Translated by Al-Ahed News

Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah at the Arbaeen march organized by the party in the city of Baalbek | 17-9-2022.
 
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.
 
First, I welcome the brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, present in this gathering and blessed inauguration.
 
Peace be upon you, O my master and my chief, O Abu Abdullah, and upon the souls that gathered in your courtyard. Peace of Allah be upon you from me forever as long as I am existent and as long as there are day and night.
 
May Allah not cause this (visit) to be the last of my visit to you (all). Peace be upon al-Husayn [Imam Hussein], upon Ali ibn al-Husayn, upon the sons of al-Husayn, and upon the companions of al-Husayn.
 
Brothers and sisters, may the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you all.
 
First: May God reward you all with greatness on this occasion, in which we recall the affliction of the master of martyrs, Abu Abdullah al-Husayn (peace be upon him), his family, and companions and what happened to them 40 days ago – if we were counting days – and hundreds of years ago – if we are counting centuries.

May God reward you for this great, majestic, and blessed presence. May God reward you well for your efforts, walk from the early morning, and your presence now under the sun in this gathering in which we commemorate this great, cherished, and painful occasion.
 
Our Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) looked forward to all future generations until the Hour of Judgment, to the visitors of [Imam] Hussein, to those who commemorate Hussein with tears, anger, love, sadness, and pain.
 
He used to pray for them. One of his supplications was: {So have mercy on those faces changed by the sun and have mercy on the cheeks turning over on the grave of Abi'-Abdullah Al-Hussain (peace be upon him) and have mercy on those eyes which shed tears on us with sympathy. Have mercy on those hearts which have grieved impatiently (restless) and distressed (Jaz'a), and burned (inside) for us, and have mercy on the shouting/screaming that was for us. O Allah! I entrust these bodies and souls to you till the day of great thirst when you will quench their thirst with Haud al-Kawthar (The Pond of Abundance).}
 
Brothers and sisters, today you are included in this noble supplication of that great Imam (peace be upon him).
 
Brothers and sisters, on the Arbaeen we recall the positions of Imam Al-Sajjad (peace be upon him) in the Great Mosque in Damascus and Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) in the palace of Yazid.
 
One of the greatest and most important lessons we learn from the Arbaeen is that a believer, regardless of the calamities, difficulties, and severe circumstances surrounding him, cannot weaken, give up, and show any sign of submission and humiliation.
 
Also in those situations that we witnessed in the procession of sorrows, a person learns that a believer cannot despair, but rather looks with the eyes of God at all the days, years, and centuries to come. He cannot despair, and hope cannot end because it springs from trust in God Almighty and the promise of God Almighty.
 
This is how Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) was as she spoke in some pulpits in the procession of sorrows, and most importantly when she stood in the assembly of Yazid ibn Muawiyah, in his palace in front of his soldiers.
 
She was a woman whose loved ones, brothers, sons, nephews, cousins, and companions of her brother’s were killed. She was a captive for weeks being dragged from one city to another. What psychological, moral, and emotional state should she be in?
 
She was a woman who stood in front of Yazid while he was holding the head of Imam Hussein in his hand. In the ideological, religious, political, and jihadist dimensions, it was the head of her Imam.
 
In the emotional, humane, and familial dimension, it was the head of her brother and the son of her mother and father. Despite this, she said words above all these considerations and calculations that shook mountains.
 
At that assembly, she delivered a very strong and very harsh speech against Yazid and what he had committed, which included threats.
 
But I would like to elaborate on the last lines [of her sermon], which contain hope, confidence, a look to the future, and certainty of victory and defeat of Yazid and Yazid's project.
 
At the end of her sermon, she told him: {Plan your stratagem, strive to your maximum, and put your best efforts but, by Allah, neither will you be able to erase our memory [from the people’s minds] nor can you destroy our revelation, nor can you reach our heights, and your shame [for killing Husayn] cannot be washed out.}
 
Do whatever you want; do your best to kill; take prisoners; slaughter; besiege; starve; terrorize; throw in prisons; vilify in the media; say whatever you want; do whatever you want.
 
