Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the third night of Ashura

I take refuge in Allah from the stoned devil. In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Peace be on the Seal of prophets, our Master and Prophet, Abi Al Qassem Mohammad and on his chaste and pure Household and on his chosen companions and on all messengers and prophets.

Peace be on you, my master and Lord Abi Abdullah, and on all the souls gathering around your holy site. Peace be on you as long as I remain alive and as long as night follows day. May Allah make it not my last visit to you.

Peace be on Hussein, Ali the son of Hussein, the children of Hussein and the companions of Hussein.

Brothers and sisters! Peace be on you all and Allah's mercy and blessing.

One of the well known words for Imam Hussein (Peace be upon him) which he said on his way to Karbala is: "Don't you see that righteousness is not being acted out and wrongdoings are not being refrained from. Let the believer wish to meet Allah rightful. I can't find death but happiness and life with the oppressors but tedious."

First, I would like to tackle the developments in Gaza for some minutes before moving to the primary topic of my speech tonight. Indeed following days of confrontation of the criminal Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip and the heroic resistance in Gaza, we pose before these scenes.

The first scene I will tackle is the scene of the resistance before going to the Israeli scene. So far, the resistance is presenting a marvelous manifestation of its steadfastness, firmness, morals, wisdom, courage, will as well as its capability to confront and the successive confrontations it is performing at this stage.

The second scene is the scene of the people who are embracing the resistance in Gaza. Its technical term is the embracing milieu. The people are backing, supporting and trusting the resistance and offering sacrifices along with it. These are among the elements of strength today: the resistance and the performance of the resistance, the people of the resistance and the embracing of this people to the resistance. So far the possession of the people of Gaza to this capacity and power is imposing the stance of the enemy, the friend and all the world. Here I stress on benefiting from this concept which I tackled on the Martyr's Day too.

Was the Palestinian resistance in Gaza weak or of a feeble will or of little capacities or is abandoned by its people and has – God forbids – announced its weakness and its willingness to accept any form of a ceasefire, despite all what took place on the first day, no one in the world will stop the aggression. On the contrary they would rather help the Americans and the Israelis in achieving the goals of the aggression and will practice great pressure on Gaza, the people of Gaza and the resistance of Gaza to accept the conditions of the enemy.

Thus the primary element is that Gaza stood firm, resisted, fought and remained steadfast in face of everyone what made them all embarrassed and responsible.

On the other hand, see the situation now of the Israelis who in the first hours seemed to be making achievements, presenting goals and embarking boldly on the political, security, military and moral levels. In which situation are they following few days of confrontation?

First, the Israelis are taken by surprise. They are talking about a surprise. What I mentioned on the first night seemed – by the assistance of Allah – to have been achieved. The Israelis were wrong. They were mistaken. They only thought that through the first strikes they could destroy the rocket capacity of the resistance especially the rockets with a range of 70 kilometers and more. The resistance is still able to strike Tel Aviv and some parts of Al Qods and other places.

It goes without saying that the Israelis were totally surprised as in July war. Following the first day, the Israelis said that within a 40-kilometers radius from Gaza the people are to go to shelters. Schools were off, and people were asked to be cautious. However at a farther distance things were to be natural. Why? That's because they assumed that they have destroyed the rockets which may reach more than 70 kilometers. The terms "long range" and "far reaching" may not very precise. However, they were surprised because rockets started falling on a radius 70 kilometers from Gaza. Rockets are falling on Tel Aviv, Al Qods, the surroundings of Dimona and Dimona itself. This was not in the considerations of the Israelis. It is clear that they were surprised. There may be other surprises prepared by the resistance in Gaza in this confrontation.

Moreover, the Israelis supposed that following the first day or second day or third day and after shelling and destroying and following hundreds of raids waged by Israeli planes so far on targets in Gaza Strip the resistance and the people of the resistance would make a cry for help or say they want a ceasefire for whatever price. O Arab states which have ties with Israel, please made a meditation and stop reach a ceasefire for whatever price. That's why we heard early Israeli statements in the past few days to the effect that they will not make a ceasefire unless the resistance factions cry and beg for a ceasefire.

However, what took place?

It's the very contrary? The resistance is taking initiatives and making surprises, and in Cairo talks it is imposing conditions. It is not accepting a ceasefire for any prices. No! It is rather imposing conditions. One of the conditions it set is lifting the siege on Gaza. They are talking about lifting all forms of the siege on Gaza. The resistance is talking about international and regional commitments and guarantees to the effect that Israel does not go back to assassinations and aggressions again.

So, it is not the Palestinian resistance which is today searching for any form of a ceasefire because this might not serve its interests, guard Gaza, protect the resistance leaders, and protect the people of Gaza. These demands are rightful demands made by the Palestinian resistance.

So today the Israelis who were expecting the resistance to surrender and give up are witnessing a totally different situation.

The third point is the Israeli confusion. How are they to act? What are they to do? Do they head for a terrestrial operation or not?

The statements made by some Israeli officials started to retreat. Here we notice retreat, and there we notice confusion. They are talking about fear of a topsy-turvy scene. They started talking about the repercussions of a military operation against Gaza. They started talking about the financial and economic repercussions on Israel if they decided to go that far.

This is clear on the Israeli scene. Even talking about a terrestrial operation and summoning the reserves is still so far nearer to an intimidation, a psychological war and practicing pressure. The circulated information so far is to the effect that the Israelis have called on some countries to meditate for the resistance leadership in Gaza to make a ceasefire. However, Israel does not want to give any concession or commit itself to any condition. This is objected on by the resistance so far.

Thus we are before a confused, troubled and disordered Israeli scene though the operation is still at its beginning and its first days. Here I assert to you that even in confronting a terrestrial operation, the resistance in Gaza – God willing – owns a strong capacity, will, good plotting and plots which were set following 2008 War as it has worked at filling the gaps which had appeared. The resistance in Gaza would be before a great and marvelous confrontation. I believe that the Israelis will be committing a blunder and a very big mistake should they decide to stage a terrestrial operation towards Gaza.

Thus today we have a scene of an aggression and at the same time of a resistance which is strong and capable and with a chance to make victory. Well, some people might say it is early to talk about this. No! It's not early. These words are based on facts, data and true elements of strength.

Now we come to the Arab and Islamic stance. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation – which was called the Organization of Islamic Conference – did not say anything yet as well as the Arab and Islamic states. Indeed some Islamic states took stances such as Iran and Turkey and other. We are talking about the Arab countries. We heard some stances. So far, there are stances of condemnation, denunciation and sympathy. However so far there isn't any true stance. The strongest stance we heard is that Israel must be punished. Well great! How? What's the suggestion? What's the idea? What's the punishment you suggest? So far, we did not hear anything. We do not want to say anything before hand. There is a meeting for the foreign ministers of the Arab states. We were able to hear the word delivered by the Lebanese FM. He expressed an excellent stance. He called on Arabs to sever ties, suspend and annul agreements, and practice pressure on the international community. He presented a call for a group of steps and procedures. However, until the very moment in which I came here, several Arab foreign ministers have spoken however of nothing of any value. On the contrary, some only spoke to self-whip. They said that we are Arabs and we are not able to do anything and that we must make reconsiderations….

However, I do not want to say anything before hand. We will wait for the statement which will be issued by the foreign ministers and the Arab League.

Indeed, withdrawing the Egyptian Ambassador from Tel Aviv is a good step. The visit of senior Arab officials to Gaza is a good step. This is a good development in the Arab stance. However, so far we are below the least expectations. As we said in the first night, the Arab states are required to take a stance that practices pressure on Israel to halt its aggression and also to meet the rightful conditions of the Palestinian resistance on top of which are lifting the siege and all its forms and stopping all forms of assassination or aggression on Gaza and the leaders, cadres and people in Gaza.

Nothing of what is required from the Arab states has so far appeared. We did not hear so far any threat to sever ties, annul agreements or suspend agreements or use the weapon of oil even if as we said raising the costs of oil or reducing the production to pressure on the United States. That does not need much. With a phone call, Obama may stop the war.

We do not want anyone to deceive anybody. This is the truth. Today a phone call from Obama stops the war. However, few hours ago what was Obama saying? He still supports what Israel is perpetrating. He is still covering what Israeli is doing.

That means that so far he hasn't hear one word from an Arab leader to the effect that either you – Obama – practice pressure on Israel or we will take a stance to do so and so….

However, we still hope that the Arab states – especially at this stage – take an appropriate stance. I am even telling you that we have fears that some Arab stances practice pressure on the Palestinian resistance to abandon its rightful conditions so that they later they would say we had a role to reach this calm situation and as such they would be presenting their credit cards to the US administration and President Obama and others.

What's required today is true support and a true stance. Gaza is able to make victory. It only needs this serious support.

Israeli hardware defeated by Palestinian morale

Assuming the ceasefire holds, it is now time to assess the preliminary results of the Israeli attack on Gaza, and I would score this one as a definite victory for Hamas.  Why?

Because it is pretty clear that the IDF was deterred from entering into Gaza whereas the usual orgy of violence unleashed by the Israelis on the Gaza Strip did not deter Palestinians at all.  It is also pretty clear that the Israelis were the ones who wanted a ceasefire whereas Hamas could have kept going, all for the same reason: there was nothing more left worth destroying in Gaza.
 
Bottom line: if anything, that pompous imbecile Netanyahu actually substantially weakened the deterrent capability of the Israeli military with the operation "Pillar of Defense".

Think of it this way: according to Time magazine, as of the 19 of November the IDF had launched more than 1,350 air, tank, and warship strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip (the actual figure will be substantially larger, of course).  And yet, even after such an intensive fire preparation of the battlefield, the IDF did not dare enter Gaza.  This is frankly pathetic and makes me wonder if the IDF is still capable of *any* real military operation (shooting unarmed civilians does not qualify).  This dismal performance is even more pitiful when you consider the rather lame performance of Hamas.

Having promised to open the "Gates of Hell"  Hamas delivered a missile assault which could be compared to the effect of a wet firecracker.  And yet, in all their misfortunes, the Palestinians are blessed to have paranoid cowards like the Israelis as their oppressors: the otherwise totally useless Qasssem missiles are still good enough to scare a population suffering from a form of psychosis Gilad Atzmon calls "pre-traumatic stress disorder".

The real deterrent capability of Hamas lies, of course, not in the Qassem missile, but in its foot soldiers which would have met any Israeli incursion inside Gaza with an intense combination of anti-tank fire, snipers, and highly mobile assault groups.  But the Israelis do not have what it takes for that kind of fight.

