THE Hezbollah leader, Hasan Nasrallah, promised victory in an address to the Lebanese and the Arabs on Friday 14th July after a failed Israeli attempt to kill him with a bombing attack on his residence.
‘I seek refuge in God from the devil. . .
At the outset and in my first address to you after implementing the True Promise Operation and its subsequent events, I would first like to offer congratulations and condolences to the families of the martyrs who offered their dearest loved ones in these hard and difficult days, but offered them in the most honourable confrontation and battle in modern history, or rather in the whole of history.
I salute the wounded people, praying God to grant them recovery and health. I also salute our steadfast people in all cities and villages who are deeply-rooted on their land just as they are firm in their belief. I also salute our mujahidin and resisting brothers who are holding out and taking up positions on all lines and who are always ready to sacrifice for the sake of what they believe in and who carried and continue to carry their blood on their palms with heads high.
In my first address in these days following the True Promise Operation, I would like to say a few words. One word is for the Lebanese people, a second for the resistance men, a third for the Zionists, and a fourth for Arab rulers.
I will not say a word to the international community because I, like many in our nation, have never believed there is such a thing as the international community.
First of all, I say to our dear Lebanese people who have embraced the resistance through which they triumphed and vice versa on 25 May 2000. The Lebanese people who accomplished the first historic Arab victory in the struggle with the Israeli enemy despite disproportion in powers, in the first place, and despite the fact that the majority of Arab and Muslim brothers gave up on us, and despite the silence of the whole world.
The Lebanese people achieved the miracle of victory which amazed the whole world and humiliated the Zionists who see these people in a special and unique way because they made a special accomplishment in the history of the struggle with them.
The battle today is no longer one of prisoners and the exchange of prisoners. It might be said that the Zionist enemy will react. The reaction by any army in the world to any operation to take prisoners anywhere in the world will have boundaries and regulations. What is happening today is not a reaction to the prisoners’ issue but the settling of a score with the people, resistance, state, army, political powers, areas, villages and families that dealt a historic defeat to this aggressive and usurper entity that never knew defeat.
So, what is happening today is an open war by the Zionists completely to settle a score with Lebanon, its people, state, army and resistance to avenge what was accomplished on 25 May 2000.
Dear honourable, mujahid, steadfast and dear people: I know that the majority of you – your minds, hearts, will, culture, intellect, affection, love and sacrifice – are people of pride, loftiness, honour and dignity and are not people of agents, submission and humiliation. I tell you that we have two options in this confrontation, not as Hezbollah or Hezbollah’s resistance, but as the Lebanese state, people, army, resistance and political forces.
We have two options: submit to the conditions the Zionist enemy wants to dictate to us all with American, international, and, unfortunately, Arab support. We either give in to all of its conditions which entail leading Lebanon into the Israeli age and hegemony. Frankly, this is the full scale of the matter.
Or we can hold out, remain patient and confront, which is the other option. With God’s help and after trusting Him, the mujahidin and you, knowing this people and the enemy very well, and as I have always promised you that we will win, I again promise you that we will win. In the time of the Grapes of Wrath in 1996 and the settlement of scores in 1993, Israel had the upper hand and we went through more difficult circumstances than now. Today, the situation is different. Trust me fully that the situation is different. All we need is to be patient, hold out, confront and be united. I know and I bet that the majority of our people are steadfast mujahidin who make sacrifices and do not need encouragement. However, I am saying this to make sure that the notion is clear and to reiterate options and consolidate principles.
I also address the resistance men, my brothers, the beloved and dear people, and trusted by every Lebanese, Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, free, honourable, oppressed, wronged, wretched, and the people who love steadfastness, bravery, magnanimity, values and honour that is embodied in them and which they show through their presence in the battlefield and by bravely and heroically fighting the enemy. To these people I say: You are today, after God Almighty, our bet and the bet of our nation. You are the title of our honour and dignity. The credit goes to you, after God Almighty, for the achievement of the year 2000. Today, you are required before anybody else to preserve the achievement of victory, the achievement of liberation, the achievement of steadfastness and the achievement of dignity. This requires you to prove you are reliable and trustworthy, and you have indeed proven this today. You have also proven that whoever relied on you, after God Almighty, is correct, will have a good fate and will have a dear, imminent and manifest victory.
To the Zionists, the people of the Zionist entity, I say: you will soon discover how much your new government and leadership is stupid, foolish, does not know how to assess things and has no experience on this level. You Zionists say in your opinion polls that you believe me more than you believe your officials. This time I urge you to listen to me and believe me. Today, and despite the night attack against the southern suburb of Beirut and a series of attacks against each village, street and house in Lebanon, I say there is no difference between the southern suburb, the city of Beirut and any house in southern Lebanon, Al-Biqa, northern Lebanon, Mount Lebanon or any corner in Lebanon.
This equation no longer exists. Today I will not say that if you hit Beirut, we will hit Haifa, or if you hit the suburb we will hit Haifa. You wanted this equation to end, so let it be. You wanted an open war; we are going to an open war and we are ready for it. It will be a war on every level, to Haifa, and believe me, beyond Haifa, and beyond, beyond Haifa. We will not be the only ones to pay the price or have our houses destroyed, our children killed and our people driven out of their homes. Those days are over and were in the past, before 1982 and 2000. I promise you that those days are over. You will be responsible for what your government did.
Thus, you have to bear responsibility for what your government has done and committed. From now on, you wanted an open war; let it be an open war. Your government wanted to change the rules of the game; let the rules of the game change. You do not know who you are fighting today. You are fighting the children of Prophet Muhammad, Ali, Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn and Prophet Muhammad’s household and companions. You are fighting people with faith which no-one has in the whole world.
You chose an open war with people who take pride in their history, civilization and culture and at the same time have the material power, capabilities, expertise, reason, calm, patience, resolve, steadfastness and courage. The next days will be the judge between us, God willing.
As for the Arab rulers, I do not want to ask you about your history. I just want to say it briefly: We are adventurous. We, in Hezbollah, are adventurous. That is very true, we have been so since 1982. We never brought to our country anything but victory, freedom, liberation, honour, dignity and head held high. This is our history. This is our experience. These are our adventures. In 1982, you and the world described us as insane, but we proved that we were fair-minded people.
As for the insane, this is another issue. I do not want to engage into an argument with anyone. I tell them: You should count on your reason. We will count on our adventure. God is our supporter and helper. We have never counted on you. We have always relied on God and our people, hearts, arms and sons. Today, we are doing the same. Victory is coming our way, God willing.
The surprises I promised you will begin from now. Now, at sea, the Israeli warship off the coast of Beirut, which attacked our infrastructure, people’s homes and civilians – look at it burning, and it will sink, along with dozens of Israeli Zionist soldiers on board. This is only the beginning. There will be a long way until the end. Peace be upon you.’
