Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech Marking Hezbollah Martyr’s Day
Translated by Al-Ahed News, Hezbollah Media Relation
Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah marking Martyr’s Day in the southern suburbs of Beirut | 11-11-2022
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 welcome you all to our blessed celebration – our family, loved ones, brothers and sisters that are gathered in Hermel, Baalbek, Rayak, Ma’aysara, Deir Qanoon al-Nahr, Nabatiyeh, Bint Jbeil, and here in Beirut’s southern suburbs in the Sayyed Al-Shuhada Complex.
Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you all again.
God Almighty says in His Glorious Book:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
{And of the people is he who sells himself, seeking means to the approval of Allah. And Allah is kind to [His] servants.}
In another verse, He says:
{Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? So, rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.}
He also says:
{And if you are killed in the cause of Allah or die – then forgiveness from Allah and mercy are better than whatever they accumulate [in this world].}
In these noble verses, the generosity of God Almighty, His presence, and giving are evident. God Almighty is the one who gave us souls, and He is the one who gives us money.
Then, He tells us: Sell these souls and money. In return, you will have Paradise. In Paradise, there are things that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has imagined.
Let me give you an example. Say, you have nothing. Then, a rich person with a lot of money gives you a house as a gift. The house is a villa that you always wanted. Then, he tells you, sell me the house that I gave you, sell it to me.
We are just giving examples. He gave you the house, and you did not have anything.
This person tells you, ‘sell me the house I gave you for a billion dollars.’ People will say that this donor, this rich man, and this buyer is generous and giving.
God Almighty bestows and gives. Then, He praises the one who buys himself seeking God’s approval. God accepts this sale and fulfills it to those believers who offered themselves and their money.
Dear brothers and sisters, on 11-11 of every year, we meet on Martyr’s Day.
Just as a reminder, 11-11 [1982] is the day when the prince of the martyrs Ahmad Kassir stormed the building of the “Israeli” military governor in Tyre and completely destroyed it, killing more than one hundred “Israeli” officers and soldiers in a minute.
We always say that this operation that shook the “Israeli” entity launched the era of martyrdom operations against the “Israeli” occupier of Lebanon.
But the operation actually paved the way for the first liberation when the enemy was forced to withdraw. This happened less than three years after the operation. They withdrew from Beirut, the suburbs, Sidon, Tyre, Nabatiyeh, the western Bekaa, and Rashaya.
This operation was a huge shock and a great surprise to the enemy; they did not expect it at all.
In 1982, the enemy thought they can remain in the south and that the Lebanese will coexist with them in various areas, especially in the south. They believed that there will be years of calm, security, and stability and that the occupation will last.
Now, we don't want to go back to that history. Everyone knows that these were the enemy’s calculations – taking advantage of the internal conditions, internal wars, internal divisions, internal exhaustion, internal despair, and internal boredom. There is no need to open those books.
When Ahmad Kassir stormed the headquarters of the “Israeli” military governor in Tyre causing massive losses that had no precedent, this unparalleled operation shocked the enemy.
It was not only the building of the “Israeli” military ruler that collapsed on 11-11, but also all the “Israeli” plans, hopes, and dreams of bringing Lebanon into the “Israeli” sphere, forever.
This is the importance of this great operation which paved the way, as I mentioned, to the first liberation, especially in the first stage.
After that, the enemy began to reconsider its calculations and began to plan its withdrawal and departure.
We have always said that this is the largest operation in the history of the Arab-“Israeli” conflict. We ask God, Glory be to Him, for another operation greater and bigger than this.
This is what we always hope for and aspire to achieve with the hands of the Palestinians, the Lebanese, or any fighter belonging to the resistance front fighting this usurping and occupying entity.
This day and this great and important occasion have been adopted by Hezbollah as a day to commemorate its martyrs – like many who respect their martyrs do; they adopt a day for the remembrance of their martyrs.
Martyr’s Day is a day to commemorate all martyrs, not a specific category of martyrs. It is a day to commemorate all the martyrs, including leaders, scholars, and self-sacrificing ones. The martyr can be anyone or occupy any post before his martyrdom.
Hence, this is a day for all our martyrs. Of course, we are talking about the martyrs of Hezbollah. Even though we consider every martyr in any resistance movement and faction in Lebanon, Palestine, the axis of resistance in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, and the entire region as our martyrs; they are our brothers, loved ones and dear ones.
However, the organizational arrangements presuppose that we allocate this particular occasion to the martyrs who belong to our movement, our jihadist and religious framework.
It is an annual opportunity to meet the families of the martyrs and talk in the presence of the martyrs as they look down on us from above because they are the ones who are truly alive.
This is God Almighty’s testimony – that they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision; they are the real living ones.
Every year, we meet the families of the martyrs on this occasion. This year, Martyr’s Day falls within the Forty Springs, i.e., 40 years [since Hezbollah’s founding]. Today, we celebrate our martyrs who fell over the past 40 years.
We are also joined in this celebration, in particular, by the honorable families of our brothers and sisters who have passed away during the past 40 years.
They gave all their time [to the party]; we call them contractors and full-timers. These individuals gave all their time, lives, and youth to the march of the resistance. Among them were great scholars, including founding scholars.
We won’t go over names. Among them were great leaders in the resistance, cadres, mujahideen, and male and female workers, who made sacrifices, risked their lives, and were on the battlefields and fronts.