Whatever you can do, do. {But, by Allah, neither will you be able to erase our memory [from the people’s minds] nor can you destroy our revelation.}
 
The remembrance of Muhammad and his household is an eternal remembrance until the Day of Resurrection. It is one of the remembrances that God, the Glorified and Exalted, has pledged to preserve: {Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.}
 
This is part of the remembrance that God Almighty promised to preserve, and God does not break His promise.
 
The revelation of Muhammad (peace be upon him), what he made halal and haram [forbidden], his religion, his teachings, his message, his name, and his voice will remain alive and resounding until the Hour of Judgment.
 
{Nor can you reach our heights, and your shame [for killing Husayn] cannot be washed out.}
 
This disgrace inflicted on you by killing us and capturing us will last forever. Note, brothers and sisters, that she was speaking about the future, while there is nothing around her that gave hope – everything around her was a cause for despair, sadness, disappointment, and surrender.
Even though there seemed to be no horizon, she spoke from a position of faith, trust, and knowledge of God Almighty. A part of this future is that many have tried to defend Yazid, to absolve Yazid from the blood of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), to blame the consequences on Ibn Ziyad and Omar Ibn Saad.
 
But all these attempts failed, and this blood kept screaming in the face of Yazid bin Muawiyah, until today and until the Hour of Judgment.
 
That is why she told him: {Your shame [for killing Husayn] cannot be washed out. Your idea is nothing but wrong.}
 
All this planning, opinions, and plotting have value.
 
{Your days are numbered.}
 
You think you will rule and dominate and establish a great empire, and your project will remain immortal. No, your days are numbered.
 
{Your gathering will soon disperse – the day when the herald will announce: Verily the curse of Allah is on the oppressors! So all praise is due to Allah who granted our ancestors the bliss and our present generation the honor of martyrdom; and we ask Allah to complete their reward and give them even more, and make us their worthy successors. He is indeed Merciful and Loving; Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best supporter.}
 
This is what we learn from Zainab (peace be upon her) on days when there is no place for surrender, weakness, acceptance of humiliation, or retreat.
 
Rather we must move forward based on all this rich history and upcoming hope and certainty in the future and the promise of God Almighty.
 
Today, for example, we are witnessing one of the confirmations of what Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) said, who was alone or with only a few people.
 
Look at the Arbaeen marches nowadays in Iraq. Some estimates mention about 20 million visitors within a few days, 5 million visitors from outside Iraq, more than 20 million visitors walking to [the shrine of] Imam Hussein.
 
Hundreds of thousands – at the very least, hundreds of thousands – walked hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the sea, from the Gulf, from the shores of Basra to Karbala.
 
In their processions, they raised the slogan “From the Sea to the Throat,” i.e., to the throat of Hussein (peace be upon him).
 
At least 20 million, most of them walked from Najaf to Karbala under extreme heat. We spoke to visitors, and they told us the temperature was 40?C, sometimes 50?C, and sometimes even more.
 
The processions are nonstop, at night and during the day, until the 20 million people can reach the tomb and shrine of Imam Hussein (PBUH).
 
This is a very great and huge phenomenon – 20 million people visiting Imam Hussein. They paid for their expenses with their own money. This visit is not funded by countries, governments, or international institutions.
 
The poor among these visitors collect the cost of the visit over the years so that one day they will be able to walk to Imam Hussein on the Arbaeen.
 
These people come to Imam Hussein. One of the distinguishing qualities of this visit is that it is not for the purpose of tourism or entertainment.
 
20 million visitors mean 20 million hearts beating with love, adoration, and longing for Imam Hussein. It means 20 million pairs of eyes shedding tears day and night as they walk to Imam Hussein.
 
Since God created Adam (PBUH), there has never been a crowd in human history like the one in Karbala today, i.e., 20 million eager lovers and adorers come on foot from far places and face threats to visit the shrine of a man who was killed 1400 years ago alone, thirsty, and estranged in the desert of Karbala. This is like a miracle nowadays.
 