Operation "Pillar of Defense" pitted Israeli hardware against Palestinian morale, and that the latter clearly came out on top.

The Saker

Russian experts predict an extension of US war on Syria to the entire Middle-East

I have been researching the topic of Islam in Russia for a few weeks already and, as a part of this research, I spent a lot of time listening to various Russian Muslims and their views on the various conflicts in the Muslim world today.  It is still too early for me to begin writing on the fascinating but very complex and multi-faceted topic of Russia and Islam (which will probably require a series of articles), but I want to share with you what appears to be a consensus opinion of many Russian Middle-East experts (Muslim and Orthodox Christians) about the war on Syria and its likely development.

The following is a summarized paraphrase of the conclusions these Russian experts have come to. 

The Syrian government and the US backed insurgency have reached somewhat of a stalemate: the insurgents cannot take key cities such as Damascus and Aleppo, while the government is unable to control most of the country.  As soon as some region, city or neighborhood is cleared of insurgents and the Syrian army withdraws, the insurgents soon come back.  Still, most of the population still supports the Syrian government, in particular in urban areas, including well to do Sunnis who see the insurgents as illiterate bloodthirsty religious zealots who threaten their way of life.  In spire of this popular support, the Syrian government is unable to execute a mobilization of its large reserve forces because of the chaos in most cities.  The government is now fighting with soldiers who have basically been kept in the military after the expiration of their regular military service.  The failure of the insurgency to take over Aleppo and Damascus shows that the conflict has reached a stalemate.

The US, which is acutely aware of this stalemate, has come up with a plan to break it.  The US plan - which is basically a variation on the US policy in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo - is based on the following steps:

• Consolidate the insurgency into one federation of forces controlled by the US CIA.
• Recognize the insurgency as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
• Transfer massive amounts of weapons to the "internationally recognized Syrian government".
• Create "safe heavens" inside Syria, protected by NATO airpower
• Send in ground forces of the Arab League to run these safe heavens.
• Use these safe heavens as a staging base for a final attack on, and seizure of, Aleppo and Damascus.

A key requirement of this plan is an absolute rejection of any type of negotiations with the Syrian government.  Just as Iran must stop all enrichment before any negotiations begin, Assad must go before any negotiations will take place (the same trick was played on Gaddafi in Libya).  If you wonder what might be left to "negotiate" in these conditions, you are not alone.

Another feature common to both the war in Bosnia and the war in Syria is that just as the US policy in the Balkans greatly encouraged the Albanians to struggle for a "greater Albania" (including Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and parts of Greece) the current US policy in Syria and Iraq is creating all the conditions for the Kurds in Syria, Iraq and, possibly, Turkey or Iran to join forces and establish some kind of sovereign entity.  This is a major threat to Turkey which might wake up one day with an "Kurdish Kosovo" on its southeastern border.

There is, of course, one crucial difference between Bosnia and Syria: during the war in Bosnia, the US skillfully played Milosevic against the Bosnian-Serbs by promising him that he would be allowed to stay in power if he betrayed the Bosnian-Serbs.  In Syria, Assad does not have to look over his shoulder for a betrayal from Iran.

The US policies have dramatically exacerbated the tensions between the Shia and the Sunni.  This is well illustrated by Hamas' betrayal of Syria, Iran and Hezbollah and its new found alliance with the Muslim brotherhood.  One likely consequence of this (US run) "Salafist coalition" is that as soon as it is done doing its business in Syria, it will turn its gaze at the Shia regime in Baghdad and re-start a full scale sectarian civil war in Iraq.  Such a civil war in Iraq will inevitably involve Iran, at which point the US and Israel will be in an ideal situation to attempt to overthrow the Iranian regime.

According to Russian experts, the current US plan has the potential to ignite Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Pakistan resulting in massive refugee movements towards Western Europe and Russia.  For Russia this risk is compounded by the possibility of all sorts of Jihadis attempting to enter the Caucasus region and then penetrating into Russia to fight the "Kuffars".

While this has not been reported in the West, the Russian media has reported that one of the leading Sunni spiritual leaders on the planet, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, has called Russia the number one enemy of the  Muslims (his declaration was triggered by the Russian veto of US anti-Syrian Resolutions at the UNSC).  Many Russian experts spoke of a "Sunni declaration of war on Russia".
 
Russian experts are very pessimistic on the Russian options to prevent such a scenario.  They believe that the US has been extremely successful in pushing Russia out of the Middle-East and they recognize that Russia does not have many means to influence the situation.  The only real option for Russia at this point is to put its southern borders on a very tight lock-down and the further strengthen the already formidable capabilities of the 58th Army and of the Southern Strategic Command of the Russian Armed Forces.  Preventing the aftershocks of the US-initiated "blast" of the Middle-East from reaching Russia appears to be the only good option left for the Kremlin at this point in time.

While I personally cannot disagree with any of the above, I think that it is important for Russia to formulate some kind of proactive policy, preferably in coordination with China, if not the BRICS countries, to prevent a destabilization of Iran. In fact, many Russian experts have declared that Iran is Russia's last natural defense and that "after Iran, we are next".  If that is the case, and if the entire region is threatened, then a broad anti-Salafist front must be created by all those who are directly threatened by the current situation: first and foremost, the Shia, of course, but also the traditional Sunnis, and the Sufi and those Christians who, regardless of denomination, are not US-puppets and/or Zionists.

Such an anti-Salafist front is, I believe, being created right now inside Russia, but that is a topic which I will leave for future articles.

The Saker

Anonymous declares war on Israel

Comment:  I don't think that Anonymous has the means to seriously hurt Israel, but the real effect of this operation is a PR disaster for Israel: Israel is denounced as a villain (which, of course, it is) while the world public opinion is shown as disgusted by Israel (which, of course, it is). And that, in itself, is fantastic.  Anonymous simply ignores the fact that most of the planet is run by US puppets and Anonymous ignores the corporate media.  It claims to speak for "the people" as opposed to the Establishment, and the message is clear: "Israel, the people see you for what you are, and we will fight you with all we have".

Symbols are very important, and this action, even if primarily symbolic, is very timely, needed and just.

The Saker

Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the first night of Ashura

I take refuge in Allah from the stoned devil. In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Peace be on the Seal of prophets, our Master and Prophet, Abi Al Qassem Mohammad and on his chaste and pure Household and on his chosen companions and on all messengers and prophets.

Peace be on you, my master and Lord Abi Abdullah, and on all the souls gathering around your holy site. Peace be on you as long as I remain alive and as long as night follows day. May Allah make it not my last visit to you.

Peace be on Hussein, Ali the son of Hussein, the children of Hussein and the companions of Hussein.

Brothers and sisters! Peace be on you all and Allah's mercy and blessing. May Allah reward you abundantly in these days and nights as we are recalling and marking the great and sublime catastrophe in the history of this nation and what had afflicted the Household of the Prophet Allah (Peace be upon him and his Household) on the tenth of Muharram in the battlefield of Karbala.

On this first night, I was planning to take all of my time to tackle a definite issue touching on the nature and circumstances of marking this occasion and these councils and approaching this anniversary as a prelude to commemorate the rest of the nights as we are on the first night taking into consideration the atmosphere of factional and sectarian agitation which has been prevailing in the region lately. However the developments that took place yesterday and today imposed themselves forcefully. Thus I will divide the available time into two parts.

In the first part, I will tackle the latest developments – meaning Gaza in particular and the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the ongoing confrontation in Gaza.

The second part is the main topic I intended to tackle as a prelude to this night to mark the occasion in the following nights Inshallah.

As for the first part, I say that yesterday we witnessed a brutal broad Israeli aggression on our people in Gaza Strip. This aggression commenced with the assassination of the great jihadi leader martyr Ahmad Al Jaabari. Several martyrs fell too.

As a consequence, there is a great number of civil martyrs and wounded. The aggression is still ongoing today faced by a tough and fierce confrontation by the various factions of the Palestinian resistance.

Indeed, first we must offer our consolation and felicitations at a time for our brethrens in Hamas leadership - That's because martyrdom requires consolation and felicitations – for the martyrdom of the great jihadi leader Ahmad Al Jaabari who had a long jihadi history in the resistance. We offer our consolations and felicitations for all the resistance factions, our people in Gaza and all the Palestinian people for the dear martyrs who fell yesterday and today and are still confronting with blood and flesh this incessant Zionist aggression.

It goes without saying that we must all say that we condemn and denounce this aggression which I will pose before for a while in my speech. It goes without saying that we say that all the states, governments, peoples and even all the free in the world must stand next to Gaza, the people in Gaza, the resistance in Gaza and the resistance fighters in Gaza in a true, historic genuine stance.

Indeed the bargain above all and after trusting in Allah Al Mighty and His grace, victory and support is on the will of the people of Gaza and the will, steadfastness, and firmness of the resistance. What calls us to be confident, assured and optimistic is that we all know that in Gaza there is a resistance which has enough wisdom, courage, firmness, bravery, experience and developed human and materialistic capacities which make it fit to a great, dangerous and decisive confrontation of this kind. The launching of Al Fajr 5 rockets on Tel Aviv is a manifestation of the awareness, wisdom, firmness and courage of the Palestinian resistance and its prevalence in Gaza Strip.

I will come back to this point later on.

There are several points which must be tackled very briefly in what is taking place:

What is taking place is a link in the chain of bloody confrontation between the Zionist enemy and the peoples of our region and the Palestinian people in particular. It is a link in the chain of the bloody, decisive and historic confrontation which draws the fate of Palestine and the fate of the region, the nation and the sanctities and which is taking place between the Zionist enemy and those who back it on one hand and the resistance movements and those who back them on the other. Consequently, it is one of these stages which require posing, drawing lessons, and carrying a study so as to assume responsibilities.

We notice through what took place during the past couple of days in Gaza an assertion on a group of concepts including first that this enemy does not need a pretext to make a war or stage an aggression. Nothing was taking place.

The cabinet of the enemy has a political interest and an electoral interest. Today, it's Netanyahu's interest. You still remember the Grapes of Wrath Aggression which took place in April 1996. It has reasons and followed events that used to take place always. Because elections were approaching, Shimon Perez needed to make a military achievement. Thus he waged a war against Lebanon which they dubbed the Grapes of Wrath. However, tables were turned.

When it's to their political, electoral, security or whatever interest, the Israelis start an aggression and do not need a pretext or excuse or a Palestinian or Lebanese or whatever act to make the reaction they do. This is first. Indeed these points I am listing are clear. However, I am asserting them. I am reminding the Palestinians, Lebanese, the peoples and governments of the region, and all the people who forget quickly these points.

