Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech on Resistance and Liberation Day 2022

Translated by Al-Ahed News

Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Resistance and Liberation Day

May 25, 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.
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you all.

I congratulate all of you on Resistance and Liberation Day, on this happy day. In fact, throughout recent years, at least since 1982 - I am talking about the history of this resistance and what we have gone through in Lebanon and in the region – we find few happy days. 

However, there is no doubt that the May 25, 2000 was a very happy day, the happiest day. This is what people felt, the people who took pride in this victory, the people who returned to their villages, towns, and families. On that day, we saw joy and not smiles. Joy and happiness filled the faces and hearts of the Lebanese. We saw tears of joy that were shed out of happiness for victory and liberation and for the glorious day.

Of course, the majority of the Lebanese people felt this joy. I am not saying all the Lebanese because there were some who were fleeing to the “Israeli” entity. In any case, we are not saying that they are not Lebanese. 

The vast majority of the Lebanese felt pride and joy, and that is why we are talking today about the happy day in our contemporary history.

Of course, the happiest people on that day were the people who lived along the border strip, the Lebanese of different sects living in the towns and cities along the border. They were among the happiest people with this liberation, as well as the people of the towns and cities adjacent to the border or the so-called security belt in the south and in the Western Bekaa and Rashaya.

On this happy day, first of all, I must thank God Almighty, whose promise has been true to us. He said: {If you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet.}

This is a divine promise, and God Almighty does not break His promise. He fulfills His promise. This was also achieved on May 25, 2000. 

That is why in our literature we say: This day is one of God Almighty’s days. It is one of the days in which God’s promise to the mujahideen fighting for His cause was fulfilled, for the oppressed who did not remain silent over oppression, but revolted, struggled, resisted, and made sacrifices. So, God Almighty gave them victory. In reality, He gave them the unexpected.

Praise be to God, who guided us to this choice and to this path, the path of resistance and not to wait for an official Arab regime, the United Nations, an international security council, or sympathy from anyone in this world.

Praise be to God, who gave us and gave all the resistance fighters insight and awareness. He gave them the determination and the will to walk on this path. He enabled them to walk on this path. In the face of difficulties and great sacrifices, he gave them patience and steadfastness, and they continued with confidence and hope. In the end, he gave them victory, dominance, and glory.

Every year during this occasion, since the year 2000, I’ve always had a fixed introduction – expressing gratitude to God Almighty, His servants, the people, those who created this achievement, or more precisely, those who God made this achievement possible by their hands. 

Thank you to everyone who made sacrifices on this path, from all factions, from all Islamic and national forces, from all cities and villages, from all areas, from all sects, from all currents that supported the resistance and contributed to it in one way or another.

Among those who made sacrifices are the martyrs. We must turn to them first, thank them, and salute them as they sacrificed their pure souls and blood. We must also thank the families of the martyrs who endured the pain of separating from dear and loved ones – fathers and mothers bereaved, wives widowed, and sons and daughters orphaned. But they bear the burdens of bereavement, being widows, and being orphans. They never weakened or felt humiliation. They remained along the way loyal to the resistance. We have also witnessed in the past few days.

As usual, we must also mention the name of the martyrs who were martyred on a certain day. For example, we have martyrs who were martyred on May 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24. These days were practically days when the “Israelis” withdrew. A number of martyrs from Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and our honorable people were martyred.

But I will mention the martyrs of Hezbollah, the martyrs of the Islamic Resistance: martyr Hussein Atef Al-Isawi, martyr Ali Ibrahim Al-Zain, martyr Nizar Ali Saleh, martyr Ihab Ahmed Shaheen, martyr Khidr Ali Ibrahim, martyr Akram Hassan Hamdoun, martyr Youssef Abdel Hassan Khalil, martyr Muhammad Mustafa Khalil, martyr Salman Abdul Rasoul Ramal, martyr Hassan Misbah Salman, and our dear and beloved mujahid martyr Sheikh Ahmed Yahya. I left this name until the end so no one says that we always mention the sheikhs first. The mujahid Sheikh was a symbol of this resistance.

These martyrs died in similar days and joined the convoy of martyrs. Their pure blood was a witness to the victories that took place during similar days.

After the martyrs, we thank the wounded who lost hands, legs, eyes, were paralyzed, lost their hearing, suffered multiple injuries. Yet they were patient and still are. Some of them died as martyrs after that. We also thank their honorable and patient families.

Thank you to the prisoners who were imprisoned in 1982 in the enemy’s prisons and detention centers. These facilities are well-known detention centers, such as Ansar, Khiam, and Atlit. Some were also detained in “Israeli” prisons inside occupied Palestine. They endured long years. Some spent very long years in prisons, and their honorable families one also endured this.

Thank you to the resistance fighters and their leaders who spent their youth and lives on the battlefields and in confrontations. They did not sleep or tire. They planned, were innovated, worked hard, struggled, fought, and stayed up the nights, bearing pain and worries and carrying the burden.