Imagine, brothers and sisters, you are now under the sun bearing the heat. For days, there are people walking on the road in the scorching heat of 40?C or 50?C. This is one part of the scene.
 
The second part of the scene shows the generosity and hospitality of the Iraqi people.
 
People who are familiar with administration, logistics, service [industry], and support know what it means to have 20 million visitors walking from Najaf to Karbala.
 
These people want to get to Najaf and from Najaf to Karbala – at very least. Forget the rest of the road. How much food and drinks, lodging, services, and administration do these people need?
 
So, imagine all of this is being provided for the 20 million visitors and funded by the people’s money, the Iraqi people’s money.
They – the old, the young, the scholars, university professors, senior officials, and senior leaders – come to serve and are honored to serve the visitors of Abu Abdullah Al-Hussein.
 
This is a historical scene, a great scene. But do you notice how the world and the international media are ignoring it? The media cares more about a much smaller event than this.
 
Of course, this is part of being estranged and of oppression. However, this huge humanitarian, moral, and religious event that is unparalleled in history eventually imposes itself on the whole world.
 
All attempts in history to prevent this visit have failed. Today, they cannot prevent this visit by killing, car bombs, intimidation, or the existing administrative complications in many countries in the world that prevent visitors from coming to Hussein.
 
That is why when they talk about the Arbaeen march today, they resort, for example, to distort it and offend its visitors, men and women.
 
But this phenomenon is greater than all the attempts and conspiracies of these plotters and hostiles.
 
On this occasion, it is also our duty, from here, from Lebanon, to thank the Iraqi people, the Iraqi officials, and all the official, popular, scholarly, and religious bodies in Iraq.
 
We extend our thanks and appreciation to them for their great generosity, hospitality, humility, love, and affection that they show to all visitors of Hussein who come from all over the world.
 
Some statistics talk about visitors from 80 countries who came to visit Hussein on this day, and this is one each of the manifestations of the Zainabi promise.
 
Brothers and sisters, I also turn to you and to everyone who organized these processions, set up guest rooms, and bore all these burdens. I ask God Almighty to accept your deeds.
 
We commend all those who are making every effort with all generosity, humility, kindness, and mercy in Lebanon and Baalbek to greet and honor the visitors of all those who belong to Hussein, especially in this city that witnessed the procession of the captives [Sabaya] – the captive women who held their heads up. These women were the title, message, and voice of the pure blood in the Karbala desert.
 
Allow me – I do not want to take up a lot of your time – to address some occasions and issues very briefly, God willing. Since we are talking about martyrdom, oppression, and estrangement, as well as steadfastness and resistance, I will talk about some occasions that took place in the month of September.
 
1-  The Sabra and Shatila Massacre
 
On 16-17-18 September 1982, a horrific massacre took place in the Sabra and Shatila camps and the neighborhoods surrounding and related to the two camps.
 
The perpetrator of that massacre is known to the Lebanese, the Palestinians, and the world.
 
The “Israeli” enemy was the one sponsoring this massacre and participated in its execution, but the main perpetrators who had the greatest luck in the heinous crimes committed belonged to well-known Lebanese parties which were cooperating and allied with the “Israeli” enemy – militarily and politically and at the security level – in the 1982 invasion.
 
Brothers and sisters – I will talk about it in just a few lines to recall and build on – the number of people killed in that massacre, according to some official statistics, was about 1900 Lebanese martyrs.
 
Many will tell you that this is a Palestinian issue. No, it is not a Palestinian issue, it is a humanitarian issue. There is no difference between a Palestinian and a Lebanese. A human being was killed in the Sabra and Shatila camps.
 
But the Lebanese make a common mistake that this massacre was against the Palestinians only. There are 1900 Lebanese martyrs, approximately 3,500 Palestinian martyrs, and between 300 to 500 missing persons, i.e., their bodies have not been found yet. It is not yet known if they died or were killed.
 
There is a strong possibility that they were kidnapped – God knows – and then killed. Maybe, they threw them Karantina, dissolved them in acid, or handed them over to the “Israelis”.
 