Second: As usual, this enemy resorted to deception and betrayal. This is what the brethrens in Gaza Strip talked about today. Days ago, the enemy gave the impression that they will accept calming down and will head towards that. Thus the Palestinians were assured. After this atmosphere of calmness prevailed, it is natural that people feel relieved somehow. Thus the enemy lurked for the jihadi leader and killed him and thus started this broad aggression in Gaza. This is the nature of this enemy. How are we to feel assured by this enemy? Who trusts this enemy? Who is deceived by this enemy? After all of these long experiences, we must always be cautious.

Third: Notice the goals the enemy put for the aggression on Gaza.

When we examine the goals, we will truly discover that the Israelis have really benefited from the experience of July War 2006 and Gaza War in 2008.

The enemy benefited from their experiences. In these two wars, the enemy put the highest targets. They were very high targets. However, they were not able to achieve their goals. Thus they failed in achieving the goals and that was viewed as a defeat or a flop. Consequently and on the other hand, that was considered a victory to the resistance in Lebanon in July War and to the resistance in Gaza in 2008.

Now the Israelis connoted an aggressive mentality and very harsh targets. However, they announced targets which are not high. That means they did not say: We will head towards a war in Gaza. We want to uproot the resistance…. That's because they know these goals are not achievable. They did not say they want to occupy Gaza as they know this goal is difficult to be achieved. In fact, the aggression does not aim to achieve this goal. They did not even say they want to halt rocket launching. They set a group of goals in a way that whatever they do, Netanyahu and Barak may say that they achieved practical goals. First, they talked about striking the leading structure of the resistance movements in Gaza, and they started by killing a senior jihadi leader. Second, they talked about hitting the Palestinian resistance rocket capacity, and they started with striking some rocket platforms. That's what they announced; however, I do not know the truth so far. Third, they said they want to restore the deterrence power or the deterrence formula in Gaza. That connotes that through the previous stage the resistance in Gaza was imposing a definite deterrence formula. The Israelis are now saying that they want to restore or to change this formula. They want to restore the power of deterrence and the awe of deterrence. They put another goal. They said they aim at inflicting the greatest harm possible on the structure of the Palestinian factions. However, is this their goal only or is there more than that? This is what will be made clear through the track of events and developments in the coming few days.

However we link great expectations – as I said – that the fierce and firm resistance in Gaza would frustrate what the Israelis have started with. I will tackle the stance of the nation and its responsibilities in a while. We ask Allah Al Mighty that He turns the tables. That means that if they are heading towards an operation which they want to invest in the elections, Inshallah the operation would counter their electoral as well as their military considerations. Well they claimed that they hit long-range-rocket-platforms by which they mean Fajr5 which reaches a range of more than 70 kilometers and they considered that they destroyed the whole system. Thus when they yesterday and today called on Israelis to go to shelters and to take precautions, they told the settlers to do so at a radius of 40 kilometers. That means that they considered that they destroyed the rocket capacity in Gaza which exceeds 40 kilometers. As for the rockets which might reach 40 kilometers – whether Katusha, or advanced Katusha or locally made rockets or the like – they may be found in Gaza. However they did not take primary precautions in confronting rockets with a range that exceeds 40 kilometers.

Today they were surprised that such rockets fell, and they acknowledged that.

Last night, the enemy denied that. However today they acknowledged that Fajr5 rockets fell on Tel Aviv. This is a very great development in the history of the struggle between the resistance and the Israeli enemy. This is a very great and a very important development.

Well, this indeed took the Israelis by surprise. It shocked their considerations and information. I do not know if the Israelis made the very mistake they made in July War when the Israeli warplanes hit definite places and considered that they were rocket platforms. They announced their victory and that the primary long range rocket capacity of the resistance in Lebanon had been ruined. What happened later proved the contrary. Did the enemy perpetrate the same mistake in Gaza? That might be possible. However the very ability of the resistance today to launch Fajr5 rockets on Tel Aviv has many indications whether on the military, security, motion capability, or administrative levels or on the level of targets and the horizon of the battle. We pose lengthily before these speculations.

Fourth: I want also to talk about Gaza. It seems that we have to pose before the stance of the Arab and Islamic peoples too. Unfortunately, it seems we are falling into a sound sleep from which nothing but blood awakes us – the blood of the oppressed and the blood of martyrs. Today true awareness is renewed about the real stance of the United States as well as Britain and France. Unfortunately, many Arab elites in the past couple of years which noticed movements and awakenings in the Arab world have started altering the concept. They tried to present to their peoples a wrong concept as if the United States has now woke up after all of its criminal history. Now it woke up to democracy and the rights of the oppressed and prosecuted peoples. Now it wants to extend a helpful hand to aid the oppressed, the persecuted and the tortured. Now we started hearing talks about strategic ties with the United States and about appreciating the US stance….

Today the blood of the leaders, martyrs, civilians, women and children in Gaza revealed anew the true face of the United States and the West in dealing with events. On the very first day and hour following the aggression, the United States said that it supports what Israel is doing. It supports Israel's right to defend itself. That means that the people of Gaza came to be the aggressors. It condemned the resistance factions and namely Hamas viewing it as the aggressor and held it responsible of exploding the situation.

The French and the British moved on the very US steps. We are still to see the rest who will follow them. This asserts to us again that the United States, France, Britain and the West do not care for values, human rights, defense of freedoms and the oppressed in our region. They only view their interests. Their interest in this country and in this region is with Israel. Thus let Israel do what it wishes to do. As for any other country, if their interest is in the persistence of the regime, they defend this regime. However, if their interest is in toppling the regime, they offer all means of support to topple that regime.

Theirs is not a humanitarian, legal, rightful norm at all. Their norm is their interests.

Today, the blood, martyrs, and oppression of Gaza came to expose the US and western stance which had tried to deceive the Arab and Israeli peoples especially over the past couple of years.

Fifth: What is required on the Arab and Islamic level towards what is taking place Gaza does not call for much talk and theories. For 60 and even 65 years since the beginning of the struggle, we know what is required. When War 2006 took place, all the political leaderships, elites, resistance men, scholars and theorizers said what is required. When Gaza War took place in 2008, all the people said what was required. Today the same thing is required.

Today, there is nothing new in the required theoretical speech and calls. It's the very thing which has always been said; however, that was not to be acted out.

What is required today is the will to act. Consequently, when we reiterate what is required, we do not aim to embarrass anyone.

The very things which we used to say and call for and which all Arabs and Muslims used to call for in 2006 and 2008 is what we are calling for all of us today in 2012 whether under the former or current Egyptian regime and whether under the previous or current regimes in the Arab world. Consequently, embarrassing or outbidding anyone isn't what is required. A stance is what is required. Seriousness is what is required today. A people, a strip and a resistance are confronting. There is no time and place for outbidding. What is required today is that we cooperate altogether - all the Arab and Islamic governments and the Arab and Islamic peoples – so as to enable this fighting, resisting and steadfast strip to gain victory and frustrate the Israeli aggression at least.

What used to be said before?

They used to talk about first summoning ambassadors, second severing ties with Israel and third annulling agreements or at least suspending them if they were not to be annulled.

This was used to be said in the past years. They used to talk to the effect of lifting the siege from Gaza, supplying Gaza with arms, ammunition, supplies and medicine. So it was not only providing Gaza with food and medicine but also with weapons and ammunition so that Gaza would be able to remain steadfast and carry on resisting and it is able to do so. The people of Gaza – its men and women as well as its fighters and leaders – are entitled to assume this historic responsibility. However what is required is that they be provided with this level of support and backing.

It was always said and now we reiterate that the Arab and Islamic states must invest their ties with the US administration and the western states to pressure Israel to halt its aggression on Gaza.

Nobody is telling the Arab states to open the front and start an operation to liberate Palestine. We want to halt the aggression on Gaza. That does not require a war from you. That requires from you efforts – to exert efforts with the Americans, the US administration, and the western states which in turn pressure Israel.

For sure saying that Israel does not listen to America and the west is nonsense. Any US pressure or threat or phone call to Israel would make the latter halt the war on Gaza.

They always used to talk about the weapon of oil. Well perhaps it might be said that the Arabs don't have the courage to take a decision to halt oil export. Well, manipulate the quantity of oil export. Reduce the quantity and raise the price.

You know that today there are states in Europe which if the price of oil is raised, their economy would collapse. I am not exaggerating. This is said by strategic economic exports.

If you reduce the export of oil to the United States which is facing economic and financial difficulties and storms and snow and if you raise the price of oil a little bit, you will see that this very America has been shaken and this very Europe has been shaken too. If you are not able to halt the export of oil, reduce oil production and raise its price to exert pressure. Nobody is asking you to dispatch armies, tanks and planes. This is for all the Islamic and Arab countries to hear.

Thus what is required is clear by now.

Now the Arab and Islamic peoples are supporting, demonstrating, praying for Allah, sending money and trying to convey arms. This in all ways is required. However what changes the balance and halts the aggression is a true stance to be taken by the Arab and Islamic states in the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. These states are able through one resolution to pressure America to impose on Israel to halt its aggression on Gaza.

The point I will mention now is aimed at drawing a lesson so that all the efforts remain focused on Gaza and to defend Gaza and to protect Gaza.

I have heard some political leaders in some Arab countries saying that the goal of the war in Gaza is to distract attention from what is taking place in Syria.

First, this is very much saddening. This analysis is deplorable as now it is being said that Netanyahu and Barak have waged a war against Gaza to distract attention from what is taking place in Syria.

The Israeli goals which they announced are clear. The truth is to say that Israel is benefiting very much from the struggles talking place in the region. It is benefiting very much from what is taking place in Syria to wage an aggression on Gaza.

Today the war against Gaza is taking place under circumstances that differ from 2008.

In 2008, we placed the axis of the resistance apart from all the other positions which had the capability to present various kinds of support to Gaza. This is what took place in 2008 and before 2008 and after 2008, and this is what is being manifested in action in the field.

Today one of the supplying routes to Gaza Strip which is Syria is halted. Syria is preoccupied with itself. War and fighting are taking place in several districts, towns and cities. Indeed it is not able to be part of the logistic support. As far as the political stance is concerned, it is able to take a stance.

Well, fighting in Syria no doubt confuses any supplying operation which might take place at the level of the resistance in Gaza.

Why don't we say that Israel is making use of the conflict taking place in Syria, the fragmentation existing in the region, the conflicts taking place in the region and the agitation in the region as well as the turnabout of priorities, the change of enemies into friends and the friends into enemies? This is viewed as a suitable opportunity to strike Gaza Strip, to restore the deterrence formula, to hit the rocket capacity in Gaza which Israel imagines would be difficult to be compensated taking into consideration the developments in the region and in Syria. This is untrue.