However, God Almighty willed for them to leave this world without being killed. They passed away due to illnesses such as the coronavirus, as well as other circumstances and events.
In our understanding and culture, these brothers and sisters as well as these honorable families who believed in this path, worked on this path, proceeded on this path, and have always risked their lives and aspired for martyrdom, God willing, are on the same level as the martyrs.
Brothers and sisters, today, on Martyr’s Day and on the 40th anniversary of the founding of Hezbollah, we say that this march has not stopped giving martyrs for 40 years – neither the march nor its people or the fathers and mothers.
We believe, after God Almighty, that the credit for the presence of these martyrs and the continuation of the march of the martyrs goes to the fathers and mothers, to the honorable and faithful families, who raised their sons and daughters in line with this faith, culture, path, goals, and spirit.
We are talking about young people. I am not exaggerating when I say that 98% of the martyrs that we are talking about were young men 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 years of age. Even our martyred leaders, including Sayyed Abbas, 40 years old, and Sheikh Ragheb, 31 years old, were young [when they were martyred]. But the overwhelming majority were in their twenties or thirties. For them, life was for the taking.
It was possible for many of these young men to take care of their personal lives and interests. They did not have to bear such a responsibility and be in the arenas of danger, fighting, blood, death, and fear. But they were there. They would not have been there if it weren’t for the faith, culture, and spirituality that their mothers and fathers raised them with.
In our path, we also believe in the importance of fathers and mothers encouraging their sons and daughters to join this path and the frontlines.
This has a moral and ethical value and a special religious value. When the parents are pleased with their child when he performs any work, and they pray for him, this has a great effect.
There are families that did not prevent their children from joining the battlefronts, at the very least.
However, there are many families who encouraged and pushed their children to fight the war like the Zainabi mother in Karbala, who pushed her young son to fight the war, and like the sister who encourage her brother.
This has a very high educational, spiritual, and cultural value for us.
When their loved ones were martyred, these honorable families remained patient, were proud of them, cherished them, raised their heads with pride, and preserved their will.
Here, I am talking about the martyrs’ fathers, mothers, wives, sons, daughters, and all those who carried this heavy burden of losing their beloved and dear breadwinners.
Families know what it means to lose a child, for a wife to lose her husband, or for a son or daughter to lose their father. They carried this burden; they were patient and steadfast.
Above all, they preserved the trust of the martyrs and their will which have always been to continue the path until victory and the goals for which they were martyred are achieved.
Therefore, we find that the children of these martyrs, rather the grandchildren of these martyrs, are now resistance fighters, cadres, and leaders in the resistance. This is the highest expression of preserving trust and will.
Also, our society dealt with this phenomenon with great courtesy, positively, and with great respect. This was also important.
Our society, the families of the martyrs, and all of us know – this is one of the characteristics of our path as well – the importance and value of these martyrs, the value of the blood of these martyrs, and the value of the sacrifices of these martyrs.
Here, we are not just talking about the martyrs when they are martyred. Every martyr has two stages:
The first stage is his jihad when he belonged to the resistance, carried its banner, believed in it, and gave it his youth, life, blood, time, and effort. During this stage, he strove, made sacrifices, worked hard, attended, planned, and fought.
In the end, blood is the result; it is the martyr’s final destination; it is a good ending; it is a divine medal for this path of jihad, sacrifices, devotion to God Almighty, and love for his family, people, homeland, and sanctities.
Hence, we appreciate their jihad and sacrifices and what they did for us, for the sake of our sanctities, for the sake of our homeland, our people, our freedom, our dignity, and our security.
The second stage is martyrdom, the good ending, the great outcome, whose title is ‘By the Lord of the Kaaba, I am successful!’; it is martyrdom.
We know the value of this martyrdom and these martyrs. This knowledge is very important. That is why we attribute to them the victories as well as the vigor, strength, resilience, pride, and dignity Lebanon is enjoying. The “Israeli” enemy invaded Lebanon in 1982, killing, capturing, wounding, destroying, arresting, humiliating, violating, and plundering. It wanted to swallow up this country. Where is Lebanon today? What’s become of the Zionist enemy in the face of Lebanon?
We say that after God Almighty, with the blessing of these martyrs, this knowledge is important because ingratitude, denial, condoning and ignoring have psychological, as well as serious social, political, and security effects
When we ignore the real element of strength and lose it, we will become weak. When we ignore the reasons that led to liberation, freedom, dignity, strength, and invincibility, the means of strength will fall, and we will become weak and humiliated and exposed to occupation, refuge, aggression, and humiliation.
When we know their value, we must be thankful to them. Being thankful is by preserving them and preserving their people and families, their sacrifices, and their will and continuing the path.
Brothers and sisters, let us draw a map for the martyrs. Our martyrs are all known and we’ve declared their martyrdom. However, some of our martyrs are still missing, i.e., their bodies are still missing. We have not been able to recover their bodies.
Some of them are still in the possession of the “Israeli” enemy, and they are denying their existence.
Others are still in some of the battlefields that we fought in the past years in Syria. We also have missing brothers; perhaps they are martyrs or they are still alive. This matter needs to be resolved with time.
Here, I would like to say to the honorable families of the missing martyrs – i.e., martyrs whose bodies are missing, but their martyrdom is known – and to the families of the brothers whose fates are still unknown – we call them missing persons, i.e., we don’t know whether they are alive or they’ve been martyred – we appreciate the feelings of these families.
