Hezbollah Chief: Nasrallah’s Soul Continues to Inspire Resistance

The Secretary General of Hezbollah says that his predecessor, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, continues to be an inspiration for the Lebanese resistance movement one year after his martyrdom in an Israeli assassination strike.

Sheikh Naim Qassem made the remarks on Saturday in a speech commemorating the first martyrdom anniversary of Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, who was Nasrallah’s deputy and was also assassinated by the Israeli regime.

Sheikh Qassem hailed the large turnout of people at the commemoration ceremony in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and said that Nasrallah spread a type of resistance that belonged not only to Muslims, but to “Christians, secularists, to every human being on earth”.

“Your body departed this world, yet your soul continues to inspire – once a leader, now a guide for leaders,” he said, according to remarks aired by Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV channel.

Hezbollah’s secretary general said that Nasrallah had planted the love of Palestine in the hearts of many, adding that his leadership of Hezbollah marked an era of victories for the group.

Safieddine and Nasrallah were on the righteous path

He described Safieddine as a great leader who showed sacrifice and unwavering steadfastness in his struggles against the Israeli regime, saying he and Nasrallah “walked the righteous path” of resistance together.

Qassem said Hezbollah has recovered operationally since the martyrdom of Nasrallah and Safieddine and is rebuilding its defense capacities, adding that the group has broad social support in Lebanon and elsewhere.

“Our enemies expected us to collapse, but we directly elected a new secretary general, rebuilt our leadership with new commanders who replaced the martyrs, and pressed on with the fight (against Israel),” he said.

Hezbollah weapons

Elsewhere in his remarks, Qassem said that US envoy Tom Barrak’s statements about Hezbollah and its weapons have exposed the US-Israeli agenda to weaken Lebanon and eliminate its resistance.

He said Hezbollah’s position on the issue of weapons will center on the implementation of the 1989 Taif Agreement, which calls for necessary measures to liberate all Lebanese territory from Israeli occupation.

Hezbollah chief said that the Palestinian cause will remain Hezbollah’s central cause, adding that the Israeli enemy will remain the primary threat to the group and the entire Lebanon.