Sayyed Nasrallah’s Full Speech at Martyr Leader Hajj Muhammad Nehme Nasser’s Memorial
Translated by Al-Ahed News, Hezbollah Media Relations
Speech of Hezbollah’s Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah at a memorial for martyred leader, Hajj Muhammad Nehme Nasser [Abu Nehme], at the Imam Al-Mujtaba [AS] Complex in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our Master and Prophet, the Seal of Prophets, Abi al-Qassem Muhammad Bin Abdullah, and his good and pure household and his good and chosen companions and all the prophets and messengers.
Peace be upon you, 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-Hussein [AS] [Imam Hussein (AS)], upon Ali ibn Al-Hussein [AS], upon the sons of Al-Hussein [AS], and upon the companions of Al-Hussein [AS].
Honorable guests, brothers and sisters, honorable family, whether here in the southern suburb in the Imam Al-Mujtaba [AS] complex or the honorable families in the steadfast southern town of Hadatha, may the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you all.
As is customary, we must offer or express our congratulations and condolences to those for whom we are holding this ceremony and to all the martyrs of the past days and weeks.
As usual, between two celebrations, we return to the families of the martyrs. We had martyrs yesterday and the day before yesterday, and over the past days and weeks. We congratulate these families for their dear ones and loved ones achieving the high degree of martyrdom and a good outcome. We express our condolences for the loss of their loved ones, whether they were husbands, brothers, sisters, fathers, or sons.
I also address those whose memory we are commemorating today, the memory of the two dear martyrs, martyred leader Hajj Abu Nehme [Hajj Muhammad Nehme Nasser] and martyred Mujahid fighter brother Muhammad Ghassan Khashab.
To their honorable and blessed families, we congratulate them and express our sympathy. This is what these honorable Mujahideen brothers, leaders, and those who have passed, and those who are still filling the squares were and are looking forward to. The martyrs of this battle, the Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, are among the clearest and highest examples of being killed and martyred in the path of God Almighty because they are fighting in the battle of the clear, shining, and sparkling truth in which there is no doubt or dust on it.
Therefore, when they are martyred, those noble verses that we usually read on the occasions for martyrs apply to them.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. {Never think of those martyred in the cause of Allah as dead. In fact, they are alive with their Lord, well provided for— rejoicing in Allah’s bounties and being delighted for those yet to join them. There will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve. They are joyful for receiving Allah’s grace and bounty, and that Allah does not deny the reward of the believers.}
These are the living martyrs who moved to that great blessing, to the abode. What is striking in these verses is the glad tidings, meaning they rejoice in what they see of God’s blessing. As stated in the noble hadiths, the martyr wishes to return to this world to be killed again and again. Why? Because of the great bliss, satisfaction, status, and closeness to God Almighty that he sees. But there is another observation that I want to point out on the occasion of Abu Nehme and the brothers who preceded him. They, the brothers that move to that abode, rejoice in those who did not follow them. Here, we are not talking about the Day of Great Resurrection; we are talking about the abode, what we call Barzakh.
These martyrs are alive now, not alive on the Day of Resurrection. On the Day of Resurrection, all people will be alive. They are alive now; they are well provided for, they are experiencing God’s blessings now, and because of the great blessing they see, they will remember their brothers, companions, and loved ones.
This reveals that this group of martyrs and Mujahideen have a relationship of love and affection with their Mujahideen brothers, such that when he sees this blessing, he wishes it for his brother and rejoices that these blessings will be waiting for his brother, who will join him at another time. It is as if the martyrs before Jawad al-Tawil are delighted for the blessings that Jawad will receive, and Jawad is delighted for the blessings awaiting Abu Taleb, and Abu Taleb is delighted for the blessings awaiting Abu Nehme. This is certainly in God’s knowledge because this is an open battle and both mujahideen and leaders fall and rise as martyrs.
Abu Nehme rejoices for his brothers whom he awaits in his heaven, these brothers, especially the leaders we know closely.
While I was preparing my speech, I remembered and recalled what I said in previous speeches when I spoke about the martyred leaders. Allow me to clarify something even though this question was not raised. But to clarify, I deliver speeches during the commemorations of martyred leaders. I wish I could speak, and I am honored by that, at the celebration of every martyr. I wish I could spend my lifetime in the homes of the martyrs and their families and moving from one martyr’s celebration to another.
Unfortunately, this matter is not available due to time, opportunity, or the security situation. More than thirty years ago, especially since we always had martyrs, and there are also brothers that pass away, the brothers set a rule so that we don’t have any preferences.
I was to speak on the occasions of a group of brothers who are leaders. In other words, we have a specific organizational rank, what we now call martyred leaders. Therefore, it is my obligation and duty to speak when commemorating them. Otherwise, I am honored to be present at the celebration of every martyr. All of our martyrs, praise be to God, are martyrs for the sake of God. To us, they are martyred leaders, martyrs of guidance, masters of martyrs, martyrs who guide the way, martyrs of victory, martyrs of dignity, pride, and honor.
We know these brothers closely. I have known Abu Nehme for many years. During Abu Taleb’s one week martyrdom commemoration, I said that I saw him. I saw them one after the other. We talked for a long time about our front.