Thank you to our steadfast, honest, and loyal people – those who persevered inside the occupied border strip and did not leave despite the harsh conditions, our people who persevered in the frontline villages and bore the burdens of confrontation over many years, especially from 1985 to 2000, and all of our people in all Lebanese areas, especially in the south and the Bekaa, which bore the brunt of the Zionist attacks and the number of martyrs.

Of course, when we talk about the martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners, we mean these individuals belonging to all the Islamic and national forces, including Hezbollah and the Amal movement, all the Islamic and national forces that participated and contributed to the resistance, provided martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, and fought. They come from all areas, including Beirut – where the first confrontations took place and martyrs fell – in the mountain, in the suburb [Dahiyeh], in Khaldeh, in the Lebanese University in Hadath at that time, in the city of Sidon – which operations took place in the streets of the city and dozens of martyrs fell. Same goes to the rest of the Lebanese areas, including the Bekaa, the south, the north, Tripoli. There were martyrs in all these areas. I am talking about all these martyrs.

Also thank you to the Lebanese army, especially in the past few years of the resistance, i.e., in the 1990s. There was harmony, integration, and cooperation in one way or another, and by an official political decision. Same goes to the Lebanese security services. Thank you to the Syrian army which fought and offered martyrs. It carried out an exceptional and an epic performance in Sultan Yaqoub and was steadfast. Thank you to the Palestinian resistance factions that fought during the invasion and also participated in operations with us, especially in the 1990s before 2000. We thank all of them.

Also, on the 2000 Resistance and Liberation Day, we must salute the resistance leaders at that time, i.e., His Excellency President Emile Lahoud and His Excellency Prime Minister Salim El-Hoss – this is the executive body or the executive authority – and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. In fact, the heads of government and state at that time were not only supportive of the resistance, but they were also resistance fighters.

They also headed up the fight against the enemy. Their presence was strong that day. This was God Almighty’s plan – for victory to be achieved and for these three figures to assume leadership positions in the state.

Also at the regional level, we thank those who stood with the resistance during all those years. Later, we will talk about how this resistance fought amid Arab abandonment and official Arab indifference. Of course, the Arab peoples are loving and supportive. We thank them for that, but the Arab regime, in general, the official Arab system was a system that abandoned. It was basically not concerned with all that, if not more than that.

Syria actually stood by our side, along with the entire resistance in fact. It provided support and back up. It fought, facilitated, and protected our back and secured our cover. It provided everything it could and did not skimp on anything. 

The Islamic Republic of Iran was there since the first days of the inception of the resistance, providing moral, political, diplomatic, military, and financial support. It also provided armament. This is no longer a secret, especially in the few years before the 2000 liberation. Martyr and great commander Hajj Qassem Soleimani had a distinguished role here. 

To all these martyrs, we thank them. Of course, all the factions offered martyr leaders. We presented our dear leaders, at the forefront of whom is Sayyed Abbas al-Mousawi, our Secretary General, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, the great jihadi leader Hajj Imad Mughniyeh, and a long list of martyr leaders and martyrs. 

I will conclude this section by thanking everyone who supported with a word, position, statement, article, film, documentary, song, poetry, literature, or art in Lebanon and throughout the Arab and Islamic world, and the world. I especially thank the small number of media outlets at that time for their support and keeping pace, including Al-Manar TV and Al-Nour Radio. Both had a distinguished and significant role in covering this great and important event and engraving it in the conscience of the Lebanese. This is the first section – giving thanks, appreciation, and praise. This is always our duty.

With the rest of the time, I will divide my speech into two sections. In the first section, I will talk about the memory and some of the results now. I will not be talking about the memory as a memory and what happened. In the second section, I will talk about the current situation, a few words about Lebanon and a couple of words about Palestine and where it is heading in the next few days.

When we’re marking this occasion, we must emphasize the importance of how this event is interpreted in history, in general, and contemporary history, in particular – the events that took place from 1982 until 2000 and those that happened from 2000 until today. This provides us with knowledge and lessons, and we gain more experience and understanding of what is currently happening in our country and where we are heading towards.

Therefore, we must write this matter down. We invite every person who had experienced this, every pen holder, every historian, every intellectual to write this event down. This event must remain for the present and future generations. This is a huge wealth of Lebanon’s history, its jihadi, cultural, and political history, this history that is full of great sacrifices.

On this occasion, we must recall the suffering of the Lebanese people following the “Israeli” invasion in 1982. What about those Lebanese today? There are generations among us in Lebanon who do not know what happened in the first place, even if they hear about it eventually. No matter how much we tell them, we cannot explain the suffering.

The “Israeli” invasion began in 1982. I will not talk about the events that took place prior to 1982 or what happened to the villages, towns, and cities. There were months of war imposed on Lebanon, months of continuous fighting, aerial bombardment, occupation of the capital, occupation of vast areas, massacres committed in many towns and villages, displacement, pain, and sorrow. We must remember these, and our present and future generations must know.