It’s been 40 years, yet no one knows the fate of the 300 to 500 people who are missing.
 
When we talk about the massacres that have been committed since the establishment of the Zionist entity, that is, before 1948, 1946, and 1947, and when we present the statistics and numbers – I will be careful and say even as a matter of precaution – they will show that the Sabra and Shatila massacre may be the biggest, gravest, most dangerous, and most heinous massacre committed in the history of the Arab-“Israeli” conflict.
 
The overwhelming majority, rather all who were killed – since the military had left at that time – were civilians, mostly women and children. They were killed with knives. Civilians were killed in their homes and on the roads put up against the wall.
 
The incident just passed. Then, you have people talking about impunity.
 
Lebanese parties working with the “Israeli” enemy committed one of the gravest massacres and no one held them accountable and no one asked them.
 
In just three days, there were 1900 Lebanese martyrs and 3500 Palestinian martyrs, with 300 to 500 missing persons. Their remains sat there for days, and no one could come close to the camp. These are the facts!
 
However, some people still come out and say: ‘they look like us and they do not look like us’ and ‘they resemble Lebanon and we resemble you.’
 
We’ve been hearing this language for the past year, two, and three years, and we’ve talked about this in the past and said that we are done with it.
 
You do not resemble us, and we do not resemble you. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.
 
However, a while ago a new tone came out – our Lebanon and your Lebanon, this is our Lebanon, and this is your Lebanon. I tell you today, this is some of your Lebanon. This
is some of what your hands have committed. This is your true form.
 
On every occasion, they talk about the culture of life and the culture of death. Those who belong to the culture of death are the ones who committed the massacres of Sabra and Shatila, while those belonging to the culture of life are those who liberated the south and entered the border strip without killing a chicken.
 
This is the culture of life, the culture of dignity, the culture of honor. These people entered the border strip and did not exact revenge on anyone. What was the perpetrators’ excuse for committing the Sabra and Shatila massacre? They entered the camp to take revenge, for example, for the assassination of President Bashir Gemayel.
 
This is your Lebanon. Lebanon that you say is our Lebanon and your Lebanon. We do not want to waste time talking about our Lebanon and your Lebanon, but this is part of the scene.
 
2-  The September 13, 1993 massacre:
 
This massacre was committed against us alone. Ten people were martyred, including two of our best sisters and eight of our best brothers. 40 people were also wounded in the head and chest with the intention of premeditated murder.
 
What was the crime of those who demonstrated on September 13, 1993 in Ghobeiry at the airport bridge? They were among the few in the Arab and Islamic world who came out to denounce the Oslo Agreement and told the whole nation about the dangers and reality of the Oslo Agreement – dangers that we are seeing today.
 
Where are many of those who created and participated in the Oslo Accords and supported it now?
 
The entire Palestinian people today, the overwhelming majority of the Palestinian people in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Al-Quds, at home, and in the diaspora have reached the conviction that this path of negotiations does not lead to a result and that Oslo failed.
 
They now believe that the only option available to the Palestinians is resistance, the resistance that was able to liberate Gaza on September 12, 2005.
 
Between the Sabra and Shatila massacre and the Palestinian options in Oslo, you know that the PLO had originally obtained guarantees. They obtained international guarantees and American guarantees that civilians in the camps would not be subjected to murder and retaliation.
 
The American guarantees did not protect the Palestinians or the Lebanese in Sabra and Shatila, and the American guarantees do not protect the Palestinians now, even when they adhered to the Oslo Accords.
 
This is also a witness from contemporary history. We usually provide evidence from history.
 
Take the incident of Mukhtar Al-Thaqafi and those who were with him. They surrendered their weapons with the intention of safety. In one day, they were slaughtered. 7000 fighters were slaughtered like sheep in one day.
 
When the fighters leave or surrender their weapons and trust the guarantees of the enemy, they are handing over the necks of their men, women, and children, and even the fetuses in the wombs of mothers, to be slaughtered.
 
This is what happened in Sabra and Shatila. They cut open the bellies of pregnant women. This is also happened in many massacres in Palestine.
 