We know what it means for the families of the martyrs whose bodies are missing to have a body, a grave, and a shrine in their village, town, or city to visit.
With regard to families awaiting the fate of their children, this is something that my brothers and I follow closely on a daily basis.
I tell you that I am personally following up on this file, including the names and details, with all the concerned brothers. God willing, the same way we do not leave our prisoners in prisons, we will not leave the bodies of our martyrs behind.
We are working day and night to bring back the bodies of our martyrs and to resolve the fate of our brothers, who are missing.
We have martyrs from all Lebanese areas. They came from all walks of life, all ages, men and women – of course, the overwhelming majority are men.
We lost martyrs in the air, at sea, and the overwhelming majority of course of the martyrs on land. They are missing.
This is the last point I’ll be talking about that is related to our occasion.
What is remarkable is when you see a family of martyrs, i.e., the husband, wife, and children – the whole family – a husband and wife without children, two, three, or four martyrs belonging to one household, all the young men in a family are martyrs, or for example, three or four members of the same family are martyrs.
I said I will not mention names in order not to leave out others.
But what I would like to shed light on is that the son, the father, and the grandfather are all martyrs. We have many cases where a young man is martyred, his father is a martyr, and his grandfather is also a martyr. What is the importance of this issue?
Its importance is the challenge of generations, the battle of generations. This is the importance. This is the point of strength.
Here, we are not talking about the history of the martyrs on Martyr's Day, but rather we are talking about the history of the martyrs, their present, and their future.
We are talking about a continuous resistance; we are talking about generations carrying on one after the other, shoulder to shoulder – the father, the son, the grandfather, and the grandson. The martyr hands the banner to his son, the son to his son, and so on. This is a very important point.
In the current reality, when we talk about American hegemony and occupation in the region, the Zionist entity, occupation like the 1982 occupation of Lebanon, or any revolution and resistance that take place in the world, it is known that the first generation always has high enthusiasm, great insight, and a high willingness to bear difficulties.
This generation moves in harsh conditions with modest capabilities but with tremendous determination. Some, however, assume that the second generation may be less [enthusiastic].
Of course, there are different opinions when talking about the scientific differences between generations. But what I mean by a generation is, for example, the father stands for the first generation, the second generation is the children, and the third generation is the grandchildren. We have to build on such a term or understanding.
They usually say that since the second generation is very much influenced by the first generation and lives with it, it also carries a lot of the latter’s enthusiasm, determination, and faith.
The second generation may not have all the specifications of the first, especially in vigor if the intensity of the challenge declines.
They [the enemy] are betting on the third generation, that it will leave and abandon because victory has been achieved, even if the battle was not over yet.
They say that the first and second generations will eventually grow old and be preoccupied with life as well as social and subsistence issues; they will get tired and bored. Naturally, people grow old and feel bored.
Hence, the bet is on the third generation. That is why they have always targeted the third generation.
We’re still working on the first and second generations and are not paying attention to the third generation. Meanwhile, they are working on it.
What is happening in our societies in the Arab and Islamic world and Lebanon is part of it – the schemes to corrupt young men and women through the culture of triviality and worthlessness and the promotion of immorality as well as moral and social decay, family disintegration, and homosexuality that the United States of America is working with all countries in the world to include in educational curricula.
In Lebanon, we must keep our ears and eyes open. Some Arab and Islamic countries were asked to include these. This exists, and there are documents in the US State Department, including drug trafficking, benefiting from the communications revolution.
In the past, fathers, and mothers used to pay attention to their daughters and sons – what magazine they were reading, what channel they were watching on television, who they were hanging out with, and where they’re going.
Today, this is not the case anymore. Nowadays, every person, including small children, has a [smart] phone in his pocket. Thanks to corona, lessons are now online. Each kid has a small phone in his house through which he can access everything.
This is very dangerous; this is a huge threat. In the battle of the third generation, I am referring to this matter to say that we must take responsibility.
They’re so far losing the battle against our third generation, and the proof is our march and our martyrs as we speak on Martyr’s Day.
In the past ten years, a large number of our brothers were martyred. They were all young; all of them were sons and grandsons of the martyrs of the first generation.
This is an excellent sign; we have not lost our youth. We will not lose our children and our grandchildren. They still carry this faith, culture, and thought, are raising the banner, and competing.
Believe me, during the past ten years, they – these young people whom you may sometimes see on some occasions, on the streets, or in schools, and you may not understand the reality of their faith and impulsiveness – competed to fight in some of the battlefronts we were fighting in. This is the point of strength.
This is also what surprised the enemy today in occupied Palestine – in the West Bank, Al-Quds, and Gaza.
The enemy was betting on the tiredness of the first generations and the later generations being lost, that they will stop thinking, spend day and night on the internet and social media platforms, and satisfy their whims and desires.
This is the western culture that they want us to belong to. However, they were surprised by these young men and women in occupied Palestine, like martyr Uday al-Tamimi and many of his brothers, who became a symbol. Every day, there are bright names that can be added next to Uday al-Tamimi’s.
The enemy admits that they were surprised. They were also surprised on 11/11/1982 when they were betting on the weariness of the Lebanese, but Ahmed Kassir surprised him.
Today, the enemy is betting on the weariness of the Palestinians, but Uday al-Tamimi and his brothers surprised it. I tell America, “Israel”, and the occupiers, do not bet on this generation and on future generations. The current and future generations will have the same faith, determination, and spirituality. They will move forward with strength.
