Hezbollah Secretary-General salutes Yemeni people & their honorable Leadership
Speaking at the conclusion of the Ashura procession in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Sheikh Qassem said, “Greetings to the dear and resilient Yemeni people, their honorable leadership, and their armed forces who stood firm when the world abandoned Palestine, Lebanon, and the axis of resistance, despite all their difficult circumstances. Greetings also to the Iraqi people—their religious authorities, the Popular Mobilization Forces, leadership, and government—for their care and support, and for standing with us.” He added, “The righteous will prevail, and we will remain committed to the motto ‘Never shall we submit to humiliation,'” according to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar website.
He emphasized the importance of leveraging the understanding between Iran and the United States as a fundamental support for Lebanese sovereignty.
He added: “There are five pillars we believe in and advocate for, the first of which is that Israel has no option but to withdraw completely from every inch of our Lebanese land and cease its aggression by air, land, sea, and in all its forms.”
He continued: “The Israeli aggression has failed to achieve its expansionist goals, and this is a fundamental starting point upon which we will build.”
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah also stressed that “Israel must leave unconditionally, and any commitment against Lebanon’s sovereignty will not be accepted. No one has the right to sign or accept anything.”
He stated that “all solutions must be based on the complete sovereignty and independence of Lebanon. There will be no normalization, no lifting of the state of hostility, no gains for Israel, and no partial presence on Lebanese soil. Israel must leave in humiliation and defeat, and this is what will happen.”
He affirmed that “the ceiling of sovereignty can be achieved by remaining within the framework of the November 27, 2024 agreement and on the basis of the area south of the Litani River only, not the entire south.”
He added: “The resistance continues with its presence, its decisions, and its capabilities. It is now the cornerstone of Lebanon’s independence and liberation, and it will remain so. The resistance is this people, this land, its history, its present, and its future.”
He continued: “The Lebanese government cannot antagonize and alienate more than half the Lebanese people and expect to function normally. The country is defined by its people, not its positions. Officials are entrusted with preserving the country; they will be honored if they succeed, and the people will hold them accountable if they fail.”
Sheikh Qassem went on to say: “The political authority must reconsider its course in two ways: first, by unifying the word, the ranks, and the political stance in confronting the Israeli enemy, and second, by ceasing to implement the dictates of the tutelage and the enemy and to refrain from making decisions that serve the interests of America or Israel.”
He said: “We are ready and we extend our hand. Seize the opportunity. The resistance is strong, and we are with you if you proceed on the path of Lebanese sovereignty.”
He stressed “the necessity of galvanizing efforts to build the state, address the economic situation, recover depositors’ funds, rebuild, bridge the social gap, and do everything possible to address the issues we need in Lebanon. In the post-Israeli withdrawal phase, we will jointly study a comprehensive national security strategy.”
He emphasized “the necessity of capitalizing on the understanding between Iran and America as a fundamental support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, a powerful and exceptional gift from God Almighty.”
He added, “What do you in Lebanon have to fight for? We made all these great sacrifices because there was no balance of power, and we redressed that imbalance with our blood. Now, this support from honorable Iran must be utilized for the benefit of a sovereign, free, and independent Lebanon. Iran has proven to be the path to salvation.”
Sheikh Qassem addressed the Lebanese authorities, saying, “Restrain the Arab and foreign countries that are pressuring you to drag you into strife and reconciliation with Israel. Cooperate to the fullest extent with the Arab and foreign countries that are helping Lebanon achieve its sovereignty, and tell them to translate that into action.”
He continued: “It is unacceptable for some countries to come and say, ‘Disarm us so we can help you.’ This is an Israeli project. We want countries that support our sovereignty, not countries that support Israel under the pretext of our sovereignty.”
He welcomed the Arab and foreign countries working to rebuild, restore sovereignty, strengthen the Lebanese army, expel Israel, and create a strong lobby to prevent Israel from achieving its goals.
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah considered the Ashura commemoration “the true revolutionary mobilization that changes the equation and topples tyranny.”
He added: “We say to Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), as his companions said, ‘We will never forsake you, O Hussein.’ And we always say, in the arenas of jihad, support, establishing justice, and liberating the land and its people, ‘At your service, O Hussein!’”
He went on to say: “This year, we witnessed the magnificent Ashura commemoration and the presence of people everywhere, despite displacement, suffering, loss, and hardship. This is the people of Abu Tahir, who have learned from the school of Imam Hussein and stood firm.”
Sheikh Qassem said: “We are in this Ashura of our time, with Imam Khomeini, Imam Khamenei, Sayyed Mujtaba, Imam Musa al-Sadr, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, the mujahideen, the martyrs, the wounded, the prisoners, and the families who surrounded us from all sides, proclaiming: Karbala is the arena, Karbala is the field, Karbala is the victory, Karbala is the future.”