This is also one of the lessons we learn from these occasions. Therefore, we find that Gaza’s choices are steadfastness, resistance, and resoluteness.
 
Today, we find the West Bank terrifies the enemy and the “Israeli” entity, which was forced to send a large number of its army battalions to the cities and villages of the West Bank.
 
The problem that the enemy faces there, by their own admission, is that today they are not fighting organizations but rather a generation of young people. Which young people?
 
The young people they bet would forget. The young people they bet are the Internet and Facebook generation and will be in another world.
 
This generation of young Palestinian people – 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22-year-olds – young men and women who often do not belong to organizations are exhausting the enemy.
 
They buy weapons with their own money, from their toil and sweat, and carry out operations with courage and boldness.
 
Today, on the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the day of resistance, steadfastness, martyrdom, and heroism, the day of Hayhat minna l-dhilla [Never to Humiliation] and from Baalbek – this honorable place – we turn to the broader Palestinian youth and the youth of the West Bank, in particular.
 
We extend our warmest greetings to them. We express our appreciation and respect for their faith, their adherence to their cause, their courage, their martyrdom spirit, their refusal to be humiliated, their refusal to be oppressed, and their presence in the field.
 
We tell these young people, to this rising generation, that all the honorable people in the world and all the oppressed in the world as well as your Palestinian people look to you and pin their hopes on you.
 
3-  Hamas and Palestine:
 
In this context, there is another issue related to Palestine which happened a few days ago. 
 
A few days ago, the dear brothers in the leadership of the Hamas movement issued a statement regarding the restoration and strengthening of relations with the Syrian Arab Republic.
 
They praised the role of Syria, its leadership, and the people, as well as its embrace of the Palestinian people, the Palestinian resistance factions, and the Palestinian cause.
 
This is a very advanced position. We must express our respect for this position and choice. Even though in bilateral meetings, I told them: Many may not understand your position regarding those who have had certain positions and readings during the past ten years.
 
Palestine, the Palestinian cause, and the confrontation with the Zionist enemy are a priority that should govern all positions as it did this position.
 
Everyone must restore, strengthen, and mend relations with Syria. The Syrian Arab Republic, including its leadership, army, and people, has always been since the establishment of this usurping entity in 1948 and will remain, God willing, the true rock for Palestine, Al-Quds, and the Palestinian people.
 
It endured and still is enduring. Today, too, Syria is enduring and is exposed to internal and external dangers, including Zionist aggression from time to time. Why?
 
Because of its position and commitment to the Palestinian cause and the cause of resistance.
 
This is a sound position and a correct and very important step because what we need today in our region is for all the resistance forces to unite and for the axis of resistance to take root, including countries, governments, movements, forces, peoples, men, women, arms, and guns.
 
This is because the axis of resistance in which Syria has a very advanced position in alongside the Islamic Republic of Iran constitutes the only hope for the Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians to regain their lands, sanctities, wealth, oil, and gas.
 
This is not through begging, wishful thinking, or pleading, but rather from a position of strength, honor, dignity, and self-respect. This can only be achieved through these compact and strong forearms.
 
4-  Lebanese affairs:
 
I move to topics related to Lebanese affairs, briefly.
 
1-  The maritime demarcation and oil and gas extraction:
 
From the beginning, we explained the situation, there is no need to repeat it. This is Lebanon’s golden and historic opportunity that may not be repeated.
 
Our only chance is for Lebanon to be able to extract oil and gas to address its economic, monetary, financial, and living crises. The bickering that you see in Parliament is caused by a few people that are bringing up arguments.
 
In any case, in this context, Zionist officials said that the extraction from Karish will take place in September. That is why we talked about September. September came. They announced that they postponed the extraction from Karish.
 
Good! Whether the reason for the delay is technical, security, or political is not important to us. It is not important. The important thing is that no extraction takes place from the disputed Karish field until the maritime borders are demarcated and Lebanon obtains its rightful demands.
 
Whether it takes place in September or after September, there is no problem. However, this is the equation for us. The red line is the start of oil and gas extraction from Karish.
 
