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Photo: AFP
Hassan Nasrallah
Photo: AFP

Nasrallah: The enemy does not scare us

In annual speech, Hezbollah leader says group ready for Israel threat, but laments: 'Nowadays, no one wants to talk about Palestine and the Israeli enemy'. Promises to pull troops out of Syria if others do the same, saying 'stop the war on Syria'

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech on Sunday, commenting on negotiations between Israel and Palestinians, and addressing the organization's readiness in face of what he called the Israeli threat. He also promised to take Hezbollah out of Syria if Arab nations would stop their involvement in the conflict.

 

 

"Nowadays, the people of each country are preoccupied with the situations in their own country and unfortunately we have reached a period in which no one wants to talk about Palestine and the Israeli enemy," the Hezbollah cheif said, adding that "The US and Israel wanted us to forget Palestine in the wake of all the achievements made by the axis of resistance."

 

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The speech was held on Martyr's Day, the organization's celebration of the anniversary of the death of Hezbollah senior commander Imad Mughniyeh who was killed in 2008 by a bomb that ripped through his car in Damascus, Syria.

 

Earlier in the week, Hezbollah announced that Nasrallah would not give his speech in public, but rather have it screened. The announcement came in wake of a string of attacks that targeted the organization.

 

Nasrallah also addressed the organization's ability to withstand Israeli attacks: "The enemy does not scare us and after all these experiences and achievements, it knows that the resistance maintains high readiness despite everything that is happening in Lebanon and Syria. Our assets are ready and are growing and although martyrs from the resistance are falling in Syria, it is capable to confront the Israeli enemy."

 

He further said that Hezbollah was aiding the Lebanese military forces and "are with everything that can strengthen the army in terms of equipment, personnel and advanced weapons that can protect Lebanon in the face of Israeli threats."

 

Nasrallah also spoke of Israel's invasion to Lebanon in 1982, praising the opposition of forces that stood against the Israeli military.

 

"The Israelis stayed in Lebanon and they tried to impose their hegemony. They killed, detained and prepared to build settlements in southern Lebanon.

 

"Had it not been for the resistance of all factions against occupation forces, Israel would not have pulled out of Lebanon," Nasrallah said.

 

Stop the war on Syria

In regards to Syria, Nasrallah called on for Arab political forces to "stop the war on Syria," promising that if they left the country alone, his Lebanese Shiite group would also withdraw.

 

The three-year-old conflict in Syria has fuelled Sunni-Shi'ite tensions in neighboring Lebanon and across the wider Arab world. It has drawn in militants who fight on both sides and receive funding and arms from rival regional powers.

 

"If you want to prevent this region from falling into chaos that will not end for decades, stop the war on Syria," Nasrallah said, addressing all political forces in the Arab world.

 

"Get the fighters out of Syria, let the Syrians reconcile," the leader of the Iranian-backed movement said. "Of course if that happened, we would not remain in Syria either."

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.16.14, 22:57
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