There is an organizational rank; even though it has been raised in the media, I will explain it. You heard of the Nasr and Aziz units. The Nasr area and the Aziz area are an expression of a geographical distribution. Before 2006, we used to designate areas south of the Litani as one military zone, with one formation fighting in it. The south of the Litani was called the Nasr unit.
After the July War, the readings and reviews, and learning lessons from the July War, the brothers decided to turn the south Litani area [we will return to the south Litani later in the speech] into two military areas. Each area would include an integrated military formation – a commander, fighters, weapons, capabilities, and formations. The area from the sea to a place in the middle of the south of the Litani was called the Aziz area. From there [the Aziz area] to the Shebaa Farms was called the Nasr area. Martyr Abu Nehme was the commander of the Aziz unit and area, while martyr Abu Taleb was the commander of the Nasr unit.
I repeat and say that when we know them, it makes us stronger. I would like to answer the questions of some commentators and writers. For example, they say that when the leaders of Hezbollah speak, they speak with confidence, with high morale. Now, when I or any of my brothers speak, they are surprised and wonder how we can speak with such confidence, reassurance, and high morale while we are in the heart of the battle, facing grave dangers and threats.
First, we are a people who believe in God – the Almighty – and trust in Him. We are confident in His promise.
Secondly, it is because we have Abu Taleb, Abu Nehme, Jawad, and the martyred leaders who preceded them from their generation and the older generation. We also have those who are waiting. It is because we have these sorts of men: {Among the believers are men who have proven true to what they pledged to Allah. Some of them have fulfilled their pledge ‘with their lives’.} These are the leaders and the Mujahideen that were martyred. We know who was [fighting] with us in our march. Who are we with? We are with them.
If only people knew the kind of leaders, cadres, mujahideen, and heroes we have! They are brave people, experienced individuals, people of determination and will. This is in addition to the military and material capabilities that God Almighty made possible for us to possess. Add to this the environment of honorable families, including fathers, mothers, wives, and families...
Only then do we act with such confidence and high morale and are confident that what we have is a clear example of the group that supports God every day, in every situation, and in every field. God promised them victory, and so far, He has given them victory over the course of 42 years. He has given them victory in all places, in all difficult circumstances, and amid imbalanced equations and catastrophes.
Returning to these martyrs, I sat and read what I said about Jawad Al-Tawil and Abu Taleb. Well, they are the same. People will feel the repetition; it is not because I want to repeat. Rather, it is because these brothers are very similar, very close, and, in most cases, close in age. This generation of leaders are also similar in terms of characteristics. Therefore, if you sense repetition, it is because dear and beloved leaders belonging to this generation share the same qualities.
Abu Nehme began this journey as a fighter. In 1982, he was captured after the “Israeli” invasion. We are in front of a captive mujahid. Later, we will find a mujahid, a fighter, a prisoner, a twice-wounded leader, and a leader in many fields and arenas. In the end, it was a good end and a beautiful ending – I saw nothing but beauty. Allah knew they would be killed; therefore, they came to the place they would be slain.
In 1982, he was captured. It was the same year when he was conscripted for compulsory military service in the Lebanese army. In 1984, he joined the ranks of the resistance and its formations and continued to work. He had a presence on the front lines since the beginning, especially in the Bint Jbeil axis, where he was first injured in 1988 in an operation in the town of Al-Tiri within the occupied border strip.
He participated on the front lines in the confrontations of July 1993, the operation the enemy calls Operation Accountability and we call it the July 1993 war. Later, we stopped using the words “July War” or “April War” when we saw the July 2006 war. These were not war; they were only operations. And, in the battle in April, which the enemy calls “The Grapes of Wrath” in 1996. All this time, Abu Nehme was on the front lines.
In 2000, he continued his responsibility and work in the ranks of the resistance and participated in operations. As per the report, he participated in the operation of martyr Salah Ghandour because Abu Nehme was in the Bint Jbeil axis, where the operation took place.
He took charge of the special force in the Nasr Unit, at a time when all of southern Litani was called the Nasr Unit from 2004 to 2008. He participated in the July 2006 war [we will talk about this war that began on July 12]. He spent 33 days on the front under fire.
When the Syrian crisis began and the ISIS phenomenon appeared, he went to fight in Syria against ISIS, which took control of many Iraqi governorates. The religious authority – at that time – His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Al-Sistani issued a jihad fatwa, and many mujahideen joined.
I told a story once when Hajj Qassem Soleimani, the great leader, came to me. I mentioned it in the context of talking about our relationship with Iran, a deep and strong relationship that spans 30 to 40 years. The Islamic Republic never asked us for anything – whether people choose to believe this or not – except once. Hajj Qassem Soleimani did not ask for anything for Iran. He requested this for Iraq.
He told me, “ISIS is now sweeping the regions, and Iraq is in a difficult situation. There is a large number of fighters after the fatwa, but we need operational commanders.” It was midnight when Hajj Qassem arrived in Dahiyeh [Beirut’s southern suburb]. He said, “The plane is at Damascus airport now. I want you to gather 120 commanders for field operations. I want to take them with me to Baghdad.”
Do you remember when I told this story? I said to him, “Hajj, it is midnight!” He said, “At dawn prayer, where will we find brothers?” It was the middle of the night. We gathered half of them, and later sent the second half.
