Speech by Hezbollah’s Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the recent developments on 13-9-2021
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our Master and Prophet, the Seal of Prophets, Abi al-Qassem Muhammad Bin Abdullah and his good and pure household and his good and chosen companions and all the prophets and messengers.
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you all.
I see it as my moral duty at the beginning of this speech to reiterate our condolences on behalf of Hezbollah to our Master, Saheb Al-Zaman, to our great and honorable religious authorities, to the hawzas everywhere, especially the Hawza of Najaf , to Muslims and those who love Ahl al-Bayt, and to the honorable family on the occasion of the passing away of the great religious authority, His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Saeed Al-Hakim.
I also turn to his honorable family, to the honorable Al-Hakim family, to each member, and extend my deepest condolences and the sincerest feelings of sympathy for the loss of this great jurist. He leaves behind a great void in our hawzas. This natural since he occupied a scientific, jurisprudential, and intellectual position. He was also steadfast and firm in his positions during his honorable life.
I must also extend, on behalf of Hezbollah, my condolences on the passing of His Eminence, the head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council in Lebanon, Ayatollah Sheikh Abd al-Amir Qabalan, to all those mentioned above, especially our brothers in the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, to all the Lebanese Muslims, and to his honorable family. We will miss him as a merciful, loving father, a great custodian, a strong defender, and a serious and loyal person who called for unity. We naturally express our feelings of sorrow for the loss of these great men. We ask God Almighty to compensate this nation, our hawzas, our authorities, our homeland Lebanon with someone who will fill this void left by these great men.
The topics of tonight's speech include the developments in Lebanon and issues related to our situation in Lebanon. I will conclude the address with a word about the Palestinian developments and the September 13 memorial, as our speech today happens to be on September 13.
1- Government Formation:
We welcome the formation of the government. We have always sought, helped, and sincerely called for the formation of this government since the resignation of the previous government. It is just natural for us to welcome it and thank all those who contributed, helped, and accomplished this matter, which is urgent, especially at this difficult stage in Lebanon’s history. We must extend our thanks and gratitude to Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who remained responsible for more than a year performing duties. It was a difficult and exhausting year in every sense of the word. I thank him for his patience, endurance, patriotism, and acceptance of this responsibility throughout this difficult stage. We should also thank the ministers who continued to work, managed their ministries, and did not give up or lag behind but accomplished what was required of them, especially at the stage of a caretaker government.
As for the current government, the priorities are clear – the priorities that the Lebanese people want. I am not talking here about the priorities of the political forces and what the political forces say. People in Lebanon from all areas and segments have spoken for a long time. Their suffering is clear, and, therefore, their priorities are clear. We look forward to a government that will rescue the situation. There is no more talk about preventing a collapse. The country is in the midst of the collapse.
We need a government that will carry out the responsibility and the task of rescue and reform [in the country], giving priority to the livelihood situation and people’s needs, and alleviating the suffering of the people. The people are still suffering on more than one level, especially in the absence of basic necessities, such as gasoline, diesel, medicine, foodstuffs, and enduring unemployment and the low value of the national currency, etc.
In any case, what we heard from the first session in Baabda Palace from His Excellency the President and the Parliament Speaker reveal that he supports the general trend the new government is moving towards. Of course, we support preparations for parliamentary elections. No one should say otherwise. We call for the parliamentary elections to be held on time and insist on holding them on time. This, of course, will be among the priorities and tasks of the current government.
We hope that the completion of the ministerial statement be expedited and Parliament give its vote of confidence to this government as soon as possible because time is of the essence, and all the people and the whole country are suffering and need all efforts and time to get out of the existing difficult situation. Here, we are talking primarily about alleviating the suffering, i.e., no one should expect radical solutions within a few months of the life of this government. But certainly, during the remaining months until the time of the elections, this government is able to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people to a large degree. It is also able to take action and implement reform steps that do not require time and other circumstances. This is all I’m going to say on the issue of the government because when it comes to the issue of the government now is the time for work and not for words and statements, especially if these statements include errors and could open the door to futile and useless debates. All of us are required to show solidarity and cooperate in order to alleviate the suffering of the people and, of course, give this government the natural time before judging it.