Thus I call on the political leaderships to put all disagreements and conflicts over other issues including Syria aside and to muster our efforts on deterring, preventing and halting the aggression against Gaza and defending the people of Gaza.

Palestine and Gaza have always been a common point, a uniting point, a point of consensus, and a point where emotions, feelings, wills, and inclinations meet and the point of the compact to reorganize priorities.

Today this is what we are calling for. Again, we are before a scene of confrontation between blood and the sword. Inshallah as blood could gain victory over the sword in Karbala, the resistance in Lebanon and the resistance in Palestine, we ask Allah Al Mighty that we be before a new victory and a new epic made by the fighters and the resistance men and all those who back them, stand next to them, and support them in this honorable and historic battle.

Indeed in the coming days, we will Inshallah tackle the existing and the decisive developments that might happen.

Indeed, we are all in Lebanon concerned to follow up and to do everything we are able to do. We must always remain up to date with the events, with our people and brethrens in Gaza Strip. We must follow up and see what is taking place because this is not the battle of Gaza alone. It is rather our battle all of us.

We move now to the second section of my speech which I promised to tackle tonight in the remaining time Inshallah even if I am to summarize it and to cancel the evidences.

The anniversary of Muharram and the events of Karbala come this year while we in Lebanon and the region are passing through circumstances that differ from what used to take place in the previous years. I will consider this the prelude to the topic I want to handle tonight.

It is clear whether we like it or not that there is an atmosphere of great sectarian and factional agitation on the level of the region and in more than one country.

Some countries are preoccupied with Islamic-Christian agitation. Things have been pushed in this direction. In other countries, things are pushed towards Shiite-Sunnite sedition. As we said in previous occasions, some are pushing forcefully in this direction while working for that, plotting for that and investing the media, politics, money and all available capabilities to achieve this goal.

Today we came to mark this occasion in a sensitive situation of this kind what requires that we tackle this issue with a sense of precision and responsibility.

Before the existing agitation in any country and at the level of the region, the situation is taking a sectarian aspect. However, things did not go far enough to be closed.

They did not come to reach the required goal – that Shiites become fed up and Sunnites become fed up, and that the former group become hostile to the latter group, and the latter group become hostile to the former group and thus go towards a conflict.

No, such a situation does not exist. The Sunnite-Shiite relations did not reach that far. There are many positive points in the Shiite situation and in the Sunnite situation as well as in communication, relations and in more than one domain. However, even this agitation that exists must be viewed as dangerous and must be addressed with responsibility. Before this agitation and development, one might have one of three positions:

-The first stance is that we say we are not concerned. That means that we neglect and ignore this status quo saying we are not concerned in what is taking place. That means that we hide our head in the sand and act in a way as if there is not anything and everyone is free to say and do as he wishes.

Indeed that would be tantamount to giving up our responsibility. This is even a sin and failing to perform the religious, moral and humanitarian responsibility. As such on the contrary we will be quitting the field in a way that serves the enemy.

-The second stance is that man gets involved in the tension and agitation; let's move towards more agitation. There are points of communication; let's severe them. There are points of tension; let's wage them. This is tantamount to a greater crime. This serves the targets of the enemy. This would be a show of disobey to Allah Al Mighty. It would be a crime against Islam, religion, the nation and all Muslims. He who acts as such whether he is a Shiite or a Sunnite is a criminal against Islam and the Islamic nation.

-The third stance is that man assumes his responsibility, work seriously, and do the least or the most he can do to address this situation.

The least a man can do to address this tension is to prevent the explosion from taking place and prevent the repercussions of this agitation from taking place even if with the available means. The most a man can do is that all sides work seriously and industriously to put an end to this agitation and tension so that things go back to their normal situation.

The religious, humanistic, moral, and historic obligation requires adopting the third stance. All of us must be responsible as far as this issue is concerned. Some might say we are not concerned in this issue. However this is the responsibility of all of us because today and as a result of the media, a small problem, a word or a misconception in analysis or in a stance, a wrong behavior, a definite tension or failing to show self-control might be exaggerated and magnified via the media in a way that serves this goal – meaning agitation.

Thus in assuming responsibility – i.e. the third stance – we are all partners whether old or young, men or women, political leaderships, scholars, the educated, the ordinary people and neighbors among each other. All of us must assume this responsibility. We must be cautious. At this moment and in this situation and under this targeting, how are we to act? Even the things which we view as normal and natural cease to be so in exceptional conditions. We must be cautious. We must be aware.

Indeed, when tackling this topic in a general way, it needs a pose to scrutinize and contemplate the reasons, factors and elements that led to this situation.

There are international, regional and local reasons. No one may summarize the topic saying that so and so delivered such a speech and will not tackle it again. No! the agitation today is the result of developments which took place in the region: at least since 2000, the US-western attack on our region, the developments in Afghanistan, the events of Iraq, the events in the region, the developments in the Arab countries, and the atmospheres that accompanied these events – assassinations, security acts, and confrontations – in addition to the fact that some are working to found these events and to take them in this direction.

The situation is not easy. Even in this complicated situation however, the simple things are influential and important. We must not deem anything little. We must not ground on any small positive or negative point. Even if we evade the small negative points, we will be able to ground on them as well as on the small positive points if we do them. Thus this is the general stance which we must assume its responsibility.

Hereof we usher to Ashura, and I will talk about Shiites and Sunnites in a very transparent and clear way because we need to address the situation. Because we want to address the situation, we can't always work at trimming ends. We must say things as they are – what is with us and what is against us because this is a historic responsibility.

Some might have a misconception and consider that the Shiite marking of Karbala and Ashura aim at targeting Sunnites. This is totally untrue. If anyone has this misconception, this is untrue. Indeed, some might not have this misconception but following the rule of investing any incident in the framework of sectarian provocation, he might aim at exploiting this topic. Thus tonight, I want to address our Sunnite brethrens saying: Not at all. The commemoration of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein - the grandson of the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon them) does not aim at targeting the Sunnites or harming the emotions of the Sunnites. The opposite is the truth. The same applies to the Shiite situation. If anyone among the Shiites – as a result of illusion or ignorance – considers that the commemoration of these occasions aim at confronting and provoking the Sunnites or the like, he too is misled.

At least in the Shiite awareness and conscience, this indeed does not exist. Abi Abdullah Al Hussein (Peace be upon him) is the grandson of the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him), the son of Ali (Peace be upon him), and the son of Fatima Al Zahraa the daughter of the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon them). He is one of the Prophet's Household whom Allah wishes to remove all abomination from and to make pure spotless. This exists in the Sunnite and Shiite interpretation of the Qoran. He is one of the relatives of the Prophet whom Allah asked people to be good to. This exists in Sunnite and Shiite interpretations. He is one of the members of the Cloak. He is the grandson of the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him). He is the beloved of the prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him).

There are two responsibilities. First, concerning the Shiites, no one whether speakers, scholars or ordinary people on the Shiite level are allowed to benefit from the occasion of Ashura and from these masses and this great, blessed, Islamic occasion to harm other Muslims, the sanctities of the other Muslims, and the symbols of other Muslims. Indeed, this has been asserted by religious authorities in Najaf, Qom and other places. They had decisive stances as far as this issue is concerned. His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenai (May Allah prolong his life span) has a clear and bold fatwa to this effect. He says in a clear way and this is not new that it is forbidden to harm the symbols of our Sunnite brethrens besides accusing the wife of the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him) of what dishonors her. This is forbidden concerning the wives of all the prophets (Peace be upon them) especially their Master the Great Prophet of Allah. So this is indeed forbidden concerning the mothers of believers – the wives of the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him). Whoever does that would be perpetrating a great sin and a clear disobedience.

Consequently, if somebody here or there has such ideas and personal complications and even is ignorant concerning the facts and interests at a time, he would not be expressing the Shiite stance at all. Thus the Shiites or the Shiite stance or authorities must not be accused on the light of wrongdoings made by persons here or there. We do not claim being infallible, perfect and coherent. There are violations in the Shiite situation as in all other situations.

Also on the other hand and as I am saying, Shiites are not allowed to act as such. Sunnites are not allowed to deal with marking this occasion as a factor for provocation, sedition, sectarian incitement, a call for sedition, struggle, or evoking tension unless if someone has a different evaluation for Imam Hussein Bin Ali (Peace be upon him) and Yazeed Bin Muawieh. Then there will be another approach. However, this is the evaluation of Muslims in general.

Our goal from marking this occasion is a great Islamic goal on the level of the nation. Our goal is to commemorate this occasion with its concepts, values, indications and what it revives and has always revived all through history. There occasion is pregnant with values loaded: Defending the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him), defending the religion of the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him), making reforms in the nation, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong besides the integrity of Muslims, the great interests of Muslims, bravery, steadfastness, altruism, sacrifices, loyalty, faithfulness and all the values and concepts which we have been talking about for tens and hundreds of years and in all nights. Karbala is the school. It is a historic, conscious, moral power in the nation. It can provide an intellectual, spiritual, emotional, moral and fiducial supply to face all dangers, challenges and to defend honors and to arouse resolutions, morals and wills. And we want Karbala to be so.

Hamas launches a completely irresponsible missile strike on Jerusalem

This is plain crazy - according to various reports Hamas has shot missiles at the city of Jerusalem.  According to the BBC  "militants said they wanted to hit the Israeli parliament".  The missiles missed their targets and landed on the south side of the city without causing any damage.

What Hamas did today is sheer lunacy, there is no other way of putting it.  Shooting missiles which are so inaccurate at a city which contains not only what Jews think of as the "wailing wall", but also the al-Aqsa mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Holy Sepulchre is absolutely irresponsible.  Just imagine what would have happened if any of these buildings had been hit!

Keep in mind that the distance between, say, the Knesset building and the Dome of the Rock is less than 3km:

It is impossible to fire an extended range but not accurate rocket like the Qassam M75/76 at the Knesset without a very real probability of hitting the Old City of Jerusalem and the sacred buildings it contains.

What Hamas just did is absolutely irresponsible and cannot be justified by any excuse, not even the savage brutality of the Israelis.  Finally, Hamas just gave the Israelis the perfect excuse to intervene and "disarm Hamas".

If "political Darwin Awards" were given out - Hamas most certainly would deserve one.