Abu Nehme was in Syria at the time. We told him to head to Iraq, so he was among those who went with brother Hajj Qassem to Iraq to lead operations, as he was one of the leaders who went to confront ISIS.
Likewise, in the battles of the Eastern range in the Beqaa; he was responsible for some of the axes’ operations areas, and he was also injured by shrapnel in his back, side and ears. However, he soon returned to work.
In 2016, the Aziz Unit commander was martyred; the head of the Aziz unit was the brother, martyred leader Hajj Hassan Al-Hajj, known as Abu Muhammad Al-Iqlim. So, Abu Nehme took over the leadership of this unit from 2016 until the day of his martyrdom.
In the Al-Aqsa Flood on October 8, I mentioned in Hajj Abu Taleb's one week memorial that Abu Taleb was the first to open the front. Why? Because the Shebaa Farms, which we opened on October 8, is affiliated with the Nasr Unit. Abu Nehme opened the front on October 9, and we entered the battle of support. He remained on the front until his auspicious and blessed martyrdom. Yes, in our view, it is like this when the martyrs rise. In conclusion, we are talking about a believer, a Mujahid, a religious person from the beginning of the age of Taklif. This is how Abu Nehme was, the conscious and insightful one who chose the path of resistance in the prime of his youth. Abu Nehme spent his lifetime in the resistance, in the resistance’s line, and on the resistance fronts. In the documentary you saw his black beard. He was still young, and it ended with this blessed grey beard, like many of his brothers whose hopes of achieving martyrdom after they’ve lived this long returned.
Hajj Abu Nehme, the leader, the mujahid, the fighter in the field, the prisoner in the occupation prisons, the wounded in the face of the Zionists and the tyrannous ISIS, the leader on the battle fronts, the expert, the knowledgeable, the manager, the brave, the humble, the down-to-earth, the one who loved his brothers, the merciful to them, the son of the land, the farmer who was still committed to this virtue – agriculture is a virtue and a desirable thing. Years before we declared agricultural jihad, Abu Nehme, although he was a soldier, also carried the banner of agricultural jihad. He loved people. He was loyal, obedient, disciplined, committed, and present until his martyrdom.
In all the stages in which he assumed responsibility and in all the battles that he led, he was a successful manager. He was present and courageous person – thanks be to God Almighty. I will not repeat everything I said when I talked about Abu Taleb and about Jawad Al-Tawil. These are our brothers, our dear ones, and our loved ones. He continued this battle that he believed in. When I met him, he was full of faith, high-spirited, confident, and hopeful. He spoke with high morale about the presence and readiness of the fighters.
Really, take it from me personally, from my personal experience. We all have morale and confidence, but it’s different when one sits with any of these brothers and hears from them what is happening in the field, the data in the field, the spirituality of the young men, their presence, their courage, their steadfastness, and their competition on the front lines. Some people – although I do not think it is worth commenting on – comment in some media outlets or some social networking sites saying, “There are people in Hezbollah who do not want to fight, and there are people who have rebelled, and there are people whose livelihoods have been cut off.” These people are very silly.
We have a problem on the fronts. A few days ago, one of the brothers was martyred. One of our deputies told me that he was in this family’s house, with the martyr’s mother. This martyr was the third some to be martyred from the same household, i.e., two martyrs preceded him. There still are two other young men in the house. The mother tells the deputy, “These young men are for the resistance.”
Meanwhile, one of the young men takes the deputy to the side and tells him, “Oh Hajj, our brother, our beloved; we have a matter, we want you to convey it to Sayyed.”
You might think they wanted to talk to him about a personal matter, a request, or a need. But it was a complaint!
“I was fighting in the front line, and when my brother was martyred, they pulled back. I want to stay in the front line.”
These are our youth; these are our fighters; these are the mujahideen of this resistance, and these are your sons. With these [men] we fight and win. Abu Nehme believed in this battle, the battle of Al-Aqsa Flood, which has now entered its tenth month.
Let us talk a little about Al-Aqsa Flood and the Palestinian side. Then, I will talk a little about the Lebanese side, and I will conclude with a final word.
We committed to the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle from day one. It was a decisive and final commitment, in form and content. In terms of form, they usually carry out operations and give a name to their operation or the battle they are waging. But we adhered to the name Al-Aqsa Flood launched by Hamas, and we considered ourselves part of this battle.
Our battle on the Lebanese front does not have a special name, and this is to emphasize the unity of the battle. Yes, we add to the title of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle the title “Lebanese Support Front.” We chose “Martyrs on the path of liberating Al-Quds” a title for our martyrs. This is in terms of form. It is not our intention to give our battle, which has been prolonged, as we are now fighting in the 10th month on the South Lebanon front, another title. We are part of the blessed Al-Aqsa Flood.
In terms of content, we entered this battle and set goals. We see these goals being achieved day after day, and we see the achievements day after day. Most importantly, the enemy acknowledges these achievements and categorizes some of them as strategic. In all this battle, what I and you care about is what the enemy feels, what the enemy acknowledges, and what the enemy experiences. This is because our battle is with them.
From the beginning, we wanted this front – that is, the Lebanese support front, as is the case with the rest of the support fronts – to have the same goals: to exhaust the enemy’s army and capabilities, to exhaust the enemy in general, in terms of manpower, materially, economically, morally, and psychologically. This is what has been achieved so far.