Of course, we are all responsible. The responsibility of fathers, mothers, scholars, teachers in schools, educators, and those interested in public affairs is to keep their eyes open. They have great responsibilities when it comes to this generation.
We must not allow this generation to be corrupted by Western media or drugs or be lost.
The responsibility today on honorable and decent families is much greater than ever before. In fact, today we live in a time when the one holding onto religion is like grasping onto hot embers.
I delve into some political headlines related to the resistance. I will talk about three headlines briefly in the remaining time:
- The “Israeli” elections
- The US elections
- The Lebanese presidency and the presidential elections
- The “Israeli” elections:
Many said that the extreme right has come and that Netanyahu has come and asked what the effects of this are going to be.
First, with regard to Lebanon, with regard to us, based on our understanding and culture, it makes no difference. They are all the same. They are worse than each other.
The successive governments that ruled the usurping entity from the first government – the Ben-Gurion Government – until today are all criminal, terrorist, usurper, occupier, and cruel governments that have no moral and human values.
They are laughing at us and our people when they tell you moderate and extremist, right and left [government].
At least, in Lebanon, we know that most of the wars that were waged against Lebanon and the major battles that were fought with Lebanon happened during the time of what they call moderates in the enemy’s governments, i.e., the Labor Party, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and others.
But for us, this will not do anything at all. Yes, inside occupied Palestine – I will return to the Lebanese issue regarding this point – these elections have repercussions and effects on the enemy’s society, which suffers from sharp divisions. [These elections] must be followed up on.
This will increase the sharp divisions and will affect the future of this entity through its choices, especially if it hands over some sensitive responsibilities not to extremists – since they are all extremists – but to fools. Fools do not scare us.
We have a hadith [saying] that says: ‘praise be to God, who made our enemies foolish.’ When a foolish enemy comes, we do not fear him. Rather, we consider that this is good news, heralding the end of this enemy and exposing its confusion and defeat. These elections may affect the level of escalation and confrontation inside occupied Palestine. This, too, will hasten the end of this entity.
As for Lebanon, it is protected by God and the equation of power, which is the army, the people, and the resistance.
When we are strong, it does not matter whether this enemy is right, left, middle right, or extreme right. This enemy only understands force and the language of force.
It takes force into account and nothing else. Therefore, it won’t matter to us who the enemy’s prime minister, minister of war, or security minister was.
Our real strength lies here. Also, with regard to the issue of maritime borders, the extraction of oil and gas, and the work of the companies that was included in the recent agreement, we do not believe that there will be withdrawal from or cancellation of this agreement. All indications point otherwise, even if Netanyahu announced that he will withdraw during the elections. In any case, he has his accounts.
Some consider that their guarantee in this matter is the American commitment. Good for them. God willing, the Americans will fulfill their obligations, even if they usually do not. You can ask our Palestinian brothers who chose the settlement paths with American guarantees and commitments. Where are they today and where is Palestine?
In any case, our real guarantee here in Lebanon is our strength, the power of Lebanon, the elements of power that Lebanon possesses. As long as these elements of power are available, they will guarantee the continuation of this agreement.
Second, we should not be worried today. On the contrary, we must be very reassured. The causes that led to reaching this result are still present, will continue to exist, and will be strengthened, God willing. They will be strengthened, God willing.
- The US elections:
Of course, many in the region, including some governments, preoccupy themselves with the results of the US elections – who will win the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate?
In our political culture as well as in our understanding and awareness of the successive American governments, which have always had successive Democrats and Republicans, and with regard to our region – we are talking about our region at the very least – What changed between a Democrat and a Republican?
The American project is one and continuous; the goals are the same; they differ in language, hypocrisy, tactics, means, and methods. As for the goals, the basics, the principles, the constants, they are settled and do not change.
We, the people of this region, have only seen from the successive American governments, this great Satan, wars, domination, occupations, the plundering of the region's wealth, confiscation of the region's independence, and at the top of its crimes is the presence of this usurping entity called “Israel”.
The United States of America and the successive governments are, first and foremost, responsible for the survival of “Israel” in our region. Republicans and Democrats boast about adopting “Israel”.
[Joe] Biden, whom people consider moderate in comparison to [Donald] Trump, used to say in the past and has repeated it a few days ago in the White House in the presence of the “Israeli” president: “If there was no ‘Israel’, we’d have to invent one.” What does this mean?
This means that the United States of America, including its Democrats and Republicans, is responsible for all the crimes against humanity committed by “Israel” on a daily basis in the region – in Palestine, there are daily killings, assaults, house demolitions, and arrests. They are also responsible for its occupation and domination remaining as well as the rape and looting it’s committing.
Therefore, for us, they are one and the same. When you turn on the tv to watch the news, you’re given the red color and the blue one – based on the Democrats or the Republicans.
I told some brothers that there is no difference in whether Satan wears red or blue. The devil is a devil, with the same essence and reality.
Therefore, nothing will change. Instead of waiting and linking our fate to the right and left in the enemy entity and to the Democrats and Republicans in the United States of America or waiting for our enemy’s changes and transformations, peoples and governments in the region, including us in Lebanon – I am saying this so we can build on it a position, awareness, and knowledge – we must return to ourselves.
We must bet on ourselves, on our strength, on our unity, on uniting our ranks, on overcoming strife, on engaging in dialogue, and on strengthening the elements of our national strength.