The third point, which is in fact the main reason for tonight's talk, is related to what I announced on the tenth of Muharram regarding ships transporting oil derivatives from the Islamic Republic of Iran. At that time, I said that within hours the first ship would sail and that you should wait for me or an official statement from Hezbollah. In any case, as a result of the enthusiasm of some friends and the haste of some media outlets, they were always talking about the arrival of the ship on this particular day and hour. Most of what was said at that time was not true. In any case, during the last period and while the was sailing ship at sea, we made calls and were also contacted since we had two options:
The ship could either dock in the Lebanese shores and unload its cargo in Lebanese installations. The other option is for it to dock in Syria’s Baniyas Port. Of course, we found – through communication and what we were told – that the ship docking in Lebanese installations will constitute a great embarrassment for the state and may expose the state and these facilities to penalties, and this harms the country.
We do not want to harm the country and embarrass the state as long as there is another option. So, in the past few days, we chose the other option. We contacted the Syrian leadership, and praise be to God, the Syrian leadership agreed to receive this ship and the rest of the ships in Baniyas Port, provided that the imported material be transported from Baniyas Port to Lebanon through the land borders.
We will later thank the Syrian leadership because first, it agreed to the principle of receiving the ship since it is not coming to Syria but to Lebanon. The Syrian leadership understood Lebanon’s circumstances and risks. It also facilitated the movement in Baniyas Port for primary storage. Then, it also facilitated transportation from Baniyas Port to the Lebanese border and contributed to securing a large number of tanks that will carry out this transportation process. In order not to postpone our thanks, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the Syrian leadership and to our responsible brothers in the Syrian government for their support, assistance, facilitation, understanding, and contribution to the success of this step so far and in the next stage, God willing.
Praise be to God Almighty, the first ship arrived on Sunday night at 2:30. It arrived at Baniyas port. On Sunday, it started unloading the cargo, and it is supposed to finish unloading the cargo today. Of course, we also need a day or two to load the tanks, as this has to do with the time of day – day or night, the timing, and some administrative and logistical procedures in order to be comfortable and not press ourselves with time. God willing, the transfer of the material to the Bekaa is supposed to take place next Thursday, that is, after two or three days to specific reservoirs. From there, it will be distributed to the rest of the areas. Later, I will talk, God willing, about the mechanisms and details. There are details that will be left for the brothers to talk about at a later time.
I will comment quickly on what happened. Weeks before the tenth of Muharram, I said that if the humiliating queues of the Lebanese at stations remains and if there remains a real problem in the absence of these materials from the markets mid the suffering of the Lebanese people and non-Lebanese residents in Lebanon, we will have to take a step of this kind. We found that things were not dealt with properly. Instead, the crisis worsened and became crueler. Hence, we announced that we have started the movement.
I will not discuss much what was said during the past period, but I will quickly mention this to learn lessons and for people to also benefit from this experience. There were many comments and bets. Today, I consider that all these bets are over, meaning they have fallen. There are those who considered that this promise of importing oil derivatives from Iran is for media and popular consumption. This is over because it has arrived. Others considered that this promise is not feasible or achievable because Iran basically has a problem with diesel and gasoline and cannot export to us and give us diesel, gasoline, etc. Now, the issue of diesel is over. I will talk about gasoline shortly.
There are those who wagered that the “Israelis” will not allow such ships to reach Lebanon or from Syria to Lebanon, especially since the matter was announced publicly and is not happening suddenly and in secret. Unfortunately, there are those who would have liked the “Israeli” enemy to take a step that would prevent these ships from reaching Lebanon.
In any case, these people missed the fact that the “Israelis” were in a real predicament that was expressed by many “Israeli” commentators and “Israeli” media outlets – even if “Israeli” officials have been silent since then.
Their predicament is as follows: If we allow the arrival of this ship and the rest of the ships, this means that the Islamic Republic – and they did not know about Syria's involvement in the matter – will give Syria and Lebanon more embrace and popular and political support. The “Israeli” enemy does not want this. If we prevented [the ships], we will come off to the Lebanese people as participating in making them suffer, and this matter may drag us into a confrontation at sea.
In any case, the “Israelis” were in a dilemma, and the existing equation of deterrence in Lebanon made it possible for ships carrying oil derivatives to the Lebanese people to enter. Undoubtedly, this equation was the one that protected and allowed the first ship to arrive, and God willing, the other ships will arrive safely.
There are those who wagered that the Americans will prevent [the arrival of the ships]. The Americans are not in a position now to bomb a tanker or confiscate a tanker because they know that there will be painful responses. Second, they usually resort to the method of threats and sanctions, and this is what they did with Lebanese officials when the US embassy found out about the seriousness of this step. They began contacting Lebanese officials and threatening them to prevent the arrival of these ships to the Lebanese installations, but maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.
