Dr Rima Fakhry, a member of the Political Council of the Hezbollah resistance movement, has sharply criticised the Lebanese government for its passivity and capitulation to US-Israeli schemes.
Fakhry also took a swipe at the framework agreement, signed in Washington on June 26 with Israel, arguing the deal has only emboldened the Tel Aviv regime to escalate its aggression against Lebanon.
Since March 2nd, Israeli military strikes on Lebanon have killed 4,389 people and injured another 12,424, according to the latest official figures released by the Lebanese government.
Dr Fakhry warned of US-Israeli plots to foment internal strife in Lebanon, stressing that the Resistance front will not yield to pressure or conspiracies under any circumstances.
Speaking on Saturday, she stated that Hezbollah will exercise the utmost patience and will tackle issues with great discretion.
‘Such patience and restraint by Hezbollah do not amount to surrender to US-Israeli dictates. Hezbollah is always present on all fronts,’ she pointed out.
‘We hold our heads high because of our youths, families and devoted individuals. They are making heroic sacrifices to secure the elements of power in Lebanon,’ she said.
The senior Hezbollah member sharply criticised the Lebanese government for passivity and capitulation to the US-Israeli schemes.
‘Since the Lebanese Constitution prohibits direct communication, meeting, or negotiation with the Zionist enemy, no Lebanese citizen is allowed to violate the law. The Beirut government seeks to hold onto power at all costs. A public survey will definitively prove such a fact,’ she said.
Regarding the so-called ‘framework agreement’ signed in Washington on June 26, Dr Fakhry pointed out: ‘The occupying Israeli regime is enjoying a golden opportunity. It is pressing ahead with its aggression without any objection and strong reaction.
‘Hezbollah and its supporters are surrounded by Americans, certain Lebanese authorities, the Zionist enemy, and Western allies that support the usurping regime in terms of military, political, and logistical resources.’
A Lebanese lawmaker from Hezbollah’s political wing has also warned Beirut against yielding to US dictates, warning it would jeopardise Lebanon’s national sovereignty, the resistance front and the country’s deterrence capabilities.
‘If the Lebanese government pursues this path, it must assume responsibility for all the potentially adverse consequences,’ Hussein Hajj Hassan, a member of parliament’s Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, said on Monday.
He said US policies closely mirrored Israeli strategies, noting that Washington’s stated national interests are ‘closely aligned with the objectives of the Zionist regime.’
He added: ‘What benefit could Lebanon derive from singing a so-called peace deal with the Zionist enemy whilst the government took measures against Hezbollah on March 2nd?
‘Are some seeking conflict and hostility with the resistance front at the same time as talking about ending enmity and hostility towards the enemy?’
Hajj Hassan also slammed Washington’s blatant interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.
He said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had intervened in judicial matters during telephone conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, while US Ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, had urged the Lebanese parliament to repeal a ban on imports of goods from the Israeli-occupied territories.
He also condemned the Lebanese government’s decisions to disarm Hezbollah as unconstitutional and contrary to the country’s national interests.
Another Lebanese lawmaker from Hezbollah’s political wing, Ihab Hamadeh, has dismissed attempts to weaken the Resistance Front in Lebanon as ‘nothing but an illusion,’ stressing that bids to portray his group as a feeble and vulnerable party are part of a calculated Israeli scheme.
‘The Zionist enemy and its pawns in Lebanon know very well that they cannot stand up to Hezbollah and its supporters.
‘The true nature of the plans drawn up by these parties, which covertly express loyalty to US-Israeli conspiracies, is gradually coming to light,’ Hamadeh, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc in the parliament, stated during a memorial service on Sunday.
‘These parties are fully aware of the fact that no party, neither internal nor external, has the authority and power to weaken, disarm, or force Hezbollah to surrender. That explains their aggressive pursuit of other methods to target Hezbollah and its advocates.
‘Despite all the wicked conspiracies, Hezbollah did not weaken. It grew, expanded, and turned into a major regional force instead.
‘Hezbollah constitutes the biggest concern and terrifying nightmare of the United States and Israel in the region. Enemies of Hezbollah and its supporters constantly speak of the movement, not because it is weak, but rather because it sends shivers down their spine,’ Hamadeh noted.
And Hezbollah’s secretary-general Sheikh Naim Qassem has also dismissed the June 26 agreement as ‘illegitimate, unlawful, and humiliating’.
‘Martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (Hezbollah’s assassinated leader) stands as the foremost resistance fighter of the modern era for his efforts to lay the foundations of the Resistance Front in the region,’ he said.
Sheikh Qassem made the remarks last Tuesday at a ceremony in Lebanon to launch the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of the Heritage of Sayyed Nasrallah.
‘If we want to define the resistance in the modern era,’ Qassem said, Sayyed Nasrallah is the prime definition of a fighter who worked with all resistance fighters around the world to foster unity and interaction.
‘The steadfastness of the resistance is among the blessings of Nasrallah and his guidance.’
Sheikh Qassem said the Nasrallah Foundation holds ‘a very extensive heritage and a great treasure that must be collected and made available to the people, researchers, and future generations.’
The Hezbollah leader also addressed the ongoing wars in the region and beyond, saying that while ‘wars unfold in rounds, the final round will belong to the people of the land and the truth and those who have followed the path of the martyrs.’
The Israeli regime’s occupation of parts of southern Lebanon is temporary and the occupied lands will ultimately be liberated, he told the audience.
‘The liberation of southern Lebanon is before our eyes. Israel will not be able to remain in the south, even if it takes some time.’
Sheikh Qassem praised the Resistance for its steadfastness in the face of its adversaries, saying: ‘This Resistance, which has stood resolute, has been able to present a legend of steadfastness.
‘The enemies will eventually be forced out of the region… the solution begins with the enemy leaving in humiliation, along with the Americans who support it.’
Turning to Lebanon’s domestic affairs, Sheikh Qassem ruled out foreign intervention, saying: ‘As for internal Lebanese affairs, we are ready to cooperate, but without any dictates from abroad.’
On Iraq, the Hezbollah leader praised the Iraqi people for their steadfastness and sacrifices, saying: ‘I salute the dear Iraqi people, their religious authority, leadership, and the Popular Mobilisation Forces, because they succeeded in expelling the American occupier from Iraq.’
Addressing Palestine, he highlighted the ‘injustice’ facing Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli regime and its main benefactor, the United States.
‘The sacrifices of the Palestinian people are immense, and the Israeli, American, and Western injustice is profound. But given the nobility of this people and its sacrifices, it must emerge victorious,’ he said.