In the past two days, there was news that the extraction would start, even if experimental, so we sent a message away from the media.
 
We sent a very strong message – if the extraction begins, you will have a problem. The “Israelis” then made a public clarification stating that this is not extraction or gas and oil pumping from Karish to the coast. On the contrary, it is a preparation of the pipes for the day of the extraction.
 
We confirm the equation again. We cannot allow the extraction of oil and gas from the disputed Karish field before Lebanon obtains its rightful demands.
 
I’ve always repeated this: We are not the ones who set these demands or line 23 or talked about the Qana field. This is the Lebanese state’s business.
 
During the early days of this file, we spoke, and our voice was loud. In order to prove our seriousness, we sent drones.
 
You remember, when the serious negotiations began, we stepped back. We did not threaten or issue threats in our speeches.
 
In the last two speeches, I was at your service in Janta and Dahiyeh – during the Forty Springs. I did not threaten, raise my voice, or say anything new.
 
I said that our position is our position. The reason we were calm in our political speeches and our tone in the past weeks, did not send drones, and did not make any movement towards the enemy is because we were giving the negotiations a real chance.
 
We calculated that negotiations in a calm atmosphere might lead to good results. It was also said that under threat, the negotiations may not reach a conclusion. Enough threats were already made, and we now want results.
 
Our goal is for Lebanon to be able to extract oil and gas. We want to eat grapes, frankly. We are not looking for problems. That is why I said that this file is not related to any other file.
 
Today, too, I would like to draw the attention of the enemy’s leaders. They might have misunderstood the reasons for us staying calm. For the past three weeks, there was no one left in the entity that did not issue threats. You should not be confused.
 
This has not affected us at all. It will not frighten us at all, nor will it shake our position. These threats won’t affect a hair on our heads.
 
We are not part of the negotiations. Yet, we are keeping track of the negotiations carried out by the Lebanese state. Our eyes and all our information are on Karish. Our eyes are on Karish, and our missiles are on Karish.
 
We do not want to say more than that, and there is no need today to issue threats. I believe that the “Israelis”, the Americans, and the Europeans have sufficient data about the seriousness of the resistance, that this is not psychological warfare, and that we are not kidding.
 
They prolonged the negotiations to increase the chances for success. We are a people who are patient and give the opportunity for negotiations to produce results. This is what we hope to achieve, God willing.
 
Hence, things are calm. They told me that people are tense. The people must calm down and we wait as long as negotiations are moving. Extraction has not started in Karish yet. There is time for solutions away from confrontation, but if confrontation was imposed, it is absolutely inevitable.
 
2-  UNIFIL in Lebanon:
 
I will talk about this topic very briefly. The recent UN Security Council Resolution [Resolution 2650] regarding UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in  Lebanon], in my opinion, is an assault and transgression against Lebanese sovereignty.
 
It is a sign of the Lebanese state's weakness and its absence even from issues with this kind of seriousness and importance. This is a very dangerous issue, and its repercussions are very serious. This is a mine and a trap that the “Israelis” have been laying for many years in Lebanon.
 
This time, Lebanon fell in this trap. Officials are blaming each other. The main officials say they have no knowledge. They say, “Seriously, they made such a decision in the Security Council!"
 
I said this is one of the signs of weakness of the state. In any case, we are keeping track of this matter because of its serious nature.
 
Frankly, I tell you, we could not know who was responsible for this. In any case, the Lebanese person who did this is either ignorant or conspiring because this decision opens the door to great dangers in the south of the Litani area.
 
Religious, scholarly, political, and media leaders expressed concern over the dangers of the UNIFIL decision. Their concern and positions were in the right place because they were well aware of the magnitude of the risks entailed by these amendments and fateful decisions.
 
I believe that this position in Lebanon made UNIFIL command aware of the dangers. It issued a statement in which it retained its right based on the amendment but declared its commitment that it will not undertake any action in the south of the Litani without coordination with the Lebanese army.
 
That's a good statement, a good position. We invite them to adhere to this position because this is the one that causes you to miss the opportunity.
 