The Saker

The stupid charade is finally over

The stupid charade is finally over - the Hague tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has cleared the last two Croat generals not in the face of new evidence, but on a technicality:

Last year the two men were convicted of murder, persecution and plunder.  Judges at the time ruled that they were part of a criminal conspiracy led by late Croatian President Franjo Tudjman to "permanently and forcibly remove" the Serb civilian population from Krajina.  But on Friday, Judge Meron said there had been no such conspiracy.

No conspiracy and therefore, no crime.   Nice, no!?

Bottom line: only Serbs committed any crimes during the war in Bosnia.  All other parties to this conflict were innocent of any crimes.  No such thing as a Croatian war criminal, no such thing as a Muslim war criminal.

You got to love the "humanitarian Disneyland" the Empire lives in...

The Saker

Speech of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Martyr's Day

I take refuge in Allah from the stoned devil. In The Name of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, The Lord of the World. Peace be upon our Master and Prophet – the Seal of prophets – Abi Al Qassem Mohammad and on his chaste and pure Household, his chosen companions and on all prophets and messengers. Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.

First, I would like to welcome you and thank you for your attendance. On Martyr's Day, we without fail would like to pay a special salute to the families of the martyrs who offered their dear sons for the sake of Allah Al Mighty. Today we gather to mark the anniversary of these dear ones.

In the time limit, I will try Inshallah to tackle several points and relevant issues. I will start with what is directly linked to the anniversary – with the Martyr's Day which is marked on 11/11.

Indeed everyone knows that on this very day – on November 11, 1982, the qualitative self-martyrdom operation was executed by the Prince of Self-Martyrs Ahmad Qasir. Last year, we said that the operation was the most powerful. A year later, we again say that it was the most powerful in the history of Arab-Israeli struggle. It had the most powerful consequences and repercussions, and it set the most powerful foundations. This operation broke the barriers of fear. Going back to 1982 and the atmosphere which was prevailing then, we say that this operation broke the barriers of fear and the chains of despair. It gave a totally different scene. It changed the faces as well – meaning the faces of people - namely Sharon and his allies. It marked the onset of a new era which started to come into sight. It is the time of defeat for the enemy and victories for the resistance.

On this very day every year, we meet to mark the anniversary of all martyrs at a time. On this very day, we recall all martyrs. Their faces and smiles are portrayed before our eyes. Thus our minds, hearts, memories and consciences recall their words, memories and wills. Thus mixing emotions pervade us. We feel sorrow and joy. We feel sad. That is normal because we are human beings. We feel sad for the departure of the dear ones: the father, the son, the brother, the uncle, the son, the husband and the wife. We feel happy for marking the thirtieth year for the achievement, the victories they made by their blood. We feel happy for they have performed their jihadi obligation with the first bullet and the first onset. We feel happy also for them enjoying heaven and proximity of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This takes the reigns of our minds and hearts and makes us more determined and willing to carry on their way and to achieve their goals and guard their wills and to be faithful as they were so and to be truthful as they were so and to make sacrifices as they did and to belittle difficulties as they did and to adore those they adored as they did… so that Allah reward us with dignity and happiness as He rewarded them.

We salute the martyrs: Peace be on our dear martyrs. Peace be on your souls and bodies. Peace be on your faces and names. Peace be on your tears and blood. Peace be on your woes and yells. Peace be on your pains and aspirations. Peace be on your prayers and fasting. Peace be on your patience and tolerance. Peace be on your truthfulness and faithfulness. Peace be on your chastity and purity. Peace be on your happy honorable ending. May Allah unite us with you and offer us your intersession and the intersession of your masters - Mohammad and his chaste Household (Peace of Allah be on them all).

Brothers and sisters! On this Martyr's Day, the Islamic Resistance has fully completed its thirtieth year. So we are talking about 11/11/1982, and we are now on 11/11/2012. So they are 30 years. Indeed, I am talking about the history of the Islamic Resistance. Indeed, there are other resistance movements which existed before us and are thus older than us. We respect and highly esteem them. Islam also teaches us to respect whoever is older than us in age and in experience. However, today we are talking about a young man who belonged to us. He staged the operation 30 years ago. We must pose for a while on this past through which we will usher into the future. They are 30 years of hard work, sleepless nights, industrious persistence, exhaustion, blood, tears, anxiety, dangers and difficulties. They are also 30 years of achievements and victories. We are indeed talking about 30 years and many men in this resistance whether martyrs or those who are still alive. First, how old were they? They were 18, 19 and 17. Martyr Ahmad Qasir was 18 years. Today we are marking his anniversary. Many of the martyrs as well as the fighters who are still in the battlefield are of this age. What the Prince of Believers (Peace be upon him) says about himself in the Speech of Jihad applies on them: "I started the jihad while I was not yet 20, and here I am about to be 60". This is the case of many of my brethren resistance men who became white-haired. I too have become white-haired too. However, this resistance has always expressed a renewing generation…. Today it includes men of 60 and young men of 17, 18 and 19. This is the strength and the vitality of this resistance.

Indeed we adhere to this past. We are before 30 years of full experience - our experience: what took place in the country during these 30 years, the stances, the forces, the events, and the developments since June 1982 till this very day…. We adhere to this past and to this part of our history. That's because the present is the outcome of the past, and it sets the foundations of the future. The past for every person is a source of inspiration and morals from which man benefits from his points of strength as well as from his points of weakness, from his mistakes and bad deeds as well as from his correct and good deeds. If he was a reasonable human being, he learns from his experiences and the experiences of others. It is possible through benefiting from the past and the morals of the past to understand the future and thus build the future.

Some people want us to forget this past – our past. Some people want the Lebanese and the peoples of the Arab and Islamic countries to forget our past too. This very group of people wants us to forget their past too and the Lebanese and the Arabs to forget their past as well to be before a present which is ruled with deception, falsification and an overthrow of norms and considerations. Thus the historical fighter becomes a collaborator or at least his nationalism and Lebanese identity are suspected, while the historical collaborator becomes a national Lebanese who is asked to give certificates in nationalism. Thus the committed careful person becomes a criminal killer based on a sheer political accusation while the person with a history of killing, crimes and perpetrations in broad daylight which need no evidence or judicial investigation an honorable moral person who lectures on chastity.

If we want to refuse this status quo and we don't want this status quo to be consecrated, this must remain clear before our eyes.

Today, we find it difficult when someone asks for certificates in nationalism for those who have fought, offered sacrifices and whose bodies were shattered, for those who offered their children, for those who spent their prime days in resisting the occupation, for those who resisted, liberated Lebanon and made Lebanon proud, defended Lebanon and the dignity of all the Lebanese and saved Lebanon from the Israeli conspiracy and the Israeli era, from those who were in 1982 and for long years allies to Israel, collaborators for Israel, cooperators with Israel, fighting next to Israel, breaking into Lebanese cities and villages and Palestinian camps, shedding blood and spying for Israel and acting as a prison guards under the Israelis.

It is very painful that in 2012, this be the state of the country. The platforms are open before those people to give certificates. It is difficult for us that for years we were asked to sit on the dialogue table so that others discuss with us the defense strategy, how to defend our people, honor, country, our country's wealth and the sovereignty of our country while some people in the other party have all this history. We find that very difficult on us. This will be the foundation for a point later; so I am not only saying so to express emotions. No I will build on it a stance.

Thus I say as we usher to the present, when we want to approach the present and evaluate its events and personalities, the past must remain before our eyes. We do not want to remain adherent to the past. We do not want to freeze in the past. We do not want to destroy the country for the sake of the past. No! However, it is not allowed to overlook this past when we evaluate personalities, stances, events and backgrounds. When we want to comprehend where this country is being pushed to, where they want to take Lebanon to through the internal and regional situations. If we locked out this past, we will make wrong evaluations and comprehensions. Consequently, we will take wrongs stances. Here, I am talking about the Lebanese people as a whole. I hope I will be able to address the entire Lebanese people through this platform. I will come back to this point and I would like to base on it a stance.

I will talk now about the resistance which is the entity, framework, track and project of these martyrs. I want to assert on Martyr's Day that we are continuing in our performances in the resistance, in increasing our readiness to defend or country, in developing our capacities, expertise, and human and materialistic capabilities. On all levels, we will carry on working without stopping or tedium. Let no friend or foe imagine that what is said in Lebanon and the region and what is taking place or what is evoked would influence our will, determination, resolution and work day and night as far as the resistance is concerned. This is another point of research. Moreover, with a clear viewpoint and very great expectations for the future, today we reached a place in the resistance – with the blessing of these martyrs – in which the enemy is acknowledging the actual status of the deterrence power which was found by the resistance in Lebanon. I do not care if some of the Lebanese acknowledge the deterrence power or not. If they acknowledge, that would be great. I care whether the enemy feels that there is a deterrence power or not. The goal is defending Lebanon and the people of Lebanon. I would like to defend my country, my people and my family as one of them. This is my religious, moral, humanistic and national obligation. What is important is whether the enemy acknowledges this fact or not.

I may clearly and frankly tell you that following July War and after all the developments that took place afterwards and through the new formulas which were imposed and which the Israelis know one way or another or were revealed, the Israelis today indeed take the fact of deterrence of the resistance in Lebanon for granted. This is achieved. This is a point of consensus among the Israeli political, military, security leaders, parties, media figures, experts and public opinion. No one in the Israeli entity says today that there is no deterrence in Lebanon. No! There is deterrence. There is deterrence both sides. Israel has deterrence power, and this is not something new. This has been true since 1948. It deters all Arabs and all Muslims.

What is new is that Lebanon has found a deterrence formula. This is what is new. Some say that Lebanon is deterred. It is deterred before I was born and before the birth of all the martyrs whose memory we are marking today. Lebanon is deterred and the entire region is deterred by the Israelis. The new strategic factor is that the resistance in Lebanon could find a new deterrence formula. This new deterrence formula is being consecrated, deep-rooted and established firmly through the army-people-resistance-formula.

In this framework, Ayoub drone was an advanced step in this track and new evidence on this determination and will. Everyone knows, the military generals know and today all the people know the importance of information in any military battle. If you have an army with marvelous capacities – air force, tanks, cannons, rockets – but which lacks information about the enemy, it would be as a blind elephant which slaps right and left. It would lose its capacities and capabilities and efforts in the wrong place. One of the simplest factors in any battle is that the one who is fighting in one front has precise, clear, overt and true information about the other front. Today the resistance is taking great steps forward in this domain. The Israeli enemy knows what it means that the resistance has true and precise information of this kind. This might not be known by those who do not want to know. However, we are in a battle with an enemy. Thus you let him know this so that his deterrence increases.

