Address of General Secretary of Hezbollah, Sayyid Hassan
Nasrallah on 14th July 2006
"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."
The address of 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.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of God and His blessings!
To begin with, in this first address that I make to you since
Operation True Promise [in which Hizballah captured two Zionist
soldiers] and the events that followed it, I would like, to begin
with, to offer my appreciation and condolences to the families of
the martyrs, those who gave the dearest of their loved ones during
these hard and difficult days, and for all they have given in the
noblest confrontation and battle that the modern age has known or
rather that all history has known.
I want to salute the wounded, and beseech God — be He glorified and
exalted — to sustain them, heal them and bring them health. I also
wish to salute our steadfast people in all the cities, towns and
villages who are standing firm and immoveable, rooted in their land
as they are rooted in their faith. I also salute my brothers the
Mujahideen, the steadfast resistance fighters, enduring hardship at
their posts and in all our ranks, ever ready for sacrifice in the
path of what they believe. They always have and always will regard
their own safety lightly and hold their heads high with pride.
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. I, relying on God the Exalted, and on my faith in Him and
the mujahideen and in you, knowing this people and this enemy, just
as I always used to promise you victory, now I promise you victory
once again.
During the Grapes of Wrath in 1996, or Operation Settling 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 [struggling] 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, the fight of valiant heroes. I
say to them: today, after God the Highest, you are the hope of our
Nation. You are the symbol of our nobility. Our honor is in your
hands.
This honor is yours and by means of you, our honor is preserved.
After God the Exalted, it was you who were responsible for the
victory of 2000. Today it is you, before all others, who are
responsible for preserving the victory, for achieving liberation,
standing steadfast, and with honor. This places demands on you that
you, in practice, have proved until now and during these days that
you are entirely worthy of, as you are worthy of our esteem. Those
who put their trust in you, after God, their charge is great, the
reward will be grand, and the mighty victory — a clear triumph — is
near.
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, 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!
Translated by Eric Mueller. Arabic original at:
www.nna-leb.gov.lb/phpfolder/loadpage.php?page=JOU214.html