We must rely on God Almighty, on ourselves, and on our loyal and honest friends, who do not want their help in exchange for plundering our wealth, confiscating our decision, or harming our dignity.
This is what is required. The real responsible and patriotic person must act with this responsibility and in this manner.
Allow me here to comment on what the US official concerned with Lebanon and our region said at the US State Department a few days ago.
She talked about scenarios related to Lebanon. Where can Lebanon head towards? She also talked about catastrophic and dangerous scenarios. I do not want to discuss the scenarios or what she said.
Rather, I want to comment on a sentence she said and explain a few things. One of the scenarios she mentioned included getting rid of Hezbollah. She mentioned a phrase in English [the curse of Hezbollah]; the translators translated it differently; some said that its translation is "curse", i.e., the curse of Hezbollah. Others translated it as "plague", and others translated it as an "epidemic".
Since I am not an expert in the English language, I cannot decide – whether she said a curse, a plague, or an epidemic. However, she was addressing the Lebanese people and talking about Hezbollah. On Hezbollah’s Martyr Day, allow me to comment on this word.
Let us speak frankly with each other, with the Lebanese, and let us put small conflicts aside. Let us go to the truth. Who is the curse? Who is the plague? Who is the epidemic? Let us not go back into history.
Rather, let us talk a little about recent history – 1982 – related to the Forty Springs [forty years since the launch of Hezbollah].
We all remember the “Israeli” invasion in 1982 and what “Israel” did in Lebanon – when it entered the capital Beirut and most of the Lebanese areas – to the Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians, and everyone
Did it not commit war crimes, wreak havoc and destruction, bomb, and commit massacres? Who sponsored it, protected it, supported it, backed it, and funded it? The United States of America.
If the “Israeli” invasion of Lebanon in 1982 was a curse and an epidemic, we were able to get rid of it. This curse and this plague is primarily made in the United States of America – I know a couple of words in English. MADE IN USA [Sayyed says it in English]. The whole world knows this.
You are the curse. All of “Israel's” crimes from 1982 until 2000, including the massacres it committed, especially in the south, the western Bekaa, and Rashaya from 1985 until 2000 are documented. You can find them today in films, television, and documents. They are not passed down from grandfather to father to son.
No, there are films; there were martyrs and their families are still alive. The Americans, the US administrations – I do not mean the American people – are the curse and the plague that came to our country.
The resistance, in which Hezbollah represents a major faction alongside the other resistance movements and factions, is the one that removed this curse and expelled this plague from Lebanon.
In any case, you get rid of the American curse from the door, it returns to you from the window. You get rid of the American epidemic from the door, it returns from the holes – this is how we say it in our village.
It creeps up again because its greed and goals are limitless. After 2000, the region was being destroyed, including wars from Afghanistan to Iraq and the July war, through which you wanted to establish a new Middle East. Whose work is this?
This is your direct action, you Americans. You are the curse; you are the plague; you are the epidemic. The people of our region, including Hezbollah, are the ones who confronted this curse, expelled it, stood in the face of this plague and epidemic, and did not surrender to it.
Who brought all the takfiris and terrorists from all over the world to Syria and Iraq in the past decade? Trump, Hillary Clinton, the Obama administration, the CIA, and the US military admitted to this.
You brought the terrorist and takfiri plague, curse, and epidemic to our region and to Lebanon; Hezbollah, the Lebanese people, the Lebanese army, and the Lebanese state are the ones who confronted this plague in the barrens of the eastern chain.
Not to take up a lot of time, we will talk briefly about the stages since 2019.
You brought chaos to Lebanon under the pretext of October [movement]. I will speak frankly because the Americans started saying that in the past years, we brought the NGOs – of course, they are talking about most of the NGOs – trained them, and funded them.
We had the courage from the beginning to accuse the movement that took place in Lebanon and question its background, leadership, and administration.
We had the courage even though many people in the country were taken in and were greatly affected by the resonant slogans that were launched in those demonstrations. Why did it dissolve like salt?
Because the facts and the background emerged – who wanted chaos in Lebanon in 2019 when the civil war projects failed? You, the Americans. When you sponsored this movement, all red lines were crossed – not the Lebanese president, speaker of parliament, prime minister, minister, deputy, religious figures, political figures, party, sanctities, wives, sisters, or daughters. Isn’t this true?
All of this was intentional. This is not a slip of the tongue; this was all intentional – the insults, cursing, baseless accusations, judging everyone, ‘All of them means all of them’, accusations of corruption and guilt, and the saints are the ones who take refuge in the American embassy cave in Lebanon.
Weren't the demands of the October 2019 chaos the resignation of the Lebanese president, the resignation of the government, and the resignation of the parliament? What does that mean? This means undermining the state.
This is your curse, the curse of the Americans, the American plague, and the American epidemic. The patriots in Lebanon stood with courage and strength in the face of this chaos. Among them was Hezbollah, which you describe as a curse and a plague.
Since that time, this curse began and its effects extended to the economic and living situation, the economic collapses, the administrative collapses, and collapses in the price of the national currency. With these collapses, the ongoing American blockade began. Nothing has changed.
Well, someone might say that there is no American blockade. Does a blockade mean that American ships are blockading the Lebanese sea, while American forces are stationed on the borders between Lebanon and Syria, for example? No. They have “Israel”.