Some would ask: What does Ayoub drone have to do with deterrence? Ayoub drone has to do with deterrence in the sense that if you have a definite missile power and you say the airport for the airport, the seaport for the seaport, the power plant for the power plant, Tel Aviv would be hit not only if Beirut was hit but also if Dahiyeh was hit and that as a resistance I can hit precise targets, the Israelis would say if you have rockets but no information that this is meaningless. If you have rockets but you lack precise facts, your threat would be groundless.

The rocket integrates with precise information. Ayoub drone and its likes besides other sources provide precise information. This is the weigh of Ayoub drone in the deterrence formula.

Some would ask that you dispatched a reconnaissance plane. Is this deterrence? No! This is part of an integrated system which leads to deterrence with the enemy. Well, if we took this development into consideration, I will comment on it for a while and then I will add it to the first point which I mentioned.

How did the Israelis deal with Ayoub drone? Since then, I did not give a speech.

When the incident first took place, at the very first day and hour, Netanyahu and Barak said this was a dangerous incident and we will punish who caused it. Indeed, they waited for the first, second and third day to know where it came from. There were several possibilities and suppositions. However, for the first impression, they supposed that it was heading from Gaza or Sinai. That's why Netanyahu lifted the ceiling of his threats. Why is it so? That's because Gaza is daily under aggression and bombing and shelling and this is its case today. During these days it is being under more aggressions and it is offering martyrs and wounded. He said we would pour our anger on Gaza. Well, he did not get any information about its source. Then we announced our responsibility. So it is not he who held us responsible. We rather said we are responsible and Gaza and the resistance in Gaza are blameless. We are responsible of the drone, and we assume the responsibility of the drone. What did the Israelis say then? What did they do? Nothing. It's similar to the colloquial saying: He packed his things and left. Why was it so? Today there is a difference status quo in Lebanon called deterrence power – it is not easy thus for the Israelis to step in Lebanon, strike, demolish, aggress and ruin. Things are not that easy anymore. The Israelis remained silent. On the contrary, Israeli comments went in the direction of showing the seriousness of this issue, this drone and its background, what the resistance seeks from this drone, where did it reach, how it penetrated, and the Israeli failure. Here the story ended.

However, on the Lebanese level, what took place? That's the lesson to be drawn on the Lebanese level too. March 14 Bloc started yelling and lamenting and wailing. They issued collective and individual statements. They marked the first week following the incident and the fortieth day of lamentation on the Israelis. The Israeli condolence was over. Still condolences for March 14 Bloc were not over yet.

On the contrary, notice the language they used. This is a violation of Resolution 1701. This is an aggression. This makes Lebanon fall in trouble. This gives the Israelis the right to strike. They said so while the Israelis did not say so. They themselves said this gives the Israelis the right to wage a war on Lebanon.

By the martyrs whose memory we are marking, I swear that some of them – as I do not to say all of them – were whole-heartedly praying Allah saying: O Allah! Let the Israelis strike and stage an aggression. The Israelis failed them, and this is not the first time the Israelis do not live up to their expectations. That's because the Israelis work according to their project; they do not work under March 14 Bloc. They work for their project and interest. In July War and following the capture of the two Israeli soldiers, the war came to be a US project executed by the Israelis. This was later made clear through documents and books. So the project was not even an Israeli project. It was a US project in which they engaged the Israelis within the Neo Middle East Project.

How are we to interpret this stance taken by a Lebanese party from a Lebanese development on the level of defense and deterrence? How are we to comprehend it?

The launching of the drone must have rather been a source of pride to them as Lebanese. They must have instead said: "That's great! May Allah bless you and your minds, seriousness and efforts. If anyone assisted you, we are grateful to them too. However, please this needs lengthy discussions and a dialogue table and a defense strategy." That would have been fine. However, it is really noticeable when such a development made by the resistance becomes a source of condemnation and sorrow for a Lebanese group.

Indeed, this day after day asserts that this group does not in fact believe in the resistance and has never believed in it one day. Allow me to divide them into two groups: A group of them never believed in the resistance. They were with Israel and an ally to Israel. The other group was with Syria and is now with March 14 Bloc. This group did not believe in the resistance even when they were an ally to Syria. They are rather with the side that meets their aspirations. They change their skin to match the circumstances and conditions.

This is the truth. We are before a group that does not believe in the resistance.

Those who are arguing about the defense strategy do not in fact believe that Israel is an enemy. They do not believe in resisting the enemy as a Lebanese choice. They rather believe in the other choice – negotiating with Israel and succumbing to Israeli conditions. For thirty years, they have been talking as such. Perhaps some one might say: O Sayyed where do you get this from? Thirty years? Add them. The stances, biographies of the personalities and political forces and the events and developments say so.

Based on these two points, history takes thirty years of such stances into consideration. As such we take the stance of the resistance into consideration too.

Here I want to mention two results. The first outcome is an idea or a choice. Someone may say: Let's see. What will we do? I tell all the Lebanese: Put these thirty years – from 1982 to 2012) before your eyes. What took place in them as far as the Israeli issue, the Israeli project, the Israeli occupation, and the Israeli hegemony are concerned and then came the resistance, May 17th, the pullout from Beirut, the withdrawal from Sidon, Tyr, Nabatiyeh, West Bekaa until reaching the borderline in 2000, the war of 2006 until this very day. So we are talking our experience as Lebanese. This is our experience. We are not talking about the experience of our Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian, or Egyptian brethrens or October War or the like. We are talking about our experience as Lebanese. We have went through this experience with our sweat, blood, efforts, and sleepless nights. This has led to the demolition of our houses, the mining of our fields, and the whipping our skin by the Israelis and their collaborators in Khiam Detention Center and other prisons. We have passed through all this experience ourselves. Take this into consideration with its victories, and the achievements it made to the effect of liberating, defending and empowering Lebanon.

Look at all what took place in our surrounding and what is taking place now. I will not talk extensively. Gaza is being bombarded daily. Martyrs are falling every day. There are tens of martyrs and scores of wounded. So what is the formula? Following the same sequence I say where the Arab League is. They would tell us again this is the united Arab strategy. This is the same speech which was being said in 1982. Were we to wait for the Arab League, settlements would have been erected by now not only on the borderline but also in Mount Liban. Where is the Arab League? Where is the Organization of Islamic Cooperation? Where is the international community? Where are the Arab countries? Where are the Islamic countries? I would like to tell you even more. What is taking place today in Gaza is a tough trial to the Arab Spring countries. May Allah help them. They are now before a trial. How will they act? How will Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and the Islamic and national liberation movements which now succeeded the regimes act? How will they act as far as Gaza is concerned?

This is a tough trial and a tough stance. This is Gaza. Let's take another example. Sudan is an Arab state with sovereignty. It is a member in the Arab League. It is a member in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Israel stroke Khartoum – a military plant in it. "What's wrong in that?" Israel violated the Arab sovereignty. "What a big deal?" Israel stroke. "So what?" Israel destroyed an Arab military plant. "So what?" people were martyred and injured. "So what?" Isn't this the case? Where is the Arab League? Where is the Organization of Islamic Cooperation? Where is the Security Council? A usurper country - They call it a state – stages an aggression on a sovereign state. Where is the reaction? There is no reaction. There is nothing of this sort. I will go a bit farther. Everyday we here about massacres against Muslims who belong to a definite race in Burma. What did they do? They issued statements. Where massacres halted? No! Did displacement stop? No! Did they guard the people against massacres? No!

Where is the Arab world? Where is the Islamic world? Where is the Arab league? Where is the nation? Where are all of these? This is a question.

I have more to say. The Prophet of Islam was humiliated. What did they do? What did the Arab League do? What did the Organization of Islamic Cooperation do?

Well, the Americans were afraid from the reaction of the peoples. Well they gave some events other titles. However, the Americans were never, for one moment even, afraid from governments, states, and regional and international institutions. The Americans were afraid from the people who grew angry. How would they behave? Doesn't that give us a lesson when we view the past in an integrated way? Here we are not talking about controversial issues. I am not saying what the Arab League is doing concerning the issue of Bahrain. Well, there is an argument over the issue of Bahrain. What is the Arab League doing concerning the issue of Syria? On the contrary, the Arab League is working day and night on the Syrian issue. What is the Arab League doing concerning the Palestinian issue? What is it doing concerning Gaza? What did it do concerning Sudan? What did it do concerning Burma? Nothing! Where would the conclusion lead me? We will reach a conclusion I always mention. However on the Martyr's Day, I will reassert it: O Lebanese! Doesn't the proverb say: Nothing scratches your skin like your very own nail? I would like to tell you. Nothing guards your skin as your own nail which America, Israel, the west and March 14 Bloc are trying to trim. However, that is not to take place. They would never trim it.

It's the Lebanese man – the resistance, the army and the people - who protects Lebanon, the people of Lebanon, the land of Lebanon, and the state of Lebanon, the sovereignty of Lebanon, the borders of Lebanon, and the entity of Lebanon.

If the Lebanese man does not want to guard his country, no one would protect it. In fact, nobody cares about Lebanon and the Lebanese. Nobody cares. Nobody ever cared and nobody cares now. Thus we have the choice of resistance and adhering to the resistance and the arms of the resistance. This is a humanistic, rational, and moral choice, and abandoning this choice is mere insanity, and suicide. It is abandoning one's duty. It is abandoning human morals. This is the evaluation.

This is the first point. The second point is that we as Lebanese are saying that we are concerned. There's the national defense strategy. Great!

Based on the scene we gave for the thirty years – on the first point I tackled – today there is a national dialogue table which discusses the defense strategy apart from the fact that some people are boycotting it and taking a stance from it.

We all know that specific circumstances imposed forming the first dialogue body. Other specific circumstances imposed the formation of the current dialogue body which was expanded. Consequently, several parties sit on the table today to discuss the national defense strategy.

Here I want to pose two questions:

The first question is: Is it fair that some of the sides who sit on the table have this thirty-year-history we talked about? These very people want to sit and discuss the resistance, the defense strategy and how to defend Lebanon against Israel.

The political circumstances in the country imposed that the dialogue table be as such. What does this indicate? With utmost clarity, I would like to tell you this indicates the supreme status of the resistance, the high morals of the resistance, and the sense of devotion the resistance has to the effect that O people, we do not want problems in the country; we do not want divisions; we do not want tension. Well let even those who have this history in the struggle with Israel and in their relation with Israel attend the table. Thus I would like today to address some of those who put conditions to come to the dialogue table or to boycott it: There is no need to put conditions. It's because of our high morals that we accept to sit with you on the dialogue table. It is from our high morals and supreme status that we accept to discuss with you the resistance and the defense strategy in Lebanon. This is because of our high morals. As our morals are high, we accept this. We will see what would happen later. So there is no need that anyone put conditions. Whenever you wish to come to the dialogue table, you are welcome. If you don't, it's up to you. There is no problem both ways. Do they believe that people are having sleepless nights because they boycotted the dialogue table? Never! This is not the case. Let no one be mistaken. Let no one believe this is a point to press us with. You do not press anyone with it. Press yourself with it instead.