Consequently, through this continuous attrition and pressure, we can distract a large part of the enemy’s forces and capabilities from devoting themselves to Gaza and resolving the battle in Gaza. We can put pressure on the enemy, its army, and its society and make them understand that a ceasefire in the north is linked to a ceasefire in Gaza. If you want calm in the north, you must stop the aggression against Gaza.
This is the idea today. We speak of the fruits of the blood of the martyrs, among them martyred Commander Abu Nehme, as well as his sacrifices and effort, along with all the brothers. We see this as a reality and clearly before us. The titles are clear.
Today, there are many voices in the world outside and inside the entity. Outside the entity, everyone has realized – the Americans, the French, and the Germans – and they come to us, to the Lebanese state, and to all international bodies. The issue has become clear to them: If you want the shooting to stop in northern occupied Palestine, you must stop the shooting in Gaza.
Therefore, they started talking to the “Israelis” to infer the importance of a ceasefire in Gaza and that this leads to a ceasefire in southern Lebanon.
Inside the entity, those who follow the discussions and statements of the “Israelis” and the leaders in the government, the Knesset, and the army, former and current, see that this has become strongly present – we must reach an agreement in Gaza because it is the only way for a ceasefire in the north.
Hence, this constituted a strong, real, and influential pressure factor, and it also depleted the enemy’s capabilities. I mentioned this previously. But imagine the enemy army’s need for soldiers. On our front, there are still more than 300,000 officers and soldiers. We’ve been surrounding them for more than nine months, and we will continue to do so.
As I mentioned in the last speech during Hajj Abu Taleb’s one-week memorial, it is true they are still there, but they have reduced their locations and spread out. They are forced to spread out from the sea to Mount Hermon because they are afraid and terrified not only of the possibility of us entering the Galilee, but also of the possibility of small groups infiltrating from time to time towards occupied Palestine.
Therefore, the enemy cannot evacuate. The cameras, radars, and electronic monitoring devices the enemy used to fill geographical areas have been destroyed. So, the “Israelis” were forced to compensate for them through the direct presence of officers and soldiers, which increases their exhaustion at night and during the day.
This crated a real problem for the enemy, and every day they are complaining of shortages in manpower. This is deepening the impasse within “Israeli” society. The issue did not only distract the “Israelis” from Gaza, but it also deepened the impasse in “Israeli” society.
In “Israeli” society, there is a group called the Haredim. All of you have been following the news. These people devote themselves – as they say – to religious schools and reading the Torah. They do not join the army, and they have pensions, financial facilities, etc.
For the past 75 years, these people have not served in the army, and successive governments avoided the problem with the Haredim because they are a very large group in “Israeli” society. However, as a result of the need for numbers, the government was forced to get into trouble with the Haredim. The Haredi spiritual leader threatened that “if you force us to join the army, we will all leave this entity collectively.”
So, this is not only a military issue. The attrition in Gaza and these large numbers of soldiers and officers on the northern front created a social impasse in the enemy entity because there is a group made up of hundreds of thousands, at the very least, threatening to leave “if you force us into compulsory conscription in the army.”
Any society suffers when the compulsory conscription is lengthy. Now, they were forced to extend the period of compulsory conscription in the “Israeli” entity because if the government wanted to let those who had completed their service go home, the shortage of personnel would increase.
The reservists were pulled from their schools, universities, factories, fields, homes, and families. The government then extended the reserve service period and called up new reserves. This impacts the entity and its society economically.
Socially and on the family level, you hear families complaining and talking about the calamities. Their families are not like our families. In our families, if the husband is absent from home, the mother bears responsibility for her children and her home. They are not like that. Therefore, when they talk today about the rates of drug use, divorce, family disintegration, and social collapse, it is all because of the war and the need for numbers.
Hence, the depletion in numbers, capabilities, and economy – thank God – has been achieved. This front is bearing fruit. We are not in a tribal battle for us to how many of us were killed and how many of them we killed on the northern front. This is not the calculation.
The calculation is the extent of the pain, pressure, and depletion that you are inflicting on this enemy, on its army, on its society, on its economy, and on its political decision that will push it to the point where it will be forced to stop the war. It will be forced to stop the war or else it will be heading to the abyss.
As senior Zionist leaders say, “Netanyahu is taking us to the destruction of the Third Temple, to a deep valley, to the end; he is hastening us and achieving the 80-year complex, that our state and our entity will not last 80 years.”
The calculation here is that even though he hides the numbers of his dead and wounded in the media, if you were watching, for example, yesterday or the day before yesterday, he said that there are 20 injuries, 11 in Gaza. What about the other nine? He did say [they were wounded] in the north! A few days ago, there were 30 injuries.13 in Gaza, but where were the other 17 wounded? He doesn't say in the north, well where? There is a front over there, and there is a front here.
This front is moving forward and achieving its goal, and the enemy – brothers and sisters – as they declare every day say that this is the worst stage in the life of this entity, which is 75 years old, on every level – its army, military, society, economy, security, morale, and psychological state. There is a crisis of confidence that is deepening.
Today, voices are rising more than in the past weeks, demanding the resignation of the Chief of Staff and senior generals. Why? Because some investigations are revealing the October 7 scandal and the huge flaw in leadership, procedures, and accountability. They will start passing the buck.