The blockade we are talking about is being implemented while they are sitting in Washington. It is forbidden for any country to provide aid to Lebanon, to come and invest in Lebanon, to extend a helping hand to Lebanon, and to place deposits in the Central Bank of Lebanon. This is a blockade. Is a blockade only deploying ships in the sea?
This is a modern-day siege – to put sanctions on you and implement a blockade on a country. For example, some people are afraid that they [the US] may put sanctions on the Central Bank! But they are doing worse than that.
It is forbidden for anyone to help Lebanon. What is worse is what would the Americans do if there was a country in the world that had the courage to break the American blockade and extend a helping hand to Lebanon? They forbid the Lebanese state and government from accepting the aid. It is forbidden! What do you call this?
This is the curse and the plague. We have heard in the past few days that there is Russian aid that they want to give – fuel and wheat aid. Let us see whether Lebanon will be allowed and will dare accept this aid or will the Americans forbid us, hit our hands like children, and threaten us. We have two problems regarding this issue.
This is what happened with us regarding the Iranian issue. More than a year or two years ago, when Lebanon was still providing subsidies for gasoline, diesel fuel, gas, and other similar fuels in general, and paid in hard currency, we spoke with the brothers in Iran.
They agreed two years ago that due to Lebanon’s situation, we do not have a problem selling fuel, gasoline, diesel fuel, and gas to Lebanon in Lebanese pounds, and we will also take care of you with the price.
Experts said this will save billions of dollars for the Lebanese treasury, will maintain the price in the market, and will be a source of relief and great salvation for Lebanon. Why did it not happen?
Because the Americans prevented, threatened, and warned. It is possible that at that time someone would say that this issue is buying and selling, and therefore, there will be sanctions.
A while ago, Hezbollah was asked to get help from Iran regarding the issue of fuel, because if we are able, within 6, 7, or 8 months, to improve the hours of electrical supply and make them 8, 10, or 12 hours, this will make a major shift in the country.
Indeed, we spoke with the concerned brothers in the Islamic Republic. Despite the fact that the matter is great – we are very grateful to them – they agreed, and official contacts took place.
A Lebanese delegation from the Ministry of Energy visited Tehran. Of course, they did not dare to send the Minister of Energy because he is a political minister.
A technical delegation went, and there was no problem.
We used to say, on the issue of the maritime borders, that we want to eat grapes. On this issue, too, we want to eat grapes. We do not want to score points against anyone.
Our hearts are not breaking for the people. Rather, we are among the people, and we know what it means to have only one or two hours of electricity per day.
If there was a chance that we will have six, seven, eight, and 10 hours of electricity per day, well, why not! Hence, a Lebanese delegation went and discussions took place.
They asked for a certain quantity, which was approved, without restrictions, conditions, and remarks. The Islamic Republic wants to help the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people in this ordeal.
A month, two, and three have passed, and we are perhaps in the fourth month now. Everything was done, decided, and written, but the issue stopped. Why did it simply stop? Because the Americans prevented it from happening! The American curse banned it!
The Lebanese delegation went to Algeria and begged it to send Sonatrach [an Algerian-owned oil company] back to Lebanon and sell fuel there. It went from country to country. Isn’t this right or wrong? Lebanon will buy and pay money.
Meanwhile, there is another friendly country that does not want anything, no restrictions, conditions, and embarrassment. They do not concern themselves with form or content, nothing at all.
We want to help you. Come and take this help. They do not dare, why? Because the Americans warned them, prevented them, and threatened them. The Lebanese people must be known this.
So, who is the curse? Who is the plague? Who is the epidemic? Some people may be confused and tell you that the Americans helped Lebanon regarding the demarcation of the maritime borders, and every day the American mediator says that Lebanon, God willing, will have gas, oil, electricity, etc.
I would like to tell you very clearly, they did not sign the demarcation agreement out of love for the Lebanese, for the sake of the Lebanese, or for the Lebanese to have gas and electricity.
This is a lie and hypocrisy; it is not true. He said that we made the agreement to spare the region war because the current US administration has different priorities related to Ukraine and Russia and energy in the region.
It also knows the conditions of the “Israeli” entity and the meaning of going to war between the entity and Hezbollah and what could happen in the whole region. That is why the Americans accepted Line 23.
The people have been demanding this for the past 10 years, but they [the Americans] tell them either you take this line or nothing. We do not owe anyone anything.
Lebanon got – I am not saying it got all its rights – the demands of the Lebanese state with its strength and seizing a historical moment.
Unless the Americans really feel bad for the Lebanese people for not having electricity and want us to have gas – we will have gas after several years. Now, what?
Who has so far prevented the arrival of Egyptian gas to Lebanon? Who has so far prevented the arrival of Jordanian electricity to Lebanon? They are the ones that introduced the Caesar Act. The Americans are the ones preventing aid and deposits from Lebanon. They are the ones besieging Lebanon.
Of course, if we look at the region, we find that the calamity is greater. Today, after its victory over the global war, Syria is enduring great economic suffering. Who caused it? The Caesar Act was put in place by the Americans.
The Americans, who admitted to bringing hundreds of thousands of takfiris, failed to bring down Syria. They want hunger and the cold of winter to bring it down, just as some of their senators argue.
Who is responsible for the continuation of the war on Yemen? Who is responsible for all the injustices in our region? Who bears responsibility for all that has been going on in Iran during the past weeks?