He added: “We are entrusted with the legacy of the martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners. It is a trust placed upon our shoulders, and we will protect what they sacrificed for. They were all present in Ashura, and they remain so. They are all on the land of Karbala, and they remain so. The young mujahideen are in the field, the women mujahideen are in the field, the sheikh, the child, the elderly, and the young—all are in the field of Karbala, and all are creating Ashura. It is a replica of the Ashura of Hussein, Zainab, Ali al-Akbar, Abdullah al-Radhi’, and Habib ibn Mazahir. They were all present in Ashura, from the youngest to the oldest.”
He continued: “Today, Ashura is repeated. The entire family, the entire community, is present in the South, in Bint Jbeil, Khiam, Bayada, Ali al-Taher, and everywhere else. They are present in the Bekaa Valley, Mount Lebanon, Beirut, the southern suburbs, and the North. All of Lebanon has become the South, and our people have become the torches of Karbala. Today, we have moved from ‘If only we had been with you’ to ‘We are with you, and you are with us.’”
He added: “We are no longer facing…”Karbala of history, we now stand before a Karbala connected from history to the present to the future to Imam Mahdi. This means that the light has begun to spread and that liberation is coming. Karbala is all of life, all purity, faith, and sacrifice. Karbala, and far be it from us to accept humiliation!
He continued: “Faint voices arose from afar objecting to our being with Hussein, so the blood of the martyrs erupted, defeating the tyrants, America and the Israeli enemy, and declaring to them through the airwaves that the followers of Hussein are victorious and those who lag behind are losers.” We faced a war aimed at eliminating Hezbollah, its environment, its people, and the citizens associated with it.”
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah continued, saying, “In Lebanon, the US Secretary of State, Rubio, says that ‘Israel is in Lebanon because Hezbollah targets it with missiles.’ Israel is in Lebanon because it wants to swallow it up and occupy it on the path to a ‘Greater Israel.’ The resistance exists precisely because of the Israeli-American aggression and occupation.”
He pointed out that “this aggression, by land, sea, and air, targeted civilians, trees, stones, and life itself, using all types of weapons, with the help of countries and agents, and through plans to sow discord within the army, along sectarian and religious lines, through political criminalization, financial blockades, and plans to strike educational, social, and cultural institutions.”
He said, “We faced a major war and a great danger intended to eliminate our existence. But, thanks be to Allah, through the Karbala-like stance of our noble and dear people, we were able to stop this aggression and achieve a great victory. We declare unequivocally that we have shattered the Israeli-American project and entered a new phase.”
Sheikh Qassem noted that “The aggression against Lebanon coincided with the aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. America and Israel also wanted to eliminate Iran’s presence by changing the regime and seizing control of the country and its resources.”
He explained: “They announced it, planned it, and believed they could achieve it. America incited the world to side with them, using several countries in the Gulf region and working to draw in European and other global powers. A NATO official announced that five thousand aircraft took off from Europe in support of America’s aggression against Iran.”
He added: “Iran stood firm and presented Imam Khamenei as a symbol, a beacon, a light, guidance, a revolution, and a mobilization, along with the leaders, the people, and civilians, and with great sacrifices. Iran was able to stand firm and reach the Memorandum of Understanding, which is an official declaration of the defeat of America and Israel. Today, Iran is shaping the future, not only for itself but for the region, and together we thwarted their project.”
He continued: “They wanted us to be isolated and divided, but we acted as an axis, and this is our natural right.”
Sheikh Qassem pointed out that “America, which possesses all the capabilities in the world, worked to draw all countries into its project.” The aggressor,” he asked, “so how can we not cooperate in our just project of liberating the land and in the honorable resistance?”
He expressed his gratitude to Iran, saying, “Thank you, Iran, until gratitude enters the hearts of the sick and brings them down with regret. Thank you, Iran, and we will remain with you. We want you by our side, and we want to be united.”
He added, “It has become clear that the strength of Iran, combined with the strength of the resistance fighters on the ground, helps to create the appropriate balance that will move us to the new stage—the stage of breaking the Israeli project, paving the way for the expulsion of the Israeli entity from our land.”
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah saluted the people of Gaza and Palestine, saying, “O honorable sacrificers, the world has wronged you, but the blood of your martyrs and the sacrifices of our people will remain the fundamental symbol of freedom, dignity, and liberation.”
He continued, “We are with you. Palestine and the liberation of Palestine will remain our compass. We believe in its liberation alongside its people, and Allah willing, it will be soon.”