These investigations are beginning to emerge; the facts are beginning to emerge. For example, when they accused the Palestinian resistance factions of entering and killing [“Israelis”], now they are beginning to admit that the army ordered the so-called Hannibal Directive. What does it entail?
When hostages or prisoners fall into the hands of a group of fighters, kill them all. Therefore, the majority of the Zionist civilians who were killed in the Gaza envelope were killed by the “Israeli” army. I say the majority as a precaution; otherwise, it seems that every civilian who died was killed by “Israeli” army bullets. They admitted a few days ago that the army leadership issued a decision to destroy all vehicles and cars entering the Gaza Strip, which transported Zionist prisoners, in implementation of this directive.
In any case, the military impasse and the political impasse, even Netanyahu's government coalition today, are in their worst. We are forced to memorize these ugly names, so-and-so disagrees with so-and-so, so-and-so curses so-and-so, so-and-so betrays so-and-so, so-and-so threatens so-and-so within the coalition.
It seems that this coalition has a short lifespan, according to many “Israeli” predictions. This is the entity. Today, Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and Smotrich are the ones being stubborn because their future is on the line. We are here before a new model of narcissistic and selfish leaders who are prepared to sacrifice the Zionist project, the “Israeli” entity, their society, and their army to remain in power. This model is now being presented.
In any case, in the tenth month, as you all know, failure is the title of this battle; none of the goals have been achieved. I will briefly talk about Rafah. From there, I will go directly to the Lebanese situation.
But in everything that is happening now in Gaza, the army admits that the title is failure. There is no absolute victory, no temporary victory, nothing. There is real failure, why? Because it set these three goals: the return of the prisoners, the elimination of Hamas, and turning the Strip into an area that does not pose any threat to it. They said this; nothing has been achieved so far in the tenth month. Who are we talking about? The “Israeli” army, which consists of hundreds of thousands and claims to be the strongest army in the region. It is up against the Gaza Strip. This is the most failed battle that the “Israeli” army has fought so far.
Currently, there is talk of negotiations. With whom? With the ones the army said it will eliminate in this battle – Hamas. Hamas is now negotiating, and the whole world is talking about Hamas.
We are now waiting for the outcome of the negotiations. Today, there are negotiations in Doha, Qatar. Regarding the ongoing negotiations, the whole world has accepted that “Israel” is incapable of achieving a military solution, and there must be a ceasefire. Calls for a ceasefire are being made all over the world, except for Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir, and those who are stubborn. Meanwhile, the whole world is now pressing in this direction and working in this direction.
As for us, Hamas is negotiating for itself and on behalf of the Palestinian factions, as well as on behalf of the entire axis of resistance. Whatever Hamas accepts, we all accept and are satisfied with because many questions have been raised, during these days: What is Hezbollah's opinion on the negotiations, the agreement, the prepared paper, etc.?
The discussion is the same, do not ask us, neither about this paper nor the one before it, nor if there were amendments or additions to it or anything. It is settled; whatever Hamas accepts, we all accept.
Why? Because they are the ones who coordinate with the Palestinian factions. We did not ask them to coordinate with us; why? Because the battle is primarily their battle, and the one who bears the greatest burden in this battle is the Gaza Strip, the people of Gaza, the resistance of Gaza and the West Bank. All the rest who bear the burdens, no matter how great, do not rise to the level of the great burden that the Gaza Strip bears. Therefore, they are more aware of their situation, conditions, capabilities, and the horizons open to them.
Yes, we are grateful that they are keeping us in the loop and sometimes like to hear our opinion. I tell you frankly, in all the sessions, I used to tell them that whatever you find appropriate, we are with you. Even if we have an opinion, we do not inform them of our opinion. They ask us to tell them about it, but we tell them that we want them to take their time because we fear that if we express our opinion, it might be interpreted that our front is tired or bored. No! We will not get tired or bored; we are with you until the end.
Hence, in the negotiations, the matter is clear to us. We must attest to the courage, heroism, determination, and will of the Palestinian resistance factions and the Palestinian fighters in Gaza and the West Bank. The whole world is witnessing the amazing scenes they are displaying in this regard.
Just as the world bears witness to the steadfastness and amazing glory of the people of Gaza, its men, women, and children. We must also credit the leadership of the Palestinian resistance for their will, steadfastness, determination, adherence to rights, principles, and goals in negotiations.
We appreciate the extent of the political and diplomatic pressures they are exposed to from many countries in the world, sometimes from the enemy and sometimes from their friends. But the leadership of the resistance, and specifically the leadership of Hamas, which negotiates with calm, strong, steadfast, and firm nerves, is not shaken by all these painful manifestations that we see in Gaza, especially since the family of those who negotiate is exposed to a lot of killing and massacres, as is the case of our dear brother Abu al-Abd Ismail Haniyeh – may God protect him – the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau.
Hence, from this side – praise be to God – this front, this issue, today, politically, is in safe, courageous, aware, wise, steadfast, and firm hands. The battlefield is in the hands of a strong and solid resistance, and it is based on an environment that is unparalleled in scenes of patience, endurance, and steadfastness. Now, we wait and see the outcome of these negotiations and where they will lead.