I tell you, brothers and sisters, that Iran has once again triumphed over sedition and the American-“Israeli”-Western conspiracy.
It won a great and decisive victory, and this will increase its strength in the near future, God willing. Who bears responsibility for everything that is happening today in our region and in Palestine? This is the American plague.
Therefore, I want to conclude this description by saying, the problem, brothers in Lebanon, is when we do not know who the enemy is.
When talking about awareness and insight, the most important condition is that you know who your enemies and friends are.
But what will your fate be when you confuse your enemies for your friends, turn to them, and seek refuge from the beast?
As for the insightful and sane person, he seeks refuge in God Almighty; he seeks refuge in the truthful, the faithful, and the loyal – and they are many and powerful in this world.
A person who is keen on his country must not only condemn the American curse and plague. They are deceiving the Lebanese by sending us a senior official in the US administration, telling us that they established electric power in a certain village to extract water, that they increased spending this year and will be 70 million dollars, etc.
You are asking us for gratitude for the 70 million dollars while taking our country. Meanwhile, there are people ready to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid.
If you really love the Lebanese people and your heart aches for the Lebanese, allow them to accept the aid without any conditions.
First, let us condemn this curse and plague. Secondly, let us call on the Lebanese to stand up, not succumb to the plague and the epidemic, and must take measures. Otherwise, this plague will overthrow you, and this epidemic will take you to your death. All this is for whom? For the sake of “Israel”, for which Biden says, “If there’s no ‘Israel’, we’d have to invent one.”
- The Lebanese presidency:
The file of the presidency in Lebanon is undoubtedly a very important file, and we view it with high and great importance.
A presidential vacuum is not anyone’s goal, and I personally, the way I talk about Hezbollah, think well of others’ intentions. Accusing this or that team for wanting a vacuum or for a vacuum being their goal and project is baseless accusation.
To those we oppose and disagree with, I tell them that we do not think that anyone wants a vacuum. Everyone really wants a president. We are among those who want a Lebanese president as soon as possible.
Some consider that this is an affair that affects Christians only or affects Maronites. I say this concerns all the Lebanese because the vacuum in the presidency is reflected on all the Lebanese, all the residents in Lebanon, and on the entire Lebanese situation – socially, financially, politically, and at the security level and living conditions.
Therefore, the great national interest is certainly for a president to be elected for Lebanon as soon as possible, and this is not up for discussion.
However, this importance and necessity do not mean that in order to fill the vacuum, we have to fill the post with whoever, whatever, or any president. This is a contradiction.
We are talking about the importance of the presidency post in relation to Lebanon, the state, the people, the present, and also the future. We are talking about the fate of a country in six years.
There are those in Lebanon who are exaggerating the issue and giving the post of the presidency more than it is – after the Taif Agreement. Meanwhile, there are those who are downplaying the issue – as if the presidency is nothing.
This is an exaggeration and negligence. The Lebanese presidency – with the powers that exist within the Taif Agreement and the current Lebanese constitution – is an important, sensitive, and fateful issue for Lebanon. it will impact it for the next six years and the years that follow. The effects will not end after six years.
When we talk about this post with such importance, then fill it with whomever, this means that we are underestimating the post and contradicting ourselves.
If we consider that the post has a high degree of importance, then it becomes the responsibility of the Lebanese people to really work and strive politically. When I say strive, I mean there is give and take, weariness, etc. in order to reach the best, most appropriate option to occupy this post and shoulder the responsibility.
Therefore, it is true that the time factor is pressing, the post is important, and vacuum is very bad, but all of this should not lead to us filling the post with anyone. Rather, it should urge all parties to strive to fill the position with the right person.
Every political force in Lebanon and every parliamentary bloc represented in Parliament in Lebanon naturally looks at the issue of the presidential election from a certain angle.
Allow me in a few minutes to explain from what angle we look at this issue. It is not the only angle, but it is one of the most important angles.
We consider that Lebanon has elements of power that must be preserved. One of the most important positions concerned with preserving the elements of power is the post of the presidency.
This is a strategic issue, an issue related to the strength of Lebanon. If we were to use another term, we’d say it is also related to national security, to the national security of Lebanon, to this country, to this entity, to this people.
Here, the issue of resistance comes as one of the main elements of power in the equation that we always talk about – the army, the people, and the resistance. During the electoral rallies, I explained, and I will not repeat.
I tell you that this resistance is being targeted, and it is being targeted on a daily basis. The speech of the US official clarifies that the resistance is being targeted.
What is worse is that the Americans are still working on the option of [spreading] chaos and civil war. They are imagining that the scenario of chaos or civil war could lead to the end of the resistance in Lebanon, just as they assumed that the scenario of siege, starvation, and the destruction of people's livelihood could lead to the end of the resistance in Lebanon. But they failed.
The worst thing is that they speak publicly that they support the Lebanese army – allow me to speak frankly even if I said it earlier – because they consider it qualified to confront the resistance and eliminate it.
Of course, the Lebanese army’s leadership, officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers absolutely reject this idea and position, now and in the past.
We do not have any doubts or illusions about this issue, but the Americans announced this and publicized it. I am not telling you that there is a document and that we must verify it.
They are saying this publicly on television and in their statements, especially when discussing providing financial and logistical support to the Lebanese army in Congress. What do they infer? For Lebanon to defend itself in the face of “Israel”? No! They infer that this army is capable of facing the resistance.
