Translation of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's (HA) speech before two days:
"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!