The new generation in Lebanon must know and the rest of us must remember the suffering people endured from 1982 until 2000 – the people’s suffering while entering the border strip or the border crossings, the humiliation they endured at the crossings, the severe harm that was inflicted on them. These people remember the arrests, the prisons, the detention centers, torture during detention, the brutal torture of detained men and women in Khiam detention center. The bombing of villages along the frontline and the massacres of schoolchildren in Sidon and in Nabatiyeh. All this suffering must be present today, and this means that we must understand the greatness and importance of this day, the happiness during this day, and what has been achieved on this day.

It is also necessary to highlight the “Israeli” enemy’s aggression, its brutality, criminality, massacres, violation of the most basic human rights, etc. All this must also be present so that the Lebanese and the people of the region ascertain the truth about and the essence of this racist and savage enemy, which is trying to present itself as a civilized entity capable of coexisting with the peoples of the region as a natural entity. We must always keep these sacrifices in mind as well as all the events that took place from 1982 until the 2000 liberation. What happened was not a walk in the park nor was it the graces of “Israel”, America, the West, the official Arab regime, the international community, or anyone. 

May 25, 2000 would not have taken place without these high prices paid by the martyrs, the pain of the families of the martyrs, the wounded, and the detained.  

Fighting the qualitative operations, martyrdom operations, and the wars that took place in Lebanon in 1993, 1996, and 2000, as well as the pain of displacement, loss of livelihood, destruction of homes, unsafe living, and anxiety throughout the day and night – these are sacrifices that were made. This victory, O Lebanese, did not come for free, and it did not come only through prayer. Prayers were an additional helping factor. It was not because of anyone’s graces. This was created by blood and tears, hands and fists, and finger on the trigger, minds, hearts, and wills.
We must evoke all this. This will later have real effects on it. We must also evoke the positions of some in Lebanon regarding the occupation, the 1982 “Israeli” invasion, the “Israeli” occupation from 1985 until 2000 of the border strip, and the resistance.

There are people who resisted, stood up against the occupation, and rejected it. This is one front. There are those who conspired against Lebanon and cooperated with and bet on the enemy. These people were part of the enemy’s project. There are those who stood on the sidelines. There are three types of people. This is important to know, not to open old wounds but to resolve debates. Who wants sovereignty? Does the ones calling for sovereignty accept the occupation of his country or for the enemy to control vast parts of his land?

Do those calling for sovereignty remain silent over the occupation for decades and accept the May 17 agreement? Or are they those concerned with Lebanon’s sovereignty, freedom, and national dignity and see the Lebanese people as one people – if the south, the north, the mountains, the capital, or the Bekaa suffer, the whole of Lebanon suffers? These positions reveal the essences of men, figures, leaders, religious and political authorities, political forces, parties, people, and the elite. All this should be brought up. This is the first point.

The second point is the achievements that were accomplished. The victory in 2000 is the biggest and greatest achievement in contemporary history, at least in the past 22 years. I am saying 30 or 40 years ago in the history of Lebanon. But from the 2000 until this day, it is the most important achievement. It is unquestionable; there is no doubt about it; and there is no discussion in it. After that, the Lebanese in general received it with acceptance and pride. Even those who stood on the sidelines or those who were in the other front said it was an achievement and a victory on May 25, 2000. This was a Lebanese and Arab achievement and victory, as well as at the level of the Islamic world and a source of pride for everyone. 

Here, we must quickly mention some of these achievements since there is an interval between us and the 22nd anniversary. 

-    The liberation of the entire Lebanese land, with the exception of the Shebaa farms, the Kfar Shuba hills, and the Lebanese part of the town of Ghajar
-    The liberation of all detainees imprisoned in Khiam, “Israeli” detention centers, and Lahd detention centers along the border strips
-    Proving the resistance’s ability to triumph: This is a cultural and psychological achievement that broke the image of the invincible army – an image it built after tens of years and many wars.  
-    Giving hope to the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region in the possibility of defeating the enemy, liberating Palestine, and breaking the Greater “Israel” project. Hammering the final nails in the coffin of the Greater “Israel” project because the “Israeli” army, which cannot remain on Lebanese soil – the weakest point in the Arab world – surely cannot establish a state from the Nile to the Euphrates.
-    Dismantling the enemy’s project: At that time, Ehud Barak was the “Israeli” Prime Minister, and he promised to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Their idea was to get out of Lebanon, leave tanks and cannons behind, and provide extensive logistical and financial support to the South Lebanon Army led by Antoine Lahad.

By doing so, the “Israeli” army would have withdrawn and fulfilled its promise, but the border strip would remain in the hands of the South Lebanon Army or the Antoine Lahad army and fighting between the resistance fighters and Antoine Lahad's army would take place. In turn, this fighting would turn into internal strife and would later take on a sectarian dimension, and the project would develop. A civil war would’ve broken out in Lebanon in 2000.