The last point they talked about was Rafah. After that, I will talk about southern Lebanon.
What did Netanyahu say when the whole world was asking him to stop the fire and the Security Council issued a resolution? “No, whoever wants us to stop the operation on Rafah wants to defeat us.”
Implicitly, he is admitting that everything that happened before the attack on Rafah was not a victory. Therefore, if he stopped the operation on Rafah, this means that he is defeated. He is not paying attention to what he is saying. When someone loses his nerves, he starts to ramble; he says things he does not understand. He starts to admit to himself without realizing it. Netanyahu's insistence on the Rafah operation is an implicit admission of defeat and lack of victory, so they went to Rafah.
From here I will talk about southern Lebanon. This army is now threatening us of invading south of the Litani. Some of them, not all of them; officially, I have not heard anything from the army, but these crazy people around him, Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, etc.
Recently, the “Israeli” Foreign Minister, from time to time, threatens to occupy south of the Litani. So, let's talk about what is happening in Rafah in a few words.
I asked the brothers for some information. The area of the entire Rafah Governorate, its buildings and deserts, all the way to the border with Egypt, is 64 square kilometers. The city of Rafah, where fighting is still ongoing, has an approximate area of 27 square kilometers. Of course, most of it is one- and two-story houses, as there is no city with large, massive buildings and the like.
In this narrow space, there are several “Israeli” brigades and divisions, including elite brigades. The air force is stationed in Rafah. How long has the fighting been going on? It was said that they would need two or three weeks; they officially announced that. They said that we would need two or three weeks to finish off Rafah, so Netanyahu would come out and hold a press conference and declare absolute victory!
They estimated that what is in Rafah – in his words – is four Hamas battalions, while they have several brigades, some of which are elite brigades, and each brigade has a number of battalions with “Israeli” artillery as well as missile and air support from the air force and drones.
This is a very narrow area. We are not talking about Gaza; we are talking about Rafah, 27 square kilometers. So how long has the fighting been going on? Two months and four days. Yet, they say we need three or four weeks; That is, it will take another three or four months, and they are not done with Rafah. It is not known if it will be done with Rafah. What is this army threatening with? Threatening to invade the south of the Litani! I will talk about this point.
In any case, here I would like to stop at the importance of the victory of the resistance and its steadfastness in Gaza. It is in the national interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese because some Lebanese ask about the Lebanese gains. Why did we say, in the early days, that we must not allow the resistance to be defeated in Gaza? Because if the “Israelis” achieve a clear, quick, decisive victory in Gaza (as we say colloquially, who will hold them off), they will come to Lebanon and other countries and impose their conditions on all the countries of the region and their peoples.
We will then enter a new era different from the era of victories of the past 40 years, and the first to be in the circle of threat is Lebanon, while now “Israel” is being disciplined, and what happened in Gaza has disciplined the “Israeli” army and the “Israeli” leaders.
If you want proof, just look at what the “Israeli” officials say to each other, when Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Gallant, Malant, etc. start threatening Lebanon. What are you threatening? What army are you going to fight with? You are not even done with Gaza yet!
Today, we have a new example. Rafah, which is 27 km, has been besieged for two months. You said you needed three or four weeks. The duration is unknown. Now, you want to invade south of the Litani, you want to invade Lebanon, and you want war with Lebanon! These are the national gains.
The war on Gaza. When the support fronts were able to help the resistance in Gaza stand firm, steadfast, and win, this will protect all the homelands and all fronts, not just Gaza, and the first of them is Lebanon. Another proof, and here we enter the Lebanese research, is the lowering of the ceiling of “Israeli” goals towards Lebanon.
In the July 2006 war, do you remember what the goal was? The goal was to crush the resistance in Lebanon, crush Hezbollah in Lebanon, destroy Hezbollah in Lebanon, eliminate Hezbollah in Lebanon. Today, for nine or ten months, we have been carrying out operations and targeting sites, and even striking inside the settlements and hitting soldiers who fled to the homes inside the settlements. These soldiers did not only flee to open fields but also to houses inside settlements. That is why some of the settlers in the settlements asked the soldiers to leave, because their homes were being destroyed.
We go deep, the Golan, the north, and the entire region is threatened, and the battle is still on these borders. What do we hear from the “Israelis”? Do you hear the language of eliminating Hezbollah, the resistance, destroying the resistance? There is no such talk, it has come down. The “Israelis” have learned [a lesson]. They’ve learned their lesson when it comes to Lebanon; but in Gaza, it has not learned yet because Netanyahu is different from Olmert. Netanyahu believes that he is something else, that he can set high goals, but he cannot achieve anything.
In Lebanon, in the July War, they set high goals and failed to achieve them. We all remember the Winograd Commission and its investigations. Now, what does he say? He tells you: We want to solve the issue of the south, either through a settlement or a military operation. Even in recent weeks, we no longer hear the word “comprehensive and full-scale war.” We hear it in Lebanon from some Lebanese who would like “Israel” to wage war. As for the “Israelis,” they are either saying a settlement or a military operation. What is the goal of a military operation? What is your goal? Two days ago, when Gallant was in the Golan, he threatened. After a few minutes, the drones fell on the highest “Israeli” position in the Golan. What was he saying? He said, ‘in the end, we will either go to a settlement with Lebanon through which we will make arrangements or a military operation that will impose arrangements. Some settlers went crazy on him, insulted, and humiliated him, etc.