However, if they want to act without cooperating with the state and the Lebanese army which is concerned with the movement in the south of the Litani, they are pushing matters to a place that is not in their interest or the interest of Lebanon.
 
We encourage UNIFIL to fulfill what it promised in its latest statement in order to thwart what others are preparing for Lebanon and for all of us.
 
3-  The Lebanese government:
 
Regarding the government, we hope that the two leaders – His Excellency the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister-designate – will be able to form a government soon, God willing.
 
I can tell you today, that we have great hopes in this area. It is necessary to form a government. We should not reach a point, God forbid, where there is a presidential vacuum, a caretaker government, and the country is divided over who has the right to be the prime minister in the caretaker government, which will lead to chaos.
 
We get into some kind of chaos. The great responsibility today requires everyone to compromise here and there and to work with honesty and effort to form a government before that date, and if possible, in the next few days.
 
The great responsibility today requires everyone to make compromises and to work with honesty and effort to form a government before that point, and if possible, in the next few days.
 
4-  The presidency:
 
Regarding the presidency, we stress the importance of holding the presidential election on its constitutional date. We are hearing a lot of threats and challenges, but this is futile.
 
There are calls for an agreement on a president. We support such calls as well as dialogue away from confrontations and vetoes launched in advance.
 
Eventually, work must be done for a president who has the broadest possible political, parliamentary, and popular base to be able to fulfill his legal and constitutional role.
 
5-  The banks:
 
With regard to the Banks, I tell the state that addressing the matter at the security level is not enough.
 
What happened yesterday and what is happening nowadays should prompt officials to form a real cell, a crisis cell, an emergency cell, made up of state officials, officials from the Central Bank and the Lebanese Banking Association, and representatives of depositors to find real solutions to this issue.
Otherwise, it is not enough to address the matter at the security level. Things are stressful, regardless of some suspicious assumptions. However, there are confirmations that stem from real needs and pains.
 
6-  Iranian fuel:
 
Regarding the issue of Iranian fuel, which we had promised and talked about, the brothers concerned with this file in the Islamic Republic promised, God willing, to help Lebanon regarding electric power. Tomorrow or the day after, i.e., within days, a delegation will go.
 
Of course, it was delayed by a few weeks. We will talk about the circumstances that caused the delay – Lebanese circumstances.
 
The brothers in the Islamic Republic have expressed their readiness to provide aid and assistance to the Lebanese people and the Lebanese government from the very beginning.
 
However, there are Lebanese circumstances that we will talk about later. Today, we want to eat grapes.
 
In fact, what we are looking forward to is for Lebanon to receive assistance so that it can secure electricity for every home and every Lebanese region without discrimination.
 
Anyway, I won't get ahead of things. The [Iranian intention to provide] help is a true promise.
 
The Lebanese delegation from the Ministry of Energy will leave for Tehran, and there they will discuss the details, quantities, conditions, and quality. Within a few days, things surrounding this file will become clear, God willing.
 
In any case, brothers and sisters, as we, in Lebanon, face all these difficult and harsh internal and regional challenges, derive from the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein (PBUH) Ashura determination, will, confidence, and certainty.

I began with trust and hope, and I conclude with trust and hope.
 
Whatever the difficulties that surround us and surround our people, our areas, our country, and our states in the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, and Bahrain, our hope in God and our trust in Him must be very great.
 
We must act, stand up, and face the hardship. We must not give up at all, and victory will be ours, God willing.
 
With strength, determination, and sincerity, our people can impose their will on all the arrogant forces, tyrants, and occupiers in our region.
 
Peace be upon you, O Abu Abdullah and upon the souls that gathered in your courtyard. Peace of Allah be upon you from me forever as long as I am existent and as long as there are day and night. May Allah not cause this (visit) to be the last of my visit to you (all). Peace be upon al-Husayn [Imam Hussein], upon Ali ibn al-Husayn, upon the sons of al-Husayn, and upon the companions of al-Husayn.
 
May God magnify and accept your deeds. May Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.