This prompted the Americans to enter the race – the American embassy in Beirut hastily announced plans to bring in Egyptian gas and electricity from Jordan as well as subsequent steps that are still being discussed. There are those who wagered on a problem with the state if Hezbollah insisted on bringing ships to the Lebanese shores, and this was handled thanks to the understanding and cooperation from the Syrian leadership. Others bet on sectarian or regional behavior from Hezbollah to provoke the rest of the Lebanese. This ended when we said that what is to come will be in the service of all Lebanese areas and people. All these bets, allow me to say, "trivial" bets, are over, and we have now begun real and serious work.
Of course, in the coming days, they will resort to – in the end, they are two childish – trivialities, absurdities, and anything that would lead to frustration, disappointment, and doubt. There are people who get paid for this. However, the important thing is to work in the service of the people and not listen to all these frivolous voices.
We must continue our work. Now, the ship has arrived. This ship is carrying diesel, and the second ship will arrive, God willing, in a few days. The brothers told me it will arrive in five or six days. But I would like to be on the safe side and not to say five or six days. We do not know what circumstances to expect. But the second ship will arrive at Baniyas Port in a few days and will be carrying diesel.
Regarding the third ship that I had previously talked about and said that we had agreed to prepare, all its administrative prerequisites have been completed. The ship has been chartered, and precisely today, it started loading gasoline.
The third ship will come, God willing, loaded with gasoline, and we also agreed to prepare a fourth ship carrying diesel. This is because until the fourth ship arrives, which is the third ship transporting diesel, it will be October, i.e., nearing winter – this substance, in particular, is a basic need, especially in cold areas.
So, practically, the first has arrived, the second will arrive in a few days, the third will be loaded and will set sail, and the fourth is being prepared. Hence, we assume that we have the rest of September and all of October, i.e., a month and a half. We will use this material, and it is supposed to have arrived, in addition to the materials that will be brought in by other companies to Lebanon depending on the country’s need as well as the developments in light of the formation of the new government. We will also go through some procedures, and then we’ll decide whether diesel will remain the priority for the fifth, sixth, and seventh ship or shift our priority to gasoline or something else. This will be open to discussion. Before I delve into the mechanism that will be adopted and the method of distribution, this is currently the procedure that we have.
I would like to remind you of the following:
Our goal is not to make a business out of this or to profit. When I talk about the price, this topic will emerge. Rather, our goal is to ease the people’s hardships, more or less. Therefore, we are not involved, nor do we aim to compete with importing companies or stations that sell oil derivatives. I mentioned this earlier, but I wanted to remind you of it.
I would also like to remind you, as I mentioned a while ago, that when these oil derivatives, God willing, enter Lebanon, they will be for all areas and for all Lebanese who want, regardless of any observation or regional, sectarian, or political affiliation. Of course, the service is for those who want. We will not impose ourselves on anyone, and we will not put anyone in an awkward position. We want to alleviate suffering, and this does not happen through embarrassment or pressure. We understand that there may be entities, municipalities, or even state institutions that might be put in an awkward position when they buy the Iranian fuel and later Iranian gasoline. They may have certain considerations and certain sensitivities. There is no problem. We understand all of this. In fact, we want to serve people, and relieve their suffering. Therefore, we have put in place a mechanism for those who want so no one feels embarrassed.
We do not aim to say that we want to secure the needs of the entire Lebanese market because we said that we do not want to compete with companies, we want to achieve a very important qualitative and quantitative addition, in addition to what is available. Thus, we are making this effort now, and it will appear through the mechanism that we have adopted that we have taken this observation well into account.
We want to secure the needs of the entire Lebanese market. We said that we do not want to compete with companies. We want to achieve a very important qualitative and quantitative addition, on top of what is already available. Thus, we are making this effort now, and it will appear through the mechanism that we have adopted. We have taken this observation well into account.