However, thanks to the resistance’s rapid movement in  2000 and the great collapse of the “Israeli” army and the Antoine Lahad army, this very dangerous conspiracy was thwarted. 

-    Another achievement of the 2000 victory was the consolidation of deterrence and protection equation. This was established in the April 1996 understanding, when the “bomb our civilians, we bomb you. Bomb our villages, we bomb your villages and settlements” equation was introduced. This happened in 2006 and was consolidated in 2000. We practically saw what the condition of the south and the border villages was after 2000. The 2000 victory was one of the most important factors for the launch of the intifada in Palestine a few months later.

-    This is another important achievement of the 2000 victory. The arrogant “Israeli” entity’s military force was at an upward trajectory until 2000. In 2000, it began to descend. We saw how the “Israelis” withdrew from southern Lebanon unconditionally. Later, we saw them facing the Intifada in Palestine. We also saw them in the liberation of Gaza and the withdrawal from it unconditionally. After that, we saw them in the confrontations inside Occupied Palestine. 

The enemy fell into a military and security stalemate, and the situation developed to what happened last year in the Al-Quds Sword Battle. These days will mark the first year anniversary of the Al-Quds Sword Battle. The walls that are being erected along the Lebanese-Palestinian border, the Gaza border, and the West Bank border all show a downward trajectory. 

In fact, this is what was predicted in 2000 by Netanyahu, the rival for the premiership with Ehud Barak. He said that the historical course of the state of “Israel” had reversed, starting with the withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. He said this in 2007. The historical course of the state of “Israel” has been reversed and began to decline – I am not the one said this but rather the longest-serving “Israeli” prime minister – starting from the withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, all the way to the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and ending with the July 2006 war.

This decline began from the day I delivered the spider web speech. The spider web was dug deep into the “Israeli” consciousness, in the consciousness of the leaders, the elite, the army, the officers and soldiers, and the ordinary people. 

Hence, this victory, in fact, laid the foundations for a national strategic path at the level of the entire region. Today, the “Israelis” – in the end, I will say a couple of words about this – are experiencing the crisis of the decade: will this entity remain and surpass 80 years of age or will it collapse, decay, and disappear before it turns 80?

Now, “Israel” is 74 years old. Here, we should recall the political, military, security, and strategic achievements. I also want to mention the moral achievement the resistance recorded which expressed its truth, its identity, and its essence. The resistance was not pretending; it practiced its values and morals. The resistance fighters displayed moral values when dealing with the Lahad Army soldiers who surrendered with the other prisoners who were captured along the border strip. They even dealt morally with the fugitives and their families on the border. These people committed horrific massacres against the villagers. It was possible to shoot them under the guise of being fugitive agents, etc., but not a shot was fired.

The enemy was the one that closed the doors on them. After a long humiliation, it opened the doors for them. In any case, this was a moral achievement. Of course, you should put this before other scenes that took place in Lebanon during the civil war.

Another aspect of the moral achievements is that when the resistance achieved victory, it did not monopolize it. It rather thanked everyone. As a person who speaks on behalf of Hezbollah, one of the main factions of this resistance, as I have said, ever since I began delivering speeches 22 years ago, we’ve thanked and acknowledge everyone who had a role in this resistance. We did not monopolize the resistance, its achievements, and its operations. 

There were major forces that fought, resisted, made efforts, and gave martyrs, wounded, and prisoners. We recognize, respect, and appreciate all of this. We take pride that the resistance has such a history, includes all these factions, and extends to all sects – Muslim and Christian martyrs, martyrs from different Islamic sects.

We appreciate and acknowledge this of course. That is why we did not monopolize the victory and say that Hezbollah triumphed or that Hezbollah and the Amal movement won, even though Hezbollah and the Amal movement had a great hand in this victory for reason related top geography, demography, the nature of the front, the priority of fighting, etc. However, the resistance did not monopolize the operations, the achievements, the victories, or the blood of the martyrs. This is also a moral achievement that we should always remind people of.

This next point is relevant in news coverage as well as in national and political issues. When this resistance achieved victory, you all remember the first speech I delivered in Bint Jbeil. Throughout history, it is said – we did not conduct a complete extrapolation – and known that the resistance takes power or becomes an essential part of the government after such events. At the very least, Hezbollah, as an essential part of the victorious resistance, did not claim power and did not rule. The only resistance that won and did not rule is the resistance in Lebanon, mainly Hezbollah.

We did not demand [power], i.e., although our friends were leaders of the resistance, including Syria, we did not say that since we fought, emerged victorious, and offered martyrs, we want our share, to be partners, want the biggest and greatest share, and we want to change the political system, the political structure, the quotas and their distribution. Many speak in this language, but we did not do that.

