Statement from the General
Secretary of Hizballah, His Excellency Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, to the Nation,
the Lebanese people, the resistance fighters, the Zionists and the Arab
leaders
In
this first address that I give in these days following Operation True Promise,
I would like to say a few words – a word to the Lebanese people, a word to the
resistance fighters, a word to the Zionists, and a word to the Arab rulers. I
will not offer words to the international community because I have never for
one day believed that there is any such thing as an international community,
just as many in our nation feel.
First, I say to the Lebanese people: dear people – who embraced the resistance,
by whom the resistance was victorious, and for whom the resistance won its
victory on 25 May 2000 – this people who were the makers of the first victory
in the history of the Arab struggle with the Israeli enemy, despite the basic
inequality in forces, and in spite of the fact that the majority of our Arab
brothers and the majority of our Muslim brothers abandoned us and despite the
silence of the whole world, this Lebanese people made the miracle of the
victory that stunned the world and humiliated the Zionists. Those Zionists look
upon this people in a special, unique way because they accomplished in the
history of the struggle with them a special and unique accomplishment. The
battle today is no longer a battle over prisoners or the exchange of prisoners.
It might be said that the Zionist enemy is responding any time there is any
operation where men are captured anywhere in any part of the world, by any army
or any state that has borders and regulations. What is taking place today is
not a response to a capture of their soldiers; it is a squaring of accounts
with the people, resistance, state, army, political forces, regions, villages,
and families that inflicted that historic defeat on that aggressive usurper
entity that has never accepted its defeat.
Today, therefore, this is a total war that Zionism is waging to clear its whole
account with Lebanon, the Lebanese people, the Lebanese state, the
Lebanese army, and the Lebanese resistance, in revenge and reprisal for the
victory they won on 25 May 2000.
Dear steadfast, mujahid, and noble people, I know that the overwhelming
majority of this people, in their minds, hearts, wills, culture, thoughts,
love, passion, and sacrifice are a people of nobility, dignity, honor,
distinction, and pride, not a people of servility, subservience,
submissiveness, and surrender. I say to you that in this battle we are faced
with two choices – not “we” as in Hizballah, or as in the resistance, the
Hizballah resistance – but Lebanon as a state, a people, an army, a resistance,
and a political power – we are faced with two choices: either to submit today
to the conditions that the Zionist enemy wants to dictate to us all, using the
pressure, support, and backing it has from America, from around the world, and,
I’m sorry to say, from Arabs. Either we submit completely to its conditions,
which means taking Lebanon into an Israeli age under Israeli domination –
in total frankness this is the extent of the matter – or we stand steadfast.
That is the other choice: that we persevere, that we persevere and confront….
During the Grapes of Wrath in 1996, or the clearing of accounts in 1993, in the
beginning they had the upper hand and our situation was much worse. But today,
the situation is different. Believe me, and I mean this, the situation now is
different. All that we need is to persevere, stand steadfast, and confront them
united, and I know and I will bet that the majority of our people are a people
of steadfastness, a mujahid people who can sacrifice, who have no need for pep
talks. What I’m saying now is only by way of completing the idea, and affirming
the choice, and clarifying what this means.
Now, as for my words for the resistance fighters, for my dear and beloved
brothers: upon them rest the hopes of every Lebanese, every Palestinian, every
Arab, every Muslim, every free and decent person in this world, every
oppressed, tortured victim of injustice, every lover of steadfastness, courage,
dignity, values, and nobility – the characteristics they embody by their
presence on the field of battle and in their fight with this enemy… To the
Zionists, to the people of the Zionist entity at this hour I say to them: you
will soon discover how foolish and stupid are your new rulers, your new
leaders. They do not know how to assess reality. They have no experience in
this area. You Zionists say in opinion polls that you believe me more than you
believe your officials. So now I call on you to listen well and believe me.
Today we have persevered despite the attack that took place last night in the
southern suburbs. However the attacks multiply in every village, neighborhood,
street, and home in Lebanon, there is no difference between the south Beirut suburbs, the City of Beirut, or any home in south Lebanon, in the Beqaa, or the north, or Mount Lebanon, or any corner of Lebanon.
The equation has now changed. I will not say today that if you strike Beirut, we will strike Haifa. I will not tell you that if you hit the south Beirut suburbs, we will hit Haifa. You wanted to get rid of that equation, so now
we and you have got rid of it in actuality. You wanted open warfare, and we are
going into open warfare. We are ready for it, a war on every level. To Haifa, and, believe me, to beyond Haifa, and to beyond beyond Haifa. Not only we will be paying a price. Not only
our houses will be destroyed. Not only our children will be killed. Not only
our people will be displaced. Those days are past. That was how it was before
1982, and before the year 2000. Those times have come to an end. I promise you
those times have passed. Therefore you must also bear the responsibility for
what your government has done, for what that government has undertaken. From
now on, you wanted open warfare, so it will be open warfare. You wanted it.
Your government wanted to change the rules of the game, so let the rules then
be changed. You don’t know today whom you’re fighting. You are fighting the
children of Muhammad, of Ali, of al-Hasan, of al-Husayn, of the Prophet’s
family, the Prophet’s Companions. You are fighting a people who have faith such
as no one else on the face of the earth possesses. And you have chosen open
warfare with a people who take pride in their history, their civilization, and
their culture, and who also possess material power, ability, expertise,
knowledge, calm, imagination, determination, steadfastness, and courage. In the
coming days it will be between us and you, God willing.
As to the Arab rulers, I don’t want to ask you about your history. I just want
to say a few words. We are adventurers. We in Hizballah are adventurers[1],
yes. But we have been adventurers since 1982. And we have brought to our
country only victory, freedom, liberation, dignity, honor, and pride. This is
our history. This is our experience. This is our adventure. In the year 1982
you said and the world said that we were crazy. But we proved that we were the
rational ones, so who then was crazy? This is something else and I don’t want to
get into an argument with anyone. So I tell them simply: go bet on your reason
and we will bet on our adventure, with God as our Supporter and Benefactor. We
have never for one day counted on you. We have trusted in God, our people, our
hearts, our hands, and our children. Today we do the same, and God willing,
victory will follow. The surprises that I promised you will begin starting now.
Now, out at sea off the coast of Beirut an Israeli military vessel that attacked our
infrastructure, that struck the homes of our people, our civilians; you can see
it burning. It will sink and with it dozens of Zionist Israeli troops. This is
the beginning. There will be a lot more said before the end. Peace be upon you
and the mercy of God!
Friday, 14 July 2006
Translated by Muhammad Abu Nasr
Arabic original