The second question is: Is it fair that such sides be on the dialogue table while other factions– I am talking about Lebanese factions - which have resisted, fought and offered martyrs from among its leaders, cadres, resistance men and fighters do not share in the dialogue table to discuss the national defense strategy? When talking about forming a Lebanese government, you would say they have deputies or they don't. When talking about a national defense strategy, these factions which fought against Israel for over thirty years must be the first to share in the dialogue table. They are known. Indeed I can't count them all. However, so that they would not say I mean March 8 Bloc only, I would mention the Lebanese Communist Party. It is undisputable that this is a resisting party. Why doesn't the Lebanese Communist Party share in the dialogue table to discuss the national defense strategy? Well, some parties share in the dialogue table which did not exist before.

The Islamic Group in Lebanon is outside our political track. On the contrary, it sat by your side on the intermediary meeting. However, to be fair, if we are to discuss the national defense strategy, the Islamic Group in Lebanon must share in the dialogue table. Their vision might be different from ours. However, I am talking about being fair. The Islamic Tawheed Movement has the right to share in the dialogue table because it fought and offered martyrs. The Nasseri Popular Movement has the right to share in the dialogue table because it fought and offered martyrs. Well, if we are to make a list, it would be a long one. Let no one sitting in the front row get angry with me!

Well there are Nasseris, Syrian Baathis and many national and Islamic forces which offered martyrs and fought. They are Islamic sides and groups. We are talking in general. How is it that the first group shares in the dialogue table and discusses the resistance and the national defense strategy and how to defend the country while these are not allowed to share in the dialogue table? Is this just and fair?

Anyway, as I have not discussed this issue with my brethrens, Inshallah I will present it to Hezbollah leadership and to our allies. Perhaps as the others have the right to put conditions to come back to the dialogue table for example, why don't we have the right to put conditions too? Why?

Hereof, I want to move to the latest political and security events and developments before tackling the government and wrapping up my word with handling the regional situation.

Brothers and sisters! Now as always Lebanon is passing through successive and incessant crises. Some might tell you there is a national crisis in Lebanon. There is always a national crisis in Lebanon for which solutions and ways out are sought.

What has been taking place for years is a succession or a sequence of crises, events and developments.

No doubt the crime of bombing in Ashrafieh which led to the martyrdom of General Wissam Al Hassan weeks ago hurled Lebanon into a new scene and not into a new crisis because the crisis exists and is ongoing. It grows tenser with sharp division and acute tension.

Well, when events with this magnitude and of this level take place, what is required? It is required from all political leaderships, the state, and parties and the people to act with national responsibility because any wrong action might explode the country.

There is something which everyone must keep in mind whether at the level of the state, the political forces and the people. I do not refuse that. It is a fact. It's that there is a tense region. All our neighboring surrounding is under tension. In Syria, there is a bloody war every hour, every moment and every day. The entire region is under tension. In fact, Lebanon is under tension. When the region was calm, Lebanon was under tension. When Syria, Egypt, Libya and the entire region was calm, Lebanon was under tension. Today we see the entire region under tension and Lebanon under tension too. In case any incident takes place, if we do not act with precise responsibility, the country might explode.

I am giving a description. Nobody is to say that I am threatening of exploding the country. Never! We are the most concerned in keeping the country integrated, stable and secure. I am warning and drawing attention. This requires acting with extraordinary responsibility and not with an opportunity-seizing soul in the sense that an incident takes place; let's invest it without reservations, limits and conditions to serve a definite political target even if that leads to the explosion of the country.

Unfortunately, in Lebanon there is a group of people who act as such.

Well, we do not want to tackle past incidents. We will talk about the recent events.

Following the crime of assassinating General Wissam Al Hassan, indeed some officially accused Syria without evidence or data or anything. However, they are accustomed to political accusation. Somebody came and told them: "Control yourselves. The situation is difficult. Finger point at Syria." However, they have their own project. They can't but finger point internally towards Lebanon. Thus they unleashed themselves and started finger pointing at Hezbollah. Thus we came back to the very old story. Here I want to talk about the Sunni-Shiite issue. The most senior security officer in the Lebanese state is Sunnite – with our respect to the General Manager of the Internal Security Forces. However, that's how they depicted things. This senior security officer was killed and his killer is a Shiite. Well, he who said in the first hour or couple of hours that Hezbollah is the one who killed General Wissam Hassan, where does he want to reach? I am talking and I like the Sunnites to hear what I am saying before the Shiites. Where does he want to reach? And if he was from among the faces I was talking about a while ago – a history of ties and intelligence with Israel – why do they in particular say so? Where do they want to reach? Do you have evidence? Where is this evidence? Hand it to the investigation? Do you have tangible evidence? Do you have even a circumstantial evidence? Hand it in please.

Do you have a political analysis? There are thousands of political analyses. With little logic and mind, someone must say there are suppositions in analysis. I do not give in. I do not accept that Hezbollah is a supposition. However, let's say that it's a supposition. Anybody can put a supposition including Hezbollah, Israel (You say that he dismantled 35 Israeli spying nets), international intelligence game…. Another supposition is that some people around the world are seeing that Sunnites and Shiites are in more than one country around the world geared up for an ordeal. Thus he decided to hurl them in an ordeal among themselves. Al Qaeda is another among other suppositions.

So let's say there are five or six suppositions; one of them is Hezbollah. If you think as such I would say that you are rational and fair. However, what is weird is that following the first hour after the assassination no one accused Israel. That means that this group is committed to defending Israel. Consequently, whom did they accuse of the assassination? Hezbollah!

Well, on what bases do they accuse? The brethrens were saying that we must suit a case against all those who accuse us or harm us. However, the case is that when we are to wait for the Lebanese courts as others do, we will have to wait for 50 or 60 years. Well our choice is that we have to tolerate. However what is more important isn't that we tolerate; it is that people have to be cautious.

Well, they took the decision from the very beginning to a political accusation. They ruled out all accusations. They anticipated all possibilities. They anticipated the investigation and finger pointed at Hezbollah. A clever person said there are footages and photos for figures. Well, hand them to the investigation as long as you have them. Political repercussions followed the accusation. They accused the Premier. He became the killer. The government is the killer. They called for toppling the government. They boycotted the dialogue table. They boycotted the Parliament.

Well, this is an opportunity-seizing stance. That's because since the first moment of forming the government you gathered and announced your war against it. You called on PM Mikati to resign, you sought to topple it, you convened and formed delegations to convince the international community to boycott it, and you provoked the international community against it saying it is the government of Hezbollah. Well, no one in the international community is convinced that it's the government of Hezbollah. No one in the government is convinced that it's the government of Hezbollah. By those who begot me and you, you too are not convinced that it is the government of Hezbollah. This is a part of the lying and misleading scenario which is a political means you resort to and which you are skillful in. Well, you resorted to political accusation and set consequences. This is normal and expected. Well, I do not have enough time to say more. You want to shut the parliament and you did. There is much difference between the current government and the former government. There isn't much time to talk to this effect because this needs more dialogue than a political speech. What is even more dangerous is that you headed to the street game – sectarian and factional mobilization. Media outlets and platforms observed no limits to mass the largest number possible in the martyr's funeral. Well, you did not make it, but you mobilized the country. Armed men blocked roads. It is not true to say Sunnites blocked the roads in Lebanon because those who blocked the roads are several persons. Ten here; twenty there; thirty there. Count them they do not mount up to 200 or 300 persons.

Anyone can gather 200 to 300 persons and arm them to blaze tires and block the roads and even ask for the identity of the passengers in cars. Well, where to do you want to take the country? Fighting took place in Tripoli and fighting was about to be brought about in Tariq Jadida, Wata Museitbe and Shiah. For whose interest is all of this?

Indeed on the other hand, a great section of the Lebanese people regressed whether from March 8 Bloc and others. They sat and observed. They did not participate. They did not block roads. They did not share in gatherings. It was supposed to be a funeral to a martyr; they turned it to a political occasion. They even stormed into the Saray. However, the other street showed much control because what took place over three days which included blocking roads, aggressions, opening fire, and bringing about fighting was unbearable.

Here I would like to laud and speak highly of the great awareness of this group of people who could contain the events of three days – which is not really to be compared to some of the opportunity-seizing political leaders – and wasted the chance of exploding the country. This awareness among the people wasted the chance of exploding the country. Not only the political leaderships in the other group but also people belonging to March 14 Bloc were waiting to see how fights are to break in Tripoli, Beirut, Saida and the South Highway so as to make their settlements.

Well, the chance was wasted. Today all the facts and political, security and field data assert that there are political sides in Lebanon – with the accomplice with foreign forces – which want to push the country towards exploding. Allow me to say that it is not Syria or March 8. It is the other bloc. I do not want to say all in the other bloc. In the other bloc, there are some who want to push Lebanon towards exploding. Here it happens that they don't meet with the Americans, the French, the Westerners and the British. They disagree. It's not that the latter group is with the government of Hezbollah. No! The former group knows that the latter group is not with the government of Hezbollah. The Americans and the westerners do not want to explode the country according to their considerations and vision which say that this serves Syria. Well, let them see things as such. However, some in Lebanon have other considerations. They believe that an explosion in Lebanon serves in more than one direction. Well, the explosion is to take place between which two parties? Here too I will be transparent and clear as I am being from the very beginning. They want an explosion between Shiites and Sunnites.

Today, some are talking about the previous stage. They evaluate it and reconsider it. Listen to me very well. Some people – more precisely some Christians in March 14 Bloc - want to drag the country to a Sunnite-Shiite sedition. Do you want me to be clearer? Indeed some people in the Future Movement say that the country is mobilized, the region is mobilized; this is our chance; let the Sunnites and the Shiites slaughter each other. Thus the tone of sectarian and factional provocation increases following any simple incident instead of acting with wisdom as religious authorities did whether His Eminence the Mufti and His Beatitude the Patriarch among other religious authorities. They asked people not to make haste and promote the political accusation which destroys the country. They asked them to have patience and to wait for the investigation. There are people who want to push the country in that direction and to exploit any incident - whether relevant or irrelevant – in the framework of this battle.