We must remind the Lebanese about this, too. We considered that we were not, first and foremost, fighting for power, but for our country and to liberate it and to defend our people. We were fighting for our people’s safety, security, dignity, and blissful living as well as the sovereignty of the country and the homeland and national dignity. This means fighting in the way of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. We fought in the way of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. We did not seek power or want it. 
Later, we entered the government – and I explained this in speeches during electoral rallies – and participated in Parliament to defend the resistance and to be the voice of the resistance. In 2005, we had to enter the government to protect the back of the resistance. I do not want to repeat this. You know this subject.

Then, when we became part of the government, we eventually became concerned with the people's files. I wanted to mention this fact to remind all those who say that Hezbollah wants to dominate the country, control the state’s decision-making process, to rule, wants power, and loves power. Not at all! 

For us, our presence today in the government, parliament, or the state aims to protect the back of the resistance and contribute to addressing people’s files. Otherwise, this government, with all that it contains, does not mean anything to us at all.

In 2005, some European countries were betting that when Hezbollah takes part in the government and tastes power, it will abandon the resistance and will feel that the resistance's weapon has become a burden on it. They misunderstand us. For us, being part of the government means to serve God’s servants and to worship God Almighty. The resistance is a means. Neither power nor resistance is the goal. The goal is much higher than that. This is also a point that must be remembered.

Moving on to the next point. This debate is so far still ongoing. A couple of months, weeks, and days ago as well as last year and the years before 2000, some people when we talk about resistance, ask us, ‘who entrusted you with this task?’ There is no need for me to name them because you know who these voices are. More than one side, more than one political party, and more than one figure ask who appointed you? What a strange question!

They can see that more than half the country was occupied in 1982 and that the “Israeli” army wants to stay. If it had not faced resistance, it would have established colonies in southern Lebanon; it had ambitions in the Wazzani and the Litani rivers; and the prisons would have been filled with thousands of young men and hundreds of girls; Lebanese people were being humiliated, killed, and subjugated. Then they ask you: Who commissioned you to fight the enemy? What did you do? What did the state do? What did the international community do? This question is really strange.

In my opinion, this question expresses political backwardness and moral decadence. You are saying this to a people whose country is occupied and many of its men and women are imprisoned, and the enemy wants to swallow up the country and its wealth. Then, if these people want to fight back, they tell them: Who commissioned you?

Instead of standing up, fighting, supporting them, and defending them, you put them in trouble, as if they had committed a legal dispute, a religious dispute, a moral dispute, a difference of values, or a national dispute.

To these, we said, say, and will keep saying, it is our human duty and our conscience that commissioned us to do so. Any living human being, any free human being, any human being with a conscience cannot remain silent toward injustice, occupation, humiliation, oppression, or for the loss of homelands. Our human duty, our moral duty, our national duty, our religious duty is what called us to and all those with us to fight until the 2000 liberation was achieved. The same logic applies today. Today, who commissioned YOU to protect?

I will tell you where the problem is because this has something to do with the future. The problem is that there are people who do not consider “Israel” an enemy, even if they said a Zionist enemy and an “Israeli” enemy. These are pleasantries.

Deep down, they do not see “Israel” an enemy. They have the right when they ask us who commissioned you and ask you to fight. Those who fought before 1982 brought down the “Israeli” project. If you look at the figures who are asking us who commissioned us, you’ll find that they were part of the “Israeli” project that has fallen. Therefore, it is natural for them to object and say who commissioned you and who asked of you!

There are those who do not consider “Israel” as an enemy or a threat or that “Israel” has ambitions in Lebanon’s waters, gas, or oil. There are those who do not consider “Israel” a threat to Lebanon’s security and to the way of living in Lebanon in the first place. They do not consider it a threat; therefore, it is not an enemy. Why then are you bearing the flag and want to protect the country? The country is not in the circle of threat! The discussion starts from here. How do we protect?

What is the national defense strategy? What are the best and available ways for Lebanon, as a state and people, to protect itself, its sovereignty, and its wealth? It starts from the beginning. Do we agree that “Israel” is an enemy? Do we agree that “Israel” is a threat? Do we agree that “Israel” has ambitions? Do we agree or disagree? Honestly, we were never in agreement. In the future, I do not know whether we will agree or disagree. I do not know the unseen, but I tell you that we have never been in agreement. Hence, today we also protect. This resistance protects. You ask me who commissioned us?

I tell you it is our humanitarian, moral, national, and religious duty that commissioned us. This does not require permission from anyone. When your people, your country, your country’s sovereignty and wealth, and the future of your generations are threatened and endangered with aggression, occupation, looting, and robbery, it is your duty to take up arms, fight, defend, and protect. 

Moving on to the next point. We are nearing the end of the points. I also want to mention that this resistance that achieved victory on May 25, 2000 fought in the shadow of the Lebanese division. There was no Lebanese consensus – I was just saying that we have always been in disagreement. There was no Lebanese consensus regarding the resistance, the choice of resistance, and the act of resistance. There was no unanimous Lebanese recognition of the resistance.