Regarding the distribution, we adopted the following:
1- The first division: When the tankers arrive and diesel enters the country – we are talking from the 16th or the 17th of September to the 16th or the 17th of October, a period of one month – we want to give the following entities its need of fuel for a whole month as a gift – free of charge – and as an assistance. These entities are:
We will start with institutions that are mainly concerned with the humanitarian aspect – state-run hospitals. They told us that the state and oil facilities usually provide the needs of hospitals. We offer our service. If they want the full quantity, we are ready to provide it. They can take a load off the state. Or if they want part of the quantity, we are ready. If they had any shortages at any time, we are ready. It is not a condition that they call in advance. They can call at any time they face shortages in the materials. We are ready. Government hospitals and nursing homes – of course, these people suffer from shortages in water, electricity, air conditioning, and refrigerators. These are also among the institutions that will be gifted. Orphanages in all regions, as well as homes for people with special needs and official water institutions located in governorates, it was also said that the state provides [fuel] for them. We have always seen in the statements issued that there is a real complaint and a real disruption. We are also ready to gift these institutions in terms of their needs to extract water and distribute it to cities and towns. These include municipalities that have water wells but need diesel to extract water and distribute it to the villages. We are prepared to donate to these municipalities, provided that they are poor. There are municipalities that have large sums of money that won’t be granted this gift.
In any case, we have a census of all the institutions and parties that I talked about, their names, addresses, and phone numbers. We will not contact anyone so as not to embarrass them. They can contact us. The fire brigades of the official civil defense and the Lebanese Red Cross will also be included in the grant.
These bodies are, in principle, the ones that we are ready to offer a free gift for their diesel needs for a month. Of course, there may be similar institutions, but they did not appear in our study or we had a discussion. This door is left open, and I do not want to close it.
2- The second division: We will sell fuel to these institutions and not give them a free gift, i.e., securing the material and selling it at an appropriate price. At the end, we will talk about the price. As a result, we wanted to set priorities, and the quantity, of course, we said that we did not bring a quantity that covers all the Lebanese needs because we do not want to enter into competition with other companies. Otherwise, we are able, and I will comment on this later. We have set priorities. I will mention institutions that are priority. Then, there is the matter of individual selling that I will talk about shortly.
We are ready to sell it at a suitable price to private hospitals, drug and serum laboratories and factories, mills, and bakeries. Every once in a while, the mills issue a statement that within two days we will stop because we do not have diesel. Bakeries, too, always threaten people that after two days if we do not receive diesel, we will stop producing bread. We are prepared for this and have taken into account that we can cover the needs of these institutions for a month from the cargo of the first and second ships, and, God willing, the third ship will arrive.
Hence, fuel will be sold to bakeries and cooperatives that sell foodstuffs, meats, etc. because these entities are without electricity and without diesel for generators, causing some of the foodstuffs they have to be spoiled. Food factories as well as agricultural machinery and equipment are also included so that the agricultural sector does not stop. The largest segment that will benefit include the entities, institutions, or companies that provide electricity to people through generators that will receive the largest quantity and consume it. Here, lies really serving the people who suffer from power cuts.
There are some companies operating generators raised the prices under the pretext that they are buying diesel from the black market at very high prices. We will be selling diesel at reasonable prices and below cost, and I will talk about this later. In any case, when we discuss this matter with the companies operating generators, we will demand and agree that this exaggerated prices that the citizens are paying must be reduced. The quantity and the number of hours that can be covered will be subject to discussion in light of the demand and the available quantities. We will raise this later and will be detailed within the procedural mechanism.
Currently, we will not engage in individual sales, meaning filling a gallon of diesel or a barrel of diesel, especially since they want to prepare for winter.
At this stage, this is our priority. Later, of course, we will open the door for individual sales, especially nearing winter season.
And the approved mechanism, we will rely mainly on Al-Amanah Company and its stations. Why Al-Amanah Company? Because it’s already making the sacrifice, meaning the Americans put it on the sanctions list – the state of this company and its owners is like “I’m drowning, why should I be afraid of getting wet.”
In any case, cooperation with other stations in different Lebanese areas will be facilitated, God willing. Phone numbers for all the areas will be announced by Al-Amanah Company for calling and requesting. Each aea will have a set of phone numbers.
The bodies that fit the criteria will be eligible for the gift. Meanwhile, other parties that we said have priority in buying and selling can call these numbers to order the quantity they want and agree with the brothers on delivery mechanisms, quantities, prices, and so on.
The quantities that will be donated or sold will be agreed on through calling these numbers. The quantities will be delivered in batches to further expand the benefit. If an institution says they need a certain amount for a month, this does not mean that we will give it the amount it needs for a month all at once. We might give it in batches. This has to do with quantities and pressure. The offices they contact can provide clarifications on details regarding the companies operating generators. The main thing for us is dealing with the municipalities or the unions of municipalities, unless the municipality or the mayor has a certain political position or does not want to be put in an awkward position, then contact may be directly with these authorities. But we prefer the relationship through the municipalities.