In the media, he did not talk about a comprehensive and a full-scale war, and he did not talk about destroying Hezbollah, eliminating Hezbollah. Why did he not talk? Because they saw where the slogan of eliminating Hamas in Gaza took them? It drove them through a wall. Now, they tell you they want to eliminate Hezbollah!
That is why he set a modest goal compared to the previous goals, which is to remove Hezbollah from the border by 8 km or 9 km; some say removing the Radwan Force. Is the resistance only the Radwan Force? There is Radwan, Aziz, Nasr, Badr, Abbas, and many more. These are all beautiful names. Then, one of them, in this case, the Minister of Foreign Affairs talks about the south of the Litani and says 8 km or 10 km.
At first, what did they say? They said to move it away from the border, they talked about three kilometers. It is useful for the Lebanese to know this detail. Why three kilometers? They said because the anti-tank missiles of Hezbollah and the resistance reach between 3 and 5 kilometers, the Kornet reaches between 3 and 5 kilometers. This means, we move away to the range of the Kornet. We had an 8-kilometer Kornet that we hid for the next war, in case a war broke out. We had to use it in Al-Aqsa Flood on the Lebanese support front. So, the “Israelis” found out that we had a Kornet with a range of eight kilometers.
So, what did they say? They want to push the resistance eight kilometers. Later, it turned out that there is something called Almas. This one has a range of 10 kilometers, so the “Israelis” demanded to push the resistance to a range of ten kilometers. Now, does pushing Hezbollah eight kilometers or ten kilometers away solve the problem that the “Israelis” are talking about? This does not solve the problem. They are in a predicament on the Lebanese front and have no options on the Lebanese front.
In any case, the ceiling became south of the Litani. Then, Gallant comes out. What does he say? Honestly, we say thank God, He made our enemies fools. Gallant says, ‘The tank that will come out of Rafah can come to south of the Litani.’
Show us this tank in Rafah! We see them daily in the videos of the Qassam Brigades, the videos of the Al-Quds Brigades, the videos of the Popular Front, and the videos of the rest of the resistance factions. These tanks in Rafah have been unable for two months to be decisive in an area in a small city. There you are threatening us with these tanks and want to use them to occupy south of the Litani! In addition, in Rafah, there is no five-kilometer Kornet – I don't know if it exists – but the eight-kilometer Kornet certainly doesn't exist and there is no Almas. These are all new and have not arrived yet.
Basically, do you know what is happening on the front? The young brothers operating the anti-tank system sit for an hour, two, three, four, and five waiting for the tank while it is hiding. When you hear that a tank has been hit, this means that within minutes of it “sticking its head out a little,” the anti-armor unit targeted it and destroyed it. The enemy does not admit this. So, we publish the films.
When your tanks appear on our borders, you know who is waiting for them. Our shooters are skilled, as we said from the first day. Our shooters are skilled, and we have many anti-armor weapons and missiles. You can know from the number of missiles that have been used so far the number of missiles we have in store for you. This is if we are talking about battles on land. There are anti-armor and other types. Therefore, we have not heard much from the “Israelis” threatening of a comprehensive war or a destructive war on this front recently. This language of threat and intimidation lessened significantly in in the past few weeks, thank God.
In any case, they know that the resistance in Lebanon is ready, prepared, and strong and is not afraid or hesitant at all.
With every claim, I present evidence. Further evidence is the resistance's reactions to the assassinations. After the assassination of Hajj Abu Taleb, there was a great atmosphere and talk about war. They killed Hajj Abu Taleb and threatened an all-out war, expecting that the resistance's reaction would be very limited.
But the resistance launched the largest number of missiles so far, and they went to areas far and wide. With the martyrdom of Hajj Abu Nehme, the resistance launched a greater number than they had launched. These missiles reached wide targets, new depths, and sensitive targets.
What happened in the past two days is also the same. The resistance, which launches hundreds of rockets and dozens of drones in one day at sensitive targets in the north, 30 and 35 kilometers deep, in the Golan Heights, and throughout the Golan Heights, is sending a message that it is not afraid of war and is not worried about choosing any option. And the enemy understands that. Therefore, its responses are also calculated and disciplined.
Brothers, I wanted to talk about the subject of the martyrdom of leaders and assassinations, but time is running out, and there will come a time when I talk about this subject and elaborate on it.
For Abu Nehme to be martyred after nine months of fighting on the front, Abu Taleb to be martyred after eight months of fighting on the front, Hajj Jawad to be martyred after several months, and so on is normal.
After all, we are fighting a battle with an enemy that has capabilities and the whole world is at its service, including the security services, as well as the American, Western, and Arab intelligence services – unfortunately. All the technology in the world is at its service, all the satellites in the world are at its service, all the spy devices in the world are at its service. Yet only this number of martyrs fall and at these time intervals!
On the other hand, when we look at the issue, we see that we are still doing well, even if we have shortcomings or gaps. Of course, we must find them and address them, and we must not claim infallibility.