When talking about the south and the resistance in the south, I remember how some media outlets and some senior officials in the country referred to them as the cycle of violence. Some media outlets in Lebanon did not call the martyrs of the resistance as martyrs, but rather the dead as if there was a fight between two groups of people, for example – there are dead among the “Israelis” and dead Lebanese among the resistance. They were not even called martyrs. There was no consensus. Why am I stalking about this point today? 

To say that the resistance that achieved victory in 2000 was not the subject of consensus and the resistance that achieved victory in July 2006 was not the subject of consensus. Yes, there was support from political forces and currents from various sects. This means that there was no sectarian division here; the division was political. We remember during the July war, there were major forces and senior Muslim and Christian leaders who stood by and supported the resistance.

Political division has always existed. This was not a sectarian division over the resistance. It was a political division over the resistance.

One might argue that the resistance had national consensus before it went to Syria or interfered in regional issues and lost it afterwards. So, let the resistance return from Syria and not interfere in regional affairs, it will gain consensus. Her lies the fallacy. There was never a consensus on the resistance before going to Syria and before interfering in regional affairs.

Therefore, even if we return, there will be no consensus. If you want, we can try. Give us guarantees that, yes, there will be consensus regarding the resistance. In any case, the battle in the region is over and it no longer needs us.

The subject is up for discussion. In any case, this is for the sake of argument. However, there are those whose position is clear and they fought the entire electoral campaign based on disarming the resistance. As it liberated [the south] and fought in the July war amid division and achieved victory, the resistance today is protecting Lebanon in light of division. Can anyone argue that Lebanon is not protected? Indeed, Lebanon is protected.

Take the “Israeli” maneuvers. The enemy's prime minister came out to say that they will hold extensive maneuvers, but do not want to cause a problem with anyone. Why do it then? For songs and art? With all due respect to the culture of art. Or is it our resistance versus your resistance? What?

A serious, strong, and capable resistance that has weapons and martyrs, precision missiles, air defense systems, and fighters with great strength – this resistance is what makes the enemy stand on one leg and a half.

This resistance is sending messages of reassurance. It is the one that is cautious and attentive and does not engage in risk. The resistance today secures the protection of Lebanon, within the golden equation and in light of the division. Protection is accomplished and will remain so. If you want to discuss, we are ready for discussions. We are not evading discussions at all. Not at all. This protection, which is achieved today and over a period of 22 years, was established by the May 25, 2000 victory. This is one of the blessings of this event.

There is something else related to the occasion, but I will stop here to talk about other things.

Currently, this debate that exists in Lebanon, the disagreement and the debate on the issue of the resistance is old. Let us be realistic. It exists and will continue. Everyone used all the means of persuasion, inferences, and arguments they had. There are people  who were convinced and other who were not convinced.

Of course, there are those who support the choice of resistance and those who oppose it, and there are those who stand on the sidelines. Each group, supporters and opponents, seeks to try to mobilize greater public opinion and popular support for its choice and idea. In any case, this is the current reality regarding this issue.

But at the present moment, what I want to talk about is that the resistance was subjected to security targeting – the killing of its leaders, including Hajj Imad, Sayyed Zulfiqar, Hajj Hassan Lakkis, etc. and before that martyr Sayyed Abbas and martyr Sheikh Ragheb as well as being exposed to the July 1993, April 1996, July 2006 wars. But all these, in addition to the distortions and lies, have failed.

I do not want to take up more of time talking about this topic. The final battle was putting pressure on the direct environment of the resistance, its supporters, and its allies. We saw the results.

Today, the resistance is stronger more than ever, and it feels like it is embraced by its people, its environment, and those who bore the consequences with it in the past 40 years.

I want to say today, in addition to what we have said in the past few days, that it is possible for you to continue arguing and disagree. But this will not lead to a result. In fact, some political forces in the past few days are getting confused. This is of course the result of a flaw in understanding and even in intention, i.e., a flaw in intentions.

For example, when Hezbollah officials speak, they speak loudly. They say Hezbollah is threatening us. When Hezbollah speaks calmly, they say Hezbollah is weak, confused, and overpowered. The first reading is wrong, and the second reading is wrong. If someone says that whoever thinks of disarming the resistance by force will push the country into civil war, then this is true. They say: Hezbollah is threatening a civil war. If someone like me comes out, for example, and says: O people, we are ready for dialog, and I suggest that if we do not agree on a conclusion, let us postpone it for a year or two. Then, they say Hezbollah is weak and overpowered and does not know what it is talking about.

This is a misunderstanding and a flaw in intentions. I would like to tell them on the Resistance and Liberation Day at the present moment that I am speaking to you that since 1982 until today, Hezbollah and the resistance in Lebanon have not been as strong as they are today – militarily, security wise, politically, popularly, financially, and morally – in Lebanon and in the region. Their internal and regional circumstances today are better than ever before. This is for you to be reassured and not get confused by estimations and understanding, and then you make a mistake in making a decision.