See what took place yesterday in Sidon. I do not want to tackle its details. I will rather make a general hint in this framework:

Sidon is the capital of the South, and it will remain the capital of the South.

Sidon is the capital of the resistance, and it will remain the capital of the resistance.

Sidon is the city of coexistence between Muslims and Christians with all their various sects.

Sidon is the city of senior martyrs, senior leaders and senior scholars.

Sidon embraced and still embraces and will always embrace Palestine, the Palestinian cause, and the Palestinian refugees in camps.

Someone wants to take this Sidon towards sedition? To whose interest is this?

Everyday he invests a battle, a title, and a slogan under the silence of many and a semi-abandonment from the state to its responsibilities – that's not to say total abandonment. Some insist on pushing things in this direction in Sidon and in other cities all over Lebanon.

The Martyr's Day is the day of the resistance, the day of Palestine, and the day of Lebanon. This day is the day of dignity, unity, love, altruism, sacrifices and loyalty. On this day, it is indeed our responsibility to address all the Lebanese who are concerned in this incident and not only the Sunnites and the Shiites – though I want to make a special address to Sunnites and Shiites. This is a very critical stage which requires a high level of awareness, caution speculation and attention. No one can force others through fanaticism, provocation, misleading, lying and rumors. Today more than anytime in the past we must resort to the Ayah that says: "O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with a news, ascertain the truth."

Be sure first. Investigate to see the validity of the data and then take a stance. However, be sure first. Do not be taken by rumors and lies. Do not be drifted by provocation campaigns. There must be counseling and communication between leaderships, scholars and political forces whether locally, in the town or city, between mayors and social dignitaries and figures. They must communicate with each other. We must all talk with each other whether on the phone or through meetings and try to address our problems. We try to address this problem. If there is a mine there, we dismantle it. If there is an ambush there we try to contain it. Today, all of us as Lebanese – especially Shiites and Sunnites - must act accordingly.

This also requires patience, endurance and self-control even if there are mistakes. Should anyone curse you day and night or curse your wife day and night or curse your family day and night or curse your martyrs day and night or curse your sanctities day and night, just never mind. I told you previously and today I tell you again. Patience and tolerance are required. If Shiites made mistakes, I call on the Sunnites to have patience and tolerance and to address things among each other rationally. As Shiites and Sunnites we must communicate and advices each other. We must be sure and verify information. We must have patience and tolerate and address crises. The state must also assume its responsibilities. When somebody blocks the road, the state must reopen it. When somebody attacks you, the state must defend you. We insist that the state assume its responsibilities. With this kind of incidents which took place and with any incident that might take place in the future, this approach must be adopted.

As far as the government is concerned, today there are calls for a neutral government, a technocrat government, a new government and the like. Following this approach, I tell you: Brothers and sisters! O Lebanese! Since 2005 until this very day – let's not talk about what took place before 2005 – there are two tracks. Here there is no Syria so that you tell me Syria did and formed and set. We as Lebanese who are in this country, in the parliament and outside the parliament…. have two approaches. There is an approach which calls for the most possible broadest national participation in the country. The other approach tries to annul and eliminate others. This is a claim I make, and here is the evidence. As far as the other party is concerned, I accuse it saying: this party has an approach of annulment and elimination. In 2005, you formed a government. There was a fourfold alliance. It was not fivefold or six fold. We did not agree on the Christian ally. You were the majority. You formed a government in which Amal and Hezbollah partook. However, we did not form the government. It was you who did so. There weren't Shiites other than us to let them share in the government. This is the status quo of the country. You said come in. However, following all what took place in Lebanon in 2005, if there was national mentality the government must have scored the broadest participation possible. Still General Michel Aoun was ruled out knowing that the elections of 2005 proved that he is the number one Christian leader and he is still the number one Christian leader according to all facts. It is not I who is nominating him the first leader. The Christians are the one who are nominating him. You ruled out all of Syria's allies whether Christians, Sunnites or Druze. You formed an eliminating government. We were part of the government. We were not rather part of the eliminated section. We were part of the government from which following July War we stepped out and it carried on without us contrary to the National Accord. This is the difference between the two governments. You carried on and you did not ask about anyone. All the Shiites were outside the authority and you did not ask about anyone. Essential components in the country were outside power. Still you carried on until Doha Agreement. Then under pressure you partook in a national unity government. You did not partake in it with pleasure because these aren't your convictions and political mentality.

A first and a second national unity government were formed in Lebanon. Then things ended in the problem it ended in. The government was toppled. There is no time to recall all of these events. PM Mikati was charged of forming a new government.

From the very first day, our bloc said we agree on a national unity government. We agree on participation. It is you who did not agree. For a month and two weeks, PM Mikati tried to talk to you and convince you. See how patient he is. This psychological characteristic is adherent to his physical characteristic. He is very tall and very patient! The man sat for negotiations for a month and two weeks. However, you did not accept. You do not want participation with anyone. It is either you or no one. Isn't this the case? In 2005, you acted as such when you were forming the government. When PM Mikati wanted to form the government, you acted as such. However, we in Doha called for a national unity government. With PM Mikati we called for that too. We told him: Go for a national unity government and may Allah be with you. Still, it is you who go for elimination. When you were in the government, you boycotted dialogue. Today you are in the opposition and you boycotted dialogue. You do not seek a dialogue which yields results.

Thus there are two approaches in the country. This exists and this is a fact. Even today they tell you: We in March 14 Bloc when we win in the upcoming elections, we will form a March 14 government. This asserts annulment and elimination and that there is no partnership in the country. We never had any problem in forming a national unity government. Indeed some people said in the past couple of days: We – March 14 Bloc – would win in any election law. That is great. If they are that much self-confident, do accept relativity law and the districts as presented by the Lebanese government. Over what do we argue then? If you are to win in any election law, why do you cause a problem concerning the election law.

As for the approaches, there are two samples, brothers and sisters. O Lebanese people! I am talking about two Sunnite Premiers without mentioning names. A million demonstrators hit the street and called on one Premier to leave his office. Then the number gets down gradually to hundreds of thousands, tens of thousands, thousands and hundreds before the story comes to an end. What does he do? He says: "My eye will never twitch!" He is that much clinging to his office. Another Premier sees that there is an incident in the country. People are holding a funeral. People are sad and sorrowful. He says I do not cling to my office. Go and agree on any government that saves the country – a national unity government under me or under any other premiership. I have no problem in that. This is one approach, and that is another. This is one mentality, and that is another. The Lebanese have to agree on the mentality that guards the country, security and stability internally and externally, develops the country, and develops the country. It is the mentality of partnership. As for the mentality of elimination and annulment which is ready to demolish everything to be in power, it is a mind that is not to be entrusted the country, honor, wealth, stability and security. We have tried it in economy too.

Under such a status quo, we say the following: The government that exists is legitimate and constitutional. It is in office, and it will go on in office. Talking about a neutral government in Lebanon is useless. There are no neutralists in Lebanon. Politics is in everything in Lebanon; even the small children are politicized; football is politicized; art is politicized; everything is politicized.

Talking about a technocrat government in Lebanon is useless. There is no technocrat in Lebanon. This country is politicized to its very essence. Nothing works in this government but a political government. Now the government exists. Some are talking about a new government or a national unity government. Well, let's meet at the dialogue table. There we would sit and talk. Everyone will say his viewpoint, and we will say our viewpoint. Is there any need to change the government, or there is not? If there is a need, what would be the nature of the alternative government. Any other approach is not accepted. Let everyone say what he wants then, and the country will carry on in office as is the case now and we must all cooperate to transcend this stage. All of these experiences must after all verify for us this status quo.

As for Syria, we assert the relevance of the stance we have always expressed all through the past stages. A political solution, a settlement, and stopping the fighting in Syria are a must and are for the interest of the Syrian people and Syria.

On the other hand, where to are others pushing things? Clinton said that the National Syrian Council in Istanbul does not make any representations anymore. Seek a broader framework. The National Council thunders and stresses that its decision is independent. Great! They gathered all the concerned people in Doha and locked them in a hotel for seven days. They worked on a new framework as Mrs. Clinton said. Let's read the message from its beginning and not from its end. Well, she called for a new framework. Well, they formed a new framework, a new leadership and a new title. However, what is more dangerous in this new framework is that the opposition sides who gather in Doha unanimously agree on refusing dialogue and unanimously agree on refusing a political settlement. Well, where do they want to go? They want to move towards more killing and demolition. For whose interest is this? This is for the interest of America, Clinton who is outgoing now, Israel, some spiteful Arab, and some regional ambitions. Is more killing and blood shedding to the interest of the Syrian people or heading towards a political solution and a political settlement?

Anyway, we assert our call in this direction. This was and is still our stance.

Indeed as far as Bahrain is concerned, the people there are abandoned and oppressed. If a bomb explodes, they say these are Hezbollah's fingers and fingerprints. Are our fingerprints that much powerful to reach there? Indeed we issued a statement and said that these are the fingerprints of the Bahraini intelligence.

The authority in Bahrain has a true problem with the peaceful nature of the Bahraini opposition. In as much as the leadership of the Bahraini Opposition and the Bahraini people who are demonstrating are patient, the authority has grown impatient. The authority is searching for a pretext to strike, kill, arrest and jail the opposition because the peaceful opposition has embarrassed them though the aim of the opposition is clear, announced and known.

Now they have resorted to depriving from the Bahraini nationality. So in addition to the demographic change they were talking about through naturalization, the Bahraini is being deprived of his nationality. They do not leave any person from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Mid Africa, or South Africa without offering him the Bahraini nationality and the full rights of nationalism. This also needs a stance to be taken.

Anyway, in the general framework, we call in Lebanon and in the region and while taking into consideration what is taking place in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and the whole nation for more awareness, reflection, calmness, not making haste in analyzing, and not making haste in taking decisions. We must know that we are in the era of ordeals that are approaching as the dim night. We are at a time in which it is no longer right to hide our heads in the sand and say we are not concerned.

It is rather right to open our eyes, ears, and minds and to be loyal and to try to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong and what is good and what is bad to lead our nation and people towards what is to the good of their religion, life and Hereafter. This is our responsibility all of us especially at this stage.

We renew our oath to our martyrs, our leader martyrs, Sayyed Abbass, Sheikh Ragheb Harb, Hajj Imad and the establisher of the resistance Imam Sayyed Mussa Assader. We renew our oath and promise with them all and say that we will always remain in the posts of resistance, patience, tolerance, steadfastness and adherence to unity until Allah rewards us with one of the two good endings or both of them: martyrdom or victory. May Allah bless you to what is good for you. Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.