What is important to us is that diesel reaches the beneficiaries and people benefit from it and not go to the black market. All these measures and precautions are taken so that people do not go to the black market. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have done anything because the black market is operational. Unfortunately, most of the gasoline and diesel that has recently entered the country were either stored and monopolized or sold in the black market. There are still large quantities stored and hidden. What was revealed was little compared to what is stored.
We are keen to be careful because, in fact, and as I will talk shortly, the price at which we will be selling, we, as an entity, will bear the burden of a large percentage of the cost value. Therefore, we want to serve the people, and we do not want to increase the profits of those who are not yet satisfied with draining people’s blood, sweat, and pain as a result of greed and monopoly that’s the country.
Hence, this is the mechanism. The brothers, God willing, are supposed to issue a statement tomorrow regarding this mechanism. Al-Manar channel will mention these numbers in the news bar, and they will shared in social media. The statement will also include the phone numbers.
Therefore, any municipality, institution, companies operating generators that qualify for the grant can call these numbers and discuss with the brothers the quantity they want and the address. We have – I do not want to say complete, almost complete – information. Hopefully, there won’t be anyone that will deceive us and pretend to be a hospital, a bakery, or a mill when they’re not just to take diesel. We will prove through our presence in the country our institutions, unions, our allies and friends, and through municipalities because this mechanism is really aimed at providing service to the people.
We get to the price. As for the price, there is a known cost. The price of diesel from the place it is transported is known. There is an international price. The cost of transportation is known, especially since we are transporting from a far place, and the rest of the price goes to the supplies for transportation and management. According to us, it is settled – we will sell below cost. We will not say that these ships cost us so and so, that is why we will be selling at cost price. We do not want to profit.
No, we certainly do not want to profit, and we will certainly sell below the cost price. For sure, there is a certain percentage of the cost price that we will bear, and we will consider it a gift, a grant, and support for the Lebanese people from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah.
But at the moment, I will not say how much the price is because we are waiting for tomorrow and for the Ministry of Energy to decide what price is approved. There is a discussion on whether credits will be opened for the ships that are now at sea or whether they will continue to be sold at 8000 LBP on the dollar. In any case, this issue is supposed to be officially clear on Wednesday because yesterday something was said and today another thing was said. The picture will be clearer before Thursday. On Wednesday when we and our brothers discuss, the picture will become clear. Either Wednesday evening or Thursday, we will officially announce the price that we deem appropriate to sell diesel in the next stage. The price will, of course, be reasonable and acceptable and takes into account the suffering of people. It will be below the cost price.
Of course, we will also sell in Lebanese pounds. I heard today that there are some companies and some stations saying that in the next stage they will only sell in dollars. Whether this news is true or not, we will sell in Lebanese pounds. When we brought this ship or other ships, we did not open a line of credit with the central bank, and we did not take one dollar for 8000 LBP. We did not cost the state treasury anything, and this will save the state treasury dollars.
We will be providing guaranteed material, God willing, that will reach the institutions. They will not need to queue or be humiliated, and they will not need to search in the black market. This is, of course, at the very least. When we are talking about now, the near horizon, we are talking about the rest of September and October. If we need to continue, we will. This will greatly help in breaking the monopoly, the black market, and the greed of the monopolists. Unfortunately, this greed is completely incomprehensible.
A final note on this issue: Today, we heard that they will open a line of credit for seven ships at the expense of a dollar for 8000 LBP and will continue to subsidy until the end of September. I’m not 100% sure.
In any case, tomorrow and after it, it will appear because there is a lot of talk regarding this subject.
My advice to the new government that does not want the lifting of subsidies to explode in its face, continue with this decision until the end of September. This is a good thing, in any case, until you complete your favor and this will achieve a result. The Lebanese army and the security forces must monitor the head of the facilities, companies, and stations when these quantities enter the country to ensure that this subsidized material is reaching people. Otherwise, you will be bringing in a large amount of fuel and gasoline to be monopolized by the monopolistic traders, who are waiting for the end of September and assuming that the subsidy will be lifted so they sell at the new prices in October. Hence, if this step is not followed with serious, firm, and strong follow-up, it will in fact serve merchants and companies and not the Lebanese citizens, frankly.