This resistance is stronger than you expect and imagine. Its morale is high. It is not enough for a person to be strong or feel strong. Both are required because it is possible for him to feel strong but he is in fact weak.

In fact, the resistance is strong, and we feel that we are stronger than ever before. Hence, no one should miscalculate when it comes to this subject. When we offered to postpone the research for a year or two, it was because we care about people's priorities. How much is the dollar today? It jumped over 34,000 [lira].

We repeat and say, the electricity, cancer medication, flour, bakeries, and there are still those who are living in another world.

This expresses a lack in the sense of responsibility. Let there, first, be a state and a country to demand that we hand over our weapons. Let us make a state. This country is heading towards collapse with the way you are thinking.  State institutions are heading towards collapse. Basically, the Lebanese army and the security forces today, what are they suffering from? These salaries they are receiving! Are these even salaries? The leadership of the army and the security services are always complaining.

At the beginning, find a solution to the issue of the lira, the dollar, the salaries, the rights, and the possibility of the most basic way of life in this country, so that a state and an army remain. Then, we can discuss whether we hand over our weapons to the state or to the army. 

Therefore, regarding this subject, do not misunderstand or read incorrectly. In any case, I renew the invitation from a position of strength and power that the resistance has never seen in the past 40 years. Do you want us to speak in this way? From this position, I renew the call for partnership and cooperation. These are the files. 

There are those who say that it is true that Hezbollah is calling for partnership and cooperation, but it wants to monopolize the decision of war and peace. We told you about this topic, the defense strategy. We are prepared to discuss it. And if you want to discuss everything by presenting them, we are ready for that. We have no problem with that. The result that we reach, we will work based on them.

The basic principle regarding this subject is that we agree, as I said in the previous section, that “Israel” is an enemy, “Israel” is a threat, and “Israel” has ambitions. We must make a decision to confront “Israel”. We look at the defensive strategy and discuss how to confront “Israel”. 

These are the final words related to the Lebanese section. I will concluded by talking about the Palestinian section with a few words. 

O Lebanese, on the Resistance and Liberation Day, we put the people between two options when it come to the political dispute in the country. There is the option of a strong and rich Lebanon or a weak and a beggar Lebanon. What is the translation of these two options?

A strong Lebanon is strong with the golden equation – the golden equation that proved Lebanon's ability to liberate in 2000, to stand firm in 2006, and to protect from 2000 to 2006 and until today. This is its achievement. What is the second equation? Lebanon's strength in its weakness! The second equation is that whether the state can protect it on its own. This is a weak Lebanon in our opinion.

If you want to discuss, we are ready to do so with logic. We are not repeating slogans or giving enthusiastic speeches. Lebanon is strong thanks to the golden equation. It will be able to obtain its rights and wealth, including oil, gas, and water. And as I’ve done in all the speeches, God willing, I will continue to ask the officials of the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people to demand this treasure in the sea.

I said that one of the officials told me that Lebanon has an estimated $200 billion worth of oil and gas. I am not claiming to have experience. However, there has been a specialized study saying that the oil and gas wealth that exists in the regional waters and in Lebanon’s economic zone is 500 billion US dollars. Today, we’ve read in the “Israeli” enemy’s media that the Europeans are looking for an alternative to the Russian gas and oil.

They signed contracts with the enemy in order to export gas. If they extracted oil from our side, we, the Lebanese, will be left watching. We won’t be able to do anything.

We have a huge wealth worth $200 billion, $300 billion, or $500 billion. These natural resources will pay off Lebanon's debt. We can build Lebanon with it, create job opportunities through it, and improve the price of the lira. Imagine that Lebanon can sell oil, that it extracted out oil and gas and started selling them. This alone will improve the price of the Lebanese currency. What are the blessings of this issue for Lebanon?

With this, we can build tunnels, bridges, hospitals, and universities. Thus, we become a rich country in every sense of the word. We call for a rich country. Lebanon can be a country rich in oil and gas, as well as in agriculture and industry, which were destroyed by the previous economic policies which were all built on the former settlement project. This is a strong and rich Lebanon.

On the other hand, the weak Lebanon would be begging at the doors of the IMF, embassies of countries, embassies of some Gulf countries. What will they offer you? Even the aid that will come from the Gulf countries or from another place, even if it comes unconditionally and without any favors, how much will they give you? Two billion, three, four, six billion, seven billion, how much? Does this solve Lebanon’s problems? This does not solve Lebanon’s problem. 

Only this option solves the Lebanon problem of only this option, and it only needs courage. Do you want to try national consensus? Let's start from here. Do you want a defense strategy? Let us discuss it. 

There is gas and oil in Lebanon’s territorial waters and in the economic zone. Let us see how we can form a national consensus to protect this wealth and how to extract it. It is not enough to protect it and keep it in the water. How do we extract it and sell it in order to improve the situation of the Lebanese?

