly, if a person sat down and asked himself. Was it the weapon of the resistance that prevented you from implementing the electricity plan? All of you were part of the governments from 2005. Before 2005, they were arguing about the presence of the Syrians. From 2005 until 2019, my brother, all of you were [part of the government]. Why didn't you implement the electricity plan? Did the weapon of the resistance prevent you? Did the weapon of the resistance prevent you from building dams to make better use of Lebanon's waters? Did the resistance weapon prevent you from opening the doors for foreign companies to invest in Lebanon East and West? Or was it your mistress America that prevented you? Was the weapon of resistance the one that made those catastrophic economic and financial policies during the past 30 years or was it the one opposing these policies while the US protected them?

Was it the resistance’s weapon that prevented you from building bridges, dams, highways, and oil refineries? These projects have been raised for years, not from today, and all of you were part of the government. Was it the resistance’s weapon that protected the smuggling of billions of dollars from depositors' money, or was it you? You and the financiers of other lists have smuggled the depositors’ money, and your mistress America is the one that helped you smuggle the depositors’ money. Everyone in Lebanon know this.

Can anyone transfer a dollar from Lebanon to outside Lebanon without the Americans knowing? Can anyone able to transfer hard currency, even between banks, without the knowledge of the Americans? Even when things were open, if someone had deposited money in the bank and wanted to take more than a specific ceiling, he could not take it without the approval of the Americans! Today, for all those who talk about the depositors' money, do you know who can return your money to you but does not want to? The Americans and their people. The Americans know how each dollar came out, when it came out, where it went to, and to whom it was. They know the boring details. 

The Americans can get their hands on this money and return it to the Lebanese people, the Lebanese state, and the banks who in turn will return them to their owners. Biden is only good at confiscating the money of Afghanistan, the money of the rich Russians, and the Russian state.

Well, go ahead, the people of the Americans in Lebanon. This matter is easy. There are no legal or religious problems. Ask them if you are really keen and honest with the people. Today, the biggest calamity in the country is the depositors' money. You spend your time day and night at the American embassy, you formed your lists at the American embassy, you took funding from the American embassy, and you serve the American embassy’s project. Go ahead, ask the Americans to return the depositors' money only!

But the Americans will not do that, and neither will you! Because the purpose of this is to humiliate the entire Lebanese people, to put pressure on the Lebanese people, and to humiliate the Lebanese people. This is the goal!

America is preventing the electricity from Lebanon until this moment, and it has been proven that the American ambassador and the Americans lied. It is America that prevents the world from coming and investing in Lebanon. And if there is someone who wants to invest, it prevents you from accepting them to invest.

Brothers and sisters and the people of Lebanon, your battle is today. The one that is starving you, stealing the depositors' money, covering up theft, and besieging you is the American administration. Those people are fighting for its project and agenda. You must make up your mind.

One of the strangest things that was raised – other than the issue of the resistance's weapon – is the Iranian occupation. You tell them, well, where is the Iranian occupation? Show it to us. Bring us the Iranian army. There is no army! Usually in the world this occupation. Where is the Iranian army? There is no [army]. Well, where are the Revolutionary Guards? There aren’t any. Civil servants? You know in Iraq and elsewhere, the American embassy has thousands of employees. How many diplomatic employees are there in the Iranian embassy in Beirut? A few, and the rest are Lebanese. There is a small number of Iranians. Then, they talk to you about an Iranian occupation. Then, it turns out that Hezbollah is the Iranian occupation! You are an Iranian community; you are a division in the Revolutionary Guards. We’ve heard this, and it’s being said every day. This is ridiculous! You just cancel whoever as you please.

In any case, tomorrow we will see in the elections the number of votes, and we will see who the voters, the Lebanese people, will vote for despite the bribes. 

I would like to warn you. There is a lot of information coming from all districts. People who wants to vote for you or for a list that’s not theirs are being approached and are given $100 or $200. In some places, they started giving $500. They only takes your ID card, even if you do not want to vote for them, to block the vote from this list. They are doing this now in our districts as well. This is a big test for the people! Isn't that silly?

You write off whoever and accuse us of not being Lebanese and patriotic! Who is the patriot, who is the Lebanese, and who is the sovereign? Another thing, who are you? Even when it comes to the position of countries. There is the country that stood with you, such as Syria and Iran. Let's talk about Iran because they say there is an Iranian occupation. Such a country stood with you and helped you in resisting and liberating your land and rebuilding Lebanon after the July war. Every day, it offers you assistance and says I am ready, what do you want? Power plants, oil, gas, tunnels, highways, bridges, I am ready. Then, there are countries like America that prevent anyone from coming to Lebanon to build and invest.

When the Iranians are my friend, I am not a patriot but an Iranian community. But when your friend is American that plunders, steals, plots, and starves the country, you are a patriot and sovereign! I will not use your language and say something else about you.