A final issue regarding the ships. From the beginning, we talked about a path and not a ship. That is why it had all these results and all these blessings. Articles were written by friends and others who were fair – they talked about the blessings of this path. I do not want to talk about this subject because now may not be the right time and I want to continue with the rest of the points. We have worked hard to achieve this goal. Here, I want to answer to what some of our friends raised and mentioned as well. From the beginning, we could have brought a fleet of ships, not just a single ship. From the beginning, we could have brought a fleet of ships transporting diesel and petrol and sailing at the same time, with media outlets accompanying them for 20 to 25 days and covering the event daily, including their movement until they reach Lebanon. But we didn’t do that. Even with the first ship, it was possible for the media to cover its movement from the beginning instead of guessing its course and whether and when it arrives, etc. But we did not do that. The reason, frankly, is that we do not want to provoke anyone. I said from the beginning, we aim to serve the people and alleviate suffering. We are not about to wage a media or psychological warfare, and we do not want to provoke anyone or embarrass anyone. That is why we worked on this issue with the least media coverage. It’s not because we do not know how to work with the media. It took a lot of effort and prayers for things to reach their good conclusion. In fact, we want to eat grapes and serve our people. We weren’t after political exploitation, media display, or anything of the sort.
I will conclude this point. We must thank the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Eminence the Leader, Sayyid Khamenei, His Eminence the President of the Republic, Mr. Raisi, and the officials in the Iranian government for their support, facilities, acceptance of this responsibility, love, and support. I also thanked Syria at the beginning, and we renew our thanks to the Syrian leadership and government for the facilities, understanding, and cooperation that it has shown and will also show during the next stage.
One of the blessings of this path is that it opened new doors. You saw what happened after the speech on the tenth [of Muharram]. The American ambassador called and promised the Lebanese that Egyptian gas would reach Lebanon and electricity would reach from Jordan to Lebanon. This is very good, and we welcomed that. We are interested in serving the people and alleviating their suffering. Forming an official Lebanese delegation to visit Damascus was a very important matter. We’ve been calling for this for many years. Thank God it happened.
With American permission or not – of course, it happened with American permission – it taking place under any title or with any background is an important matter. This matter must be pursued and the effort with Egypt, Jordan, and Syria must continue. Syria, of course, had a sensitive position. Lebanon boycotted Syria and did not form delegations to visit it. I am talking about Lebanon officially. It did not communicate with Syria and did not send delegations during the past years except recently because it needs Syria to bring Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity. However, the Syrian leadership dealt with openness, love, and positivity. We should thanks Syria for this. Of course, the Egyptian and Jordanian officials will hopefully make concessions and discounts, taking into account the Lebanese situation. We are grateful for any effort they make. In any case, when Egyptian gas arrives and electricity is drawn from Jordan through Syria, they will good and significant benefits on the electricity in Lebanon. This will also ease a lot of the people's suffering.
In the next few days, Iraqi fuel oil is supposed to arrive. This case took a long time and we don't know why. But in any case, it’s supposed to end in these coming days – end of September. This will also help improve the electricity situation and alleviate the suffering of the people. Here, too, it is our moral duty to renew our thanks to the Iraqi government for this important step and its keenness and determination to continue the work. It did not get tired despite the many delays – which I reiterate were incomprehensible. This is something that could have been accomplished months ago. This is with regard to the ships, diesel, gas, fuel, etc.
The next point is the cash card. I would like to talk about two points. The parliament passed this law, the government made decrees, and the ministers and the concerned authorities announced the conditions and the mechanism for registering for the cash card.
What I want to say is that the idea behind the cash card is to alleviate the suffering of the people. Of course, these are not radical solutions. The target is poor families, whose number has increased dramatically due to the fall in the price of the lira and the rise in the price of the dollar as well as the high cost of living in Lebanon.
I would like to call on all the Lebanese people and families to abide by the law. I want to speak in terms of law and religion. It is not permissible for any family or any head of family to apply for the cash card if the regulations and the conditions stated by the law and the government-issued decrees do not apply to them – as in, their salary and income are higher, etc. It is illegal and the law is clear. And I want to add that it is not permissible according to Sharia, meaning this is a forbidden act [haram]. It is an accumulative haram when someone submits a request like this. First, they are lying because the conditions and restrictions do not apply to them or their family. Second, it is slander, i.e., there is the sin of lying, which is the door to immorality. There is also the sin of forgery. Third, if things passed as a result of inattention, leniency, corruption, in the official government administration and they obtained a card, the money they are receiving is haram. He is eating haram money and feeding his family with forbidden money. No one should think of looking for legal or religious loopholes. This is theft. This is forbidden money.
Those who do not meet the restrictions and controls mentioned in the law and the decrees, should fear God and forget about the cash. The amount is unknown and how much of it will be available for the needy families that are really poor and hungry. I would like to speak about this point and emphasize its meaning.