This is an option that exists, available, and possible. It is very possible. I am not talking about fantasies. However, it needs a little courage. It does not need great courage. It needs a little boldness. This threshold of fear and narrow and personal calculations – what will the Americans and the “Israelis” do? – we just need to take one step away from it. Then we, as Lebanon, can obtain wealth worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The Lebanese are free to choose what they want.

The final part is related to the Palestinian issue. I want to warn Lebanon because it is the country most concerned with what is going to happen, the countries of the region, the governments of the region, the peoples of the region, as well as the global powers that consider themselves concerned in one way or another with what is happening in our region.

During the next few days, there are events that may take place in Palestine, in Al-Quds, that may lead to a big explosion, and this is a fact. There may be many who do not keep up because they are preoccupied with other things and other details. But this is a fact.

In a few days, the “Israelis” will take part in the so-called flag march. Settlers, especially the extremist religious groups, carry the “Israeli” flags, gather, and enter the old neighborhoods of Al-Quds, including the Islamic ones.

This usually leads to a great provocation and clashes with the residents of these neighborhoods. The great danger is that these people enter the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and attack these courtyards or attack the mosque – the well-known mosque. Some of them have already started. Some terrorist organizations – they are all terrorists – declared that action or planning must be done to destroy the Dome of the Rock, the golden dome you see on television.

This is the “Israeli” position. The “Israeli” government allowed the flag march to cross in the old neighborhoods of Al-Quds. The Palestinian resistance unanimously announced a clear and decisive position that if this happened it would not pass without a strong and great response. If it happened, the Palestinian resistance promised and vowed to respond. Things may lead to a big explosion inside Palestine. Here, I want to tell the “Israeli” government, those who support it, and those concerned with the situation in the region that any harm to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock will lead to the explosion of the region.

This will provoke all Arab and Islamic peoples, every free person, every honorable person, every person who resists, and every mujahid. Therefore, they must know that continuing with the aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic and Christian sacred sites in the city of Al-Quds will lead to a major explosion in the region. It will lead to dire consequences. 

The Zionists know that they are not in a position that allows them to go to this extent. They have their crises and problems. They have what we talked about at the beginning of the speech, the crisis of the 80-year mark.

Today, the brothers sent me, quoting “Israeli” media, that the head of the enemy government, Bennett, who visited a place, met with a group of people and addressed them. What did he tell them?

‘The first thing that haunts me is the internal divisions and hatred among the people of “Israel” more than Iran and Hamas.’

This means that “Israel” today is crisis-ridden, divided, rotten, and corrupt from within.

‘I say this responsibly because the internal division in fact strips us of the ability to face challenges. It paralyzes us like receiving an injection that paralyzes you while you face the enemy. You cannot deal and fight with anything, not only with the enemy. There are countries in the world that are paralyzed from the severity of polarization and cannot succeed in thwarting the course of events.’

This is the reality of the enemy and its army. These are the maneuvers that they do.

Today, on Al-Manar TV, we watched the soldiers ascending to a hill and a mountain. A few days ago, we watched the drone in the north, and this was the height of alert and careful coordination between the arms, the high preparedness, and the Iron Dome. They made a mistake. They believed the drone was Hezbollah’s, and it turned out to be theirs.

This is the reality of the enemy. The enemy whose reality is as such. I am not saying it is weak and cannot do anything. However, since 1948, it has never been this weak, especially from the inside. That is why the “Israeli” government must not take a step that may have catastrophic consequences for the entire entity and for the existence of this temporary entity.

In any case, this is the current reality that they have. God Almighty told us about this in his Holy Book. God Almighty speaks about them {And We have cast among them animosity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection. Every time they kindled the fire of war [against you], Allah extinguished it. And they strive throughout the land [causing] corruption, and Allah does not like corrupters.} This is their reality. This is their essence.

To the peoples of the region, the governments of the region, the countries of the region, it is true that each country is preoccupied with its problems and priorities, I call on you to be patient, to pay attention, to be prepared, and to be aware of what might happen around us. They may have significant and dangerous repercussions on the region. This all depends on the extent of the enemy’s foolishness, whether it commits foolishness or not.

In any case, at the end of the speech, I must also point out that the great “Israeli” maneuver is almost over. Three weeks have past, and one more week remains. We are still ready and on alert.

From here, I turn to my loved ones, my brothers, my dear ones, the mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance who are stationed on all frontiers and locations. This day, the Resistance and Liberation Day, belongs to them. I salute them and congratulate them. Many happy return. I thank them for their vigilance, watchfulness, jihad, patience, and tiredness. All of this is a blessing, a reward, honor, dignity, and protection in this world and in the hereafter. God willing the maneuver ends and our situation and the region go back to normal. I ask God Almighty to ward off harm and calamity from everyone, from the Palestinian people, Lebanon, the region, and the holy sites.

Many happy returns. May God grant you wellness. Peace, mercy, and God’s blessings be upon you.