Amid the current climate, I would like to conclude by saying: If a ceasefire agreement is reached – we all hope for that and wish for that. We are people of war, people of fighting, and people of resistance, but even in religious thought, in supplication during prayer, we say to Him: “O Guardian of well-being, we seek Your pardon and well-being, well-being of religion, this world, and the hereafter.”
If God Almighty bestows well-being upon the Palestinian people, the people of Gaza, the people of southern Lebanon, the people of Yemen, Iraq, Syria, the region, and the Palestinian people as a whole, then we thank Him for this blessing.
If a ceasefire occurs, our front will cease fire without discussion, regardless of any agreement, mechanisms, negotiations, or anything else. This is our commitment. Why? Because it is a support front. We were clear from the beginning, and this does not need to be asked.
Many people ask: If an agreement is reached in Gaza and there is a ceasefire, what will you do in the south? We will cease fire as happened in the previous truce. If there is no agreement and things continue or take other forms, we will talk then. We will not stop, but what will we do, how will we continue, and how will we work will be discussed later.
We heard Gallant saying that “if the fighting in Gaza stops, the fighting in southern Lebanon does not necessarily stop.” Good, there is no problem; when the fighting in Gaza stops, we will stop the fighting; when the shooting in Gaza stops, we will stop the shooting in southern Lebanon. However, if the “Israelis” decide to continue attacking southern Lebanon, we too, if we opened the front to defend Gaza and the people of Gaza, then it is more appropriate for us to defend Lebanon, southern Lebanon, our people, and our dignity.
We will never tolerate any aggression that the “Israeli” enemy might commit against Lebanon if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. Even if this is very unlikely, that a ceasefire will be reached in Gaza, but they want to open a front. In any case, whether we rule this out or rule out talk of a large and comprehensive war or the spread of an atmosphere of negotiations in the region, the resistance and the environment of the resistance must remain very cautious and prepare for the worst possible scenario. We have prepared, are preparing, and will always be ready. We must not be satisfied with our current readiness for the worst possibilities, even if we are looking forward to what is raised of positives somewhere.
In any case, if Netanyahu insists on continuing this battle, he will take – as I have said on every occasion and as many Zionist experts, leaders, and officials are saying now – his entity to ruin. This is the truth. The facts on the ground support this; the numbers support this. There is no time. I have a report, but it will take a long time to read it. However, I invite you to read what is published in the “Israeli” media, which is translated and is available in the media, in the press and on social media, about the state of the army, the state of society, the state of the government, the state of the parties, the state of reverse immigration, the state of the economy, etc. Thus, the path of this battle is a path of victory, brothers.
We cannot but congratulate – on behalf of our front, the front of resistance and our axis – our brothers in Iran, the dear Iranian people, the leadership of the Islamic Republic, the leader of the nation, His Eminence the Grand Imam Ayatollah Sayyed Khamenei, and the officials of the Islamic Republic for holding elections in two rounds and in a short time after the painful incident that led to the martyrdom of Martyr Sayyed Raisi and his honorable companions.
[We commend them for] this large popular presence, this discipline, this commitment, this legal and administrative performance, these high-level debates. Watch the debate between Trump and Biden. And they talk to you about democracy!
What did the two do to each other?! Meanwhile, the debates in the Iranian presidential elections, which perhaps many in the Arab world did not see because they were not translated and sometimes broadcast live, were scientific, high-level, beautiful, and respectful. The Iranian people chose in the second round, with a large number of votes, was their president, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, may God protect him.
First, we congratulate them all; we congratulate the president-elect as we congratulated him on Saturday. I would really like to thank him again for the telegram he sent in response to my telegram, even though he is not obligated to respond to this telegram. However, the political position that he wrote was very important.
For all those in our region who bet, asked, waited, and analyzed. The answer was decisive and clear – the foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s thought, belief, religion, and principles regarding the issue of resistance, the axis of resistance, the peoples of resistance and supporting the oppressed and the wronged and the peoples of the region, as Imam Khomeini founded it and as it continued with His Eminence Imam Khamenei, is decisive and final, regardless of the President of the Republic and his political background or the movement to which he belongs.
Over the past decades, the presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been held by presidents from different movements, and the successive governments in the Islamic Republic of Iran have always provided support. Rather, their support has increased and strengthened.
I bear witness to this for the resistance in Lebanon and for the resistance movements. For many who waited, the message of the Iran’s President-elect, his phone calls yesterday, and what is happening these days came to confirm that the resistance front and its dear, strong, and capable basic pillar, the Islamic Republic of Iran, are a cohesive, solid, strong, determined, and resolute front and will continue on the path until victory.
On the path to victory, martyrs will rise, such as martyr Abu Nehme, and the brother who was martyred with him, brother Khashab, and the martyrs who fell yesterday, and the leaders and the martyred leaders who preceded them in all our battles.
Here, blood triumphs over the sword in the battle of resistance that derives its breath, thought, culture, and spirit from Imam Hussein’s Karbala. Its blood triumphs over all swords, and the name of the battle of “Israel” now has swords in it. Our blood, the Palestinian blood, the blood in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Iran, and in the region will triumph. It is triumphing, and it has triumphed over the past decades, and it will triumph, God willing.
Mercy and high ranks to our martyr, all the martyrs of the Al-Aqsa Flood, all the martyrs of the path of truth, and those who sacrificed on this path, and peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you.