And I hope that everyone concerned in the state, religious scholars, religious authorities, people, all those who enjoin good and forbid evil, and who care for the huge segment of the Lebanese people, the poor, below the poverty line and the poorest must call for this. The department concerned with issuing the cash cards is also required to be decisive and firm. The inspection and the administrative authorities must keep their eyes open because this is a new and wide door for theft, corruption, and looting. This is what was usually feared when the cash card was being discussed. It is said that the most dangerous thing is for a new door to corruption, theft, and looting. This door must be shut. Talking about the previous corruption is too long. But at the very least, the current government, the concerned ministries, the Lebanese judiciary, the concerned agencies, the deputies, and the responsible authorities must keep their eyes open so that this door is shut. This is one of the doors of looting, theft, corruption, and politicization. The modest amount must reach the deserving poor families.
The next point: Before I conclude, I want to emphasize that in our country there is hope. There are always people who fall into despair. However, there is hope and options. There is a horizon, but what we need is will, determination, courage, and to move forward with courage. When the state, the government, officials, and political forces act, there will be good options and prospects for getting Lebanon out of its current situation.
This is with regard to the Lebanese issue. A final word remains, and later, I will talk about the subject of September 13 because this is related to Lebanon. I would like to talk about two points that are not related to Lebanon but rather to Palestine.
1- The first point is regarding the Freedom Tunnel operation, which was carried out by Palestinian heroes and resistance fighters. Six brave young men carried out this operation. This operation has great and very important implications. I just wanted to commend this. It reflects the courage, determination, and creativity of these heroes. So far, people are confused. How did they dig? How did they walk? How did they get out? How did no one detect them? There is undoubtedly a lot of creativity in this operation, a lot of audacity, and a lot of hard work. The escape of these heroes is a source of pride for all the resistance fighters and for every honorable person. It brought joy and happiness to the heart of every person who has passion. The implications of the operation and its messages are great, both for the “Israelis” and the Palestinians. But the most important thing in it is this expression of the Palestinian insistence on freedom and liberation despite all the difficult circumstances that they are experiencing and suffering from for years. The arrest of four of these mujahideen and brave men does not diminish the significance of the operation and its success from the beginning.
Today, there is a responsibility to safeguard the two liberated prisoners or who are still free. It is the responsibility of the entire Palestinian people who are inside Palestine, in the 1948 territories, and in the West Bank. Yesterday, when it was said that these two men might cross the Lebanese border, we waited with great eagerness and joy if it were to happen. In any case, safeguarding these two mujahideen today is one of the most essential humanitarian, moral, patriotic, and jihadist duties. It is one of the greatest ways that a person can be closer to God Almighty – by protecting them, giving them cover, and ensuring a safe route for them. Also, protecting the four prisoners from “Israeli” reprisal and protecting the rest of the Palestinian prisoners in “Israeli” prisons is an international, global, and Arab responsibility. Unfortunately, the world turns a blind eye to this severe suffering, which has increased in recent days.
2- The other point in the Palestinian issue is the 16th anniversary of the liberation of the Gaza Strip. Similar to these days, the “Israelis” withdrew from the Gaza Strip with the settlers, settlements, soldiers, army, and military bases. This was a great victory for the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip. It was a great achievement as well and a great confirmation of the feasibility of the option of resistance, the culture of resistance, and the act of resistance in Palestine, Lebanon, and in every region in this world, which led to a complete and final withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The liberation of the Gaza Strip has turned the Strip into a main base for the Palestinian resistance. In recent years, the Gaza Strip has turned into a great hope for the Palestinian people in all of Palestine, at home and abroad.
Today, the Gaza Strip, the resistance in the Gaza Strip, and the people of the Gaza Strip are the greatest hope for the Palestinian people in defending the holy sites, in defending Al-Quds, in liberating the land, and in liberating the prisoners. This is also a blessing from the culture of resistance and the act of resistance in Palestine and Gaza. These equations are created by the resistance in Gaza, especially in the Al-Quds Sword Battle, in solidarity with the rest of the Palestinian people, whether in Al-Quds, in the West Bank, in the occupied 1948 territories, or in the diaspora.
3 - Being on the 13th of September which is a dear memory for us. For many years, we have not held a celebration on the 13th of September regardless of the reasons. However, today I happened to be speaking on the 13th of September. It is not morally permissible to omit this occasion, and I want to take advantage to emphasize an idea the Americans are working on.