In light of such an American mind and in light of a detailed American intervention in Lebanon at the level of the main leaderships and ministries – there is no more time for me to go into details – we are a country whose people claim to be sovereign, free, and independent.
When they know that the American embassy is interfering with Lebanese governmental and ministerial details, we as a resistance, the environment of the resistance, and the supporters of the resistance have the right to demand a president who is comfortable with this resistance.
Here, I am not only talking about Hezbollah, but I am also talking about Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and the rest of the national and Islamic forces that agree on this decision and on this option.
We have the right as a large segment of the Lebanese people to demand a president in Baabda who is comfortable with this resistance.
This is normal. This is at the very least. Frankly, what does this mean? Allow me to explain this point. We used to avoid delving into the qualities [of the president], but they must be said.
Frankly, in Lebanese slang, first, we want a president in Baabda who is not afraid. That is, if the US Embassy, the US State Department, the US Central Command, or anyone higher than them threatens him, he does not tremble, get scared, and give up.
We want a brave and fearless president who puts the national interest before his fear.
Secondly, and more frankly, we want a president who cannot be bought or sold. We’ve had experiences, of course. The suitcases are ready.
There are countries that have no problem buying a president for 50 million or 100 million, depending on his price.
If we are truly patriotic, sovereign, independent, and advocates of freedom, we must look for a president who is not afraid or one that can be sold or bought.
This is what we want, first and foremost. Later, we will talk about other qualities. We must start from here, and later we will talk about the rest.
We have many experiences in this country. Let us talk openly, regardless of the opinions of the Lebanese people and the Lebanese political forces of individuals.
For example, during the term of His Excellency President General Emile Lahoud – there are people in Lebanon who do not like General Emile Lahoud and disagree with him, and there are people who love him – you can rest assured that for nine years, the resistance that created the 2000 liberation and fought militarily and politically in 2006 was confident that its back is protected and that there is no president that will stab it in the back, sell it, betray it, or conspire against it.
Regardless of whether you like him or not or agree with him or not when it comes to your assessment of internal politics, on this particular point, which is a major strategic point and not an ordinary detail, during His Excellency President General Michel Aoun’s term for the past six years, the back of the resistance that protected Lebanon, defended it, prevented any aggression against it using the balance of deterrence, and was a decisive factor in achieving the maritime borders and the possibility of Lebanon recovering oil and gas was safe.
This is because for the past six years there was a brave man in Baabda who did not buy, sell, betray, or backstab. Do you know what we want?
Allow me to elaborate on another detail. Of course, what is left of the March 14 team is doing General Aoun injustice when they say the following. For example, they say that in exchange for the presidency and protection for the resistance, he handed power in Lebanon over to Hezbollah.
This is a repeated lie that is being refuted every day. One of the latest issues to refute it is the Iranian fuel that we talked about a while ago.
If Hezbollah was the authority in Lebanon, if Hezbollah was the decision-maker in Lebanon, if the state in Lebanon was under Hezbollah’s control, you would have ten hours of electricity today.
But the Americans are preventing from having that. This is a lie. President Michel Aoun did not give Hezbollah power over the state, over the ministries, or over the administrations.
On many internal issues, we and His Excellency the President even used to disagree. We and the Free Patriotic Movement, our friends, used to disagree. They used to even reproach us in the media.
This is empty talk; this is baseless talk.
We do not want a Lebanese president that will cover for the resistance; we do not want a president that protects the resistance. The resistance in Lebanon does not need cover and protection.
What we only want is a president who does not stab the resistance in the back, conspire against it, or sell it. This is our natural right; the right of the people of the resistance and all its factions is to have a president with these qualities.
Should we stand idly by? Of course, not. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri attempted to bring people together to the dialogue table, but that did not work. What do we do? The alternative is bilateral or trilateral dialogue, not waiting for time to pass, betting on time, or waiting for internal, regional, and international changes.
No, people should talk to each other, discuss with each other, argue with each other, and try to convince each other because no one has the majority in Parliament to appoint a president.
Hence, the choice now is for the Lebanese to talk to each other and engage in dialogue. Of course, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri can play a major role in this issue.
This is an alternative to a dialogue table. He can play this role. All the [political] forces must exercise this responsibility. We must exercise this responsibility as far as possible.
Not all people talk to us and we talk to them. There are others, praise be to God, who are open and talk to everyone, and everyone talks to them and has no problem with this issue.
Of course, there are other characteristics that we must mention, but I wanted to focus on this quality on Martyr’s Day, which we consider to be the most basic.
Otherwise, when you tell me to vote for someone who made arguing with you about the resistance and the weapons of the resistance a priority when there are a thousand files in Lebanon that need treatment, this means that we’ve got off on the wrong foot, guys.
If we want to start right, we believe we should start like this. If we want Lebanon to be strong, to be able to extract oil and gas in the southern offshore areas and the rest of Lebanon in the coming years, and to be resistant to chaos and civil war, we must search for this type of president.
On Martyr’s Day, to all our martyrs, to the master of our martyrs, Sayyed Abbas, to the sheikh of our martyrs, Sheikh Ragheb, to all our jihadist leaders, to all our dear martyrs, we renew our pledge, our allegiance, our oath, and our insistence on continuing their path until the goals are achieved.
We’ve preserved the will for the past 40 years. In conclusion, I tell them that God willing we will preserve the will. We ask God Almighty to bestow upon us this sublime divine medal that He bestowed upon them.
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