But in any case, brothers and sisters, we have heard in these electoral campaigns a lot of frivolous talk. I will give you another example and conclude. I heard someone speaking in Tripoli knowing that there is no Hezbollah list in Tripoli. What was he telling them? Do not vote for Hezbollah. O brother, there is no Hezbollah list in Tripoli. Do not vote for Hezbollah because if you vote for Hezbollah, the Qubba neighborhood and the Tabbaneh neighborhood will be filled with Husseiniyas. This is an electoral speech! This is an electoral project!

But what we witnessed was more than the ridiculous speeches, we witnessed a strange state of hatred and grudges spewing out of their mouths. They’ve taken this matter to a point where the title of the battle for some political parties is this finger, i.e., on May 15, we will break this finger. What’s up with this finger? I know that this finger infuriates the Americans, the “Israelis”, the takfiris, the enemies of Lebanon. Why does it offend them this much? 

It irritates them. I saw a candidate waving his hand like this – i.e., raising his finger – then turns and says I hate this finger. He repeats it. There is an obsession. Some of these people suffer from psychological problems. What is their problem with this finger? What is this finger worth? My family, beloved, and dear ones, I lived among you and you know me well. I am a very ordinary person, a son of a very ordinary family.

I do not come from a rich family, a feudal family, or a political family. You all know me. The value of this finger is that it represents your fingers pressing on the trigger of a gun and a cannon. The value of this finger is that it expresses your political choices that reject humiliation, submission, and weakness. This is the worth of this finger!

When this finger speaks and delivers a speech, when it depends on God Almighty and upon you, on your courage, on your presence, on your determination, on your fists, on your blood, on your honor, on your belonging, on your sincerity, and on your loyalty! That is why this finger enrages them because it is you who are enraging them, by resisting, by your unequivocal commitment, by your clear insight, by your patience and steadfastness. That is what enrages them.

This great presence today – have complete confidence – brought joy to the hearts of all the supporters of the resistance and everyone who believes in the resistance in Lebanon and in the world. It also brought fear and terror into the hearts of the “Israelis”, caused anger, and increased hatred in them because there is nothing in them but hatred and resentment. Some even went further. This candidate considers himself to be polite and educated. He is a current deputy nominated on their lists in Jbeil and Kesrouan because they are very agitated in the battle in Jbeil and Kesrouan – if there is a Shiite presence there, it is forbidden from expressing itself and having a representative to represent the majority of those who belong to that area. This representative says: Not only do we want to break his finger, but we also want to break his neck! This is what’s become of the political discourse?

This is the level of political discourse, and they have candidates in the area, in the districts of Baalbek-Hermel, Zahle, and the western Beqaa. I know they cannot break a finger, nor can they break a neck, and they cannot do anything. It is all rumbling. But look, brothers. My name is written, and we have confirmed that, thank God. It is still on the voters list in our village in Bazourieh in the south. Unfortunately, I cannot go to the south. This is a testimony for you and me. In the end, yes, there is a person who is threatened by the “Israelis” and has a problem with the “Israelis.” 

Of course, we also heard hints at normalization with the “Israelis”. We heard that the problem with “Israel” is one that Hezbollah invented and that there is no problem. These people are present. Some of them are Shiites, and they are also candidates in Shiite districts so that you know the models they brought. Anyway, my name is listed on the voters list, but I can't go up and can't vote with my finger. What protects this finger and leaves this finger raised as a sign of attendance and victory and as a sign to inflict wrath in the hearts of all enemies is your fingers on May 15. 

I know that it will not be difficult for you, the ones who have never been stingy in lives, blood, bodies, homes, money, or all kinds of sacrifices, to go to the polling stations and vote to protect this weapon and to send a message to all those conspiring against you, your resistance, your security, your existence, and your future – you are the followers of that Prophet and that Imam who when he was threatened with death – we are now not in the circle of death, but if you were threatened with death and displacement to abandon their position and message and our position is resistance – said, “by God if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that I abandon this course, until God has made me victorious, or I perish therein, I would not abandon it.”

On May 15, you are not required to “perish therein”. You are required to give your vote, your signature, your honorable imprint with ink, not with blood. As I said, let blood defend the homeland and protect the whole country and its southern borders with resistance on its eastern borders. You are the guards of all its gates, and you are the people of the choice, God willing. We pin great hopes on you, on our brothers, sisters, people, and loved ones in all the electoral districts in Lebanon. Do not be stingy with your votes for the resistance or its allies, even in constituencies where there are no Hezbollah candidates. The candidates our allies are our dear brothers, our allies. We should not be stingy with anyone.

Our meeting, God willing, will be on the 15th of May. Let us wait and see. We are expecting your great and undeviating presence. This is a new arena and another day for you to express your loyalty, sincerity, and honesty.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.