Nasrallah Reiterates Hezbollah’s Opposition to Arab States’ Normalization of Ties with Israel

Addressing a late Monday ceremony held at the Lebanese capital city of Beirut to mark the 40th anniversary of the movement’s foundation, Seyed Hassan Nasrallah advised regional states not to normalize relations with an entity that has committed war crimes and crimes against the Palestinian people.

“Everybody should help the revolution of the Palestinian people. We have also supported the Palestinian refugees and emphasized their right to dignified return to Palestine,” he said.

Nasrallah stated that the Palestinian cause is part of the Lebanese nation’s religion, culture, honor and dignity and there is no place for abandoning that cause in any way.

He further said the resistance front’s victory over Israel in the year 2000, which saw the occupying regime withdraw its forces from Lebanon, put an end to the myth of the regime’s invincibility and the so-called Greater Israel project.

“The victory in 2000 put an end to (so-called) Greater Israel project and shattered the (purportedly) invincible army” of the occupying regime, the Hezbollah leader said.

He also hailed Hezbollah’s victory in the 33-Day War against Israel in 2006 as one of its most important achievements.

Nasrallah added that the movement’s role in reclaiming the country’s rights in its dispute with Israel over an offshore gas field is one of the achievements of the 33-Day War.

Nasrallah stated that the movement will not give in to any threats regarding the demarcation of Lebanon’s maritime borders, describing such threats as worthless.

He added, “Our decision and approach are clear; we are waiting for the coming days to make decisions in line with what happens.”

The leader of Hezbollah movement went on to note that the movement has been maintaining close ties with all resistance groups in Palestine and during the past 40 years will continue to do so.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Nasrallah accused the United States of trying to fan the flames of civil war in Lebanon by pitting the resistance movement against the Lebanese army.

“We do not seek civil war. Of course, there are certain parties that want civil war in Lebanon. During the past 40 years, we have been trying to establish security in Lebanon and have avoided any measure that would lead to our confrontation with the army. This is an open and permanent plan pursued by the United States to pit Hezbollah against the Lebanese army and security forces. However, it has been foiled by the commanders of both Hezbollah and the army,” the Hezbollah leader said.

“We won’t be dragged into a civil war or sectarian strife,” he emphasized.

Nasrallah added that Hezbollah has been always ready to delineate a defense strategy for Lebanon, adding, “Any effort to liberate Lebanon’s occupied lands is a national responsibility. Our responsibility in the next stage is to stabilize the deterrence equations to protect Lebanon’s land, people and wealth. Therefore, Israel’s threats about demarcation (of Lebanon’s) maritime borders are worthless.”

Touching on the relations between Hezbollah and the Syria, the movement’s leader said the support for Syria is permanent and will never waver.

“Syria is the cornerstone of the resistance front and our partner in refusing to surrender to Israeli conditions,” he said, adding, “Day after day we become more convinced about our choice and decision to get involved in Syria’s war.”

Nasrallah said, “If Syria is exposed to any similar attack, we will not hesitate to get involved in that confrontation.”

He also highlighted Hezbollah’s support for the return of Syrian refugees to their homes, saying, “Political pressures from the US have so far prevented this from happening.”

“We have always stood by the oppressed people of the region, including in Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan, and will also do this in the future,” Nasrallah said.

In another part of his speech, Nasrallah said when it comes to domestic situation in Lebanon, Hezbollah’s main plan is to cooperate with other political groups to build a just and powerful government.

“We seek to establish a government that will not be dependent on US embassy. We seek an independent country free from all forms of dependency.” Nasrallah said.

He added that the movement has been serving the Lebanese people during the past 40 years in all cultural, social, economic and political fields.

“Despite sanctions and the blockade (imposed on Lebanon) we will continue to fully serve the people,” he said.