I want to remind you that on September 13, 1993, a march took place in the southern suburbs on the airport road – from Al-Ghubeiri roundabout towards the airport roundabout – to protest the Oslo Agreement. A force from the army and security forces opened fire on the demonstration, in which there were no weapons. On that day, 10 martyrs rose and more than 40 or 50 were wounded. Most of them were wounded in the head and chest. God Almighty eased the calamity. Otherwise, the number of martyrs could have been more than that. At that exact moment, we felt that someone was pushing matters into a fight between the Lebanese army and the security forces and the resistance. This was setting the stage, as they said at the time, for an Arab-“Israeli” peace in Lebanon and the region because it was the subject of the Oslo Accords on September 13, 1993.
We had great patience and beautiful patience on that day. The families of the martyrs had great and beautiful patience. The resistance and its supporters also had great patience. This was one of the beginnings of severe ordeals, evidence of awareness, insight, and understanding that this public possesses. Otherwise, you know that some people in all Lebanese villages or cities possess individual weapon. Sometimes, in some villages and on some occasions like funerals, machine guns, anti-aircraft machine guns, and medium weapons are taken out. It’s the same when two families or two villages disagree. We’ve seen this in the past few days during the reception of the ministers, and this is wrong. In any case, in Dahiyeh, yes the area in which this killing on the head and chest took place, the area where all its houses have weapons, yet no one from the people of Dahiyeh – not Hezbollah, nor organizers, nor the supporters of Hezbollah or the Amal movement, nor the sympathizers – fire a single shot at the officers and soldiers of the army and security forces who were killing their sons and daughters. On that day, two women were martyred. We were patient and overcame that stage.
A few years later, this beautiful and great patience came to fruition in thwarting the main conspiracy and goal through the massacre that was committed in Dahiyeh on September 13, 1993. A few years later, on September 12 and September 13, 1997, the blood of the martyrs of the resistance and that of the Lebanese army mixed together in the south in Iqlim Al-Tuffah, between the Jabal Al-Rafi Mountain and Arabsalim, during the confrontation that took place with the “Israeli” enemy. That bloody confrontation led to the rise of a number of martyrs. I would like to mention the names of the martyrs, especially the martyrs of the army. The martyrs from the resistance are martyr Haitham Mughniyeh, martyr Ali Kawtharani, and your son martyr Hadi. The martyrs from the army are martyr Captain Jawad Azar, martyr Sergeant Khader Ghaya, martyr Corporal Milad Ghalabji, martyr Corporal Wael Soma, martyr Recruit Corporal Rafiq Qandil, martyr Corporal and Martyr Muhammed Tabani.
They’re from all areas and sects. What was the result of this blood? It resulted in the golden equation. Among the real contributions of this blood is that it produced the golden equation, the army, the people, the resistance – the blood of the resistance fighters and the blood of the officers and soldiers in the Lebanese army. From that day on, this equation has been strongly present. It expressed itself in the 2000 victory, in 2006, and in the dangerous development in the country in 2007. It is still expressing itself until today.
The reason I am talking about this subject is to say that all we hear from the Americans when they talk is that they want to convince Congress and the American public of the reason they are paying money to the Lebanese army. That’s if they send money. They usually send equipment and charge the army for the training and the equipment, etc. The weapons they left in Afghanistan – several advanced planes, tanks, vehicles, personnel carriers, medium and individual weapons – all of which are advanced could arm 20 and 30 armies like the Lebanese army. However, they send something modest and sometimes used. Then, they charge Lebanon and the Lebanese army millions of dollars and tens of millions of dollars. Anyway, what is their logic? Their logic is that we arm the army and support it in order to confront Hezbollah. In other words, what they’re doing is incitement, inciting the army against Hezbollah and inciting Hezbollah against the army and intimidating. But neither Hezbollah nor the army can be provoked.
Today, on the September 13 anniversary, with the blessing of those martyrs in the resistance and those martyrs in the Lebanese army in that honorable battle, I want to tell the Americans and everyone else: Just as all your bets, policies, and conspiracies regarding this point in particular have failed, you will also fail and will be disappointed. The golden equation that preserves Lebanon’s internal security and borders in the face of aggression will remain. It will continue to establish deterrence equations and protect everything related to this country and homeland. The equation will remain the army, the people, and the resistance. You will only see those conspiracies in your dreams because the blood of our martyrs and our innocent children is effective, strong, influential, and present. It fell into the hands of God, and what falls into the hands of God will grow.
Peace and mercy of God be upon you.
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