Nasrallah: Hezbollah in worst state since 1982 onslaught by Israel
By JPOST.COM STAFF/05/23/2015/Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Hezbollah is in a dire state – its worst since the onslaught of the 1982 First Lebanon War – and is on the brink of mobilizing its troops for reinforcement in a battle for survival, the Arab-language daily as-Safir reported Saturday. Nasrallah said his party is in the midst of fighting an existential battle against ISIS and other extremist groups in Syria and on Lebanon’s border. Also challenging Hezbollah’s regime are Sunni Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, which Nasrallah said have joined forces against Lebanon’s Shi’ite group. He compared Hezbollah’s current dire state to its state in 1982, following Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. “Then, just like today, we were faced with an existential crisis,” he said. “We defeated the Zionists and we will defeat the extremist groups fighting us now.” The Hezbollah leader said that now is the time for mobilization. He called on everyone “who enjoys a reputation of integrity” to contribute. Sheik Naim Qassem, deputy leader of the Shi’ite group, said the Middle East is at risk of partition and that he sees no end to the war in Syria, where it is fighting alongside President Bashar Assad against insurgents supported by his regional enemies. “Solutions for Syria are suspended. There is no political solution in the foreseeable period, and it is left to attrition, to the battlefield, and to wait for other developments in the region, particularly Iraq,” he said. Reuters contributed to this report.
Everyone has role to play in ‘existential’ Syria battle: Nasrallah
The Daily Star/May. 23, 2015
BEIRUT: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has called for a popular mobilization among his party’s supporters to help solidify a win in the “existential battle” in Syria. “The resistance is fighting an existential battle par excellence,” Nasrallah said Friday in a private speech addressed to his party’s wounded fighters, according to As-Safir newspaper. “Had we not fought in Aleppo, Homs and Damascus, we would have fought in Baalbek, Hermel, al-Ghazieh, Sidon, Tyre, Nabatieh and other Lebanese villages, towns and cities.” The Hezbollah chief said the group had no choice but to seek the defeat of the “takfiri” groups in the region, or else face slaughter, shame, rape and enslavement. “Even if half of us are martyred in this war for the other half to live in dignity, glory and honor… this would be the best choice,” he said. “Half of us will not be martyred, God willing, but the situation requires great sacrifice because the attack is huge.” He said Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have resolved their internal conflicts and joined forces in the battle against Hezbollah.
“If we were to be determined and responsible enough, we will beat them and victory will be our ally,” he said. He attacked pro-Western Shiite politicians, referring to them as “the Shiites of the U.S. Embassy,” and called them “traitors, collaborators and idiots,” according to the report. “It is the time for mobilization, and everyone can contribute, even with his voice,” he said. “Everyone who enjoys a reputation of integrity should contribute to this mobilization. The religious scholars should speak, whoever has lost a martyr should speak… even you, my wounded brothers, you have healthy tongues, so speak.”He said his party might soon be announcing “general popular mobilization,” revealing that there will be no geographical limitations for its military actions in the future. “I said before that we would be wherever we should be [in Syria], and we would not allow this plan to expand, but we were unfortunately answered by doubt, incitement and accusations of treason,” he said. “I say that we might fight everywhere. We will not remain silent with anyone anymore, and we have strong cards that we haven’t yet used. “If we keep working with this momentum, like we did in Qalamoun…, the divine promise of victory is certainly guaranteed.”Hezbollah and the Syrian Army have achieved a large number of field victories in the Qalamoun over the last two and a half weeks, taking more than 310 square kilometers out of the 780 square kilometers of land that had previously been controlled by jihadis.
Hezbollah prepares for Liberation Day ceremony in Nabatieh
Mohammed Zaatari| The Daily Star/ May. 23, 2015
NABATIEH, Lebanon: Hezbollah members Saturday put the finishing touches on a south Lebanon ceremony center where the party will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the end to Israeli occupation. The ceremony’s attendees are expected to be in the thousands by the time Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah begins his televised speech, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. A 122mm Grad rocket launcher was erected on a stage at the center, located at Ashoura Square in the southern city of Nabatieh. The city may have been symbolically chosen to host the ceremony, since it was there in 1983 that Israeli forces tried to force their way through crowds marking the Ashoura holiday in an event that helped galvanize Shiite resistance to Israel. Large boards with pictures of Nasrallah, Iran’s late supreme leader Rouhoullah Khoumeini and his successor Ali Khamenei, and several others were erected at the scene. In the background, a large photo shows Israeli settlements with the expression, “Galilee, a promise that will not be broken,” written in Arabic and Hebrew.
Dozens of other pictures showing the popular celebrations after the liberation in 2000 were also raised. “Where we should be, we will be,” was written on one of the banners, quoting recent remarks by Nasrallah. Officers from the Spanish unit of the UNIFIL peacekeeping forces were also present at the square, where Lebanese Army officers introduced them to Hezbollah festival organizers. Israeli troops left most of south Lebanon on May 25, 2000, after 18 years of continuous occupation. But Israel still occupies a portion of the Shebaa Farms in the southeast.
Hezbollah, Syrian army take new peak in Qalamoun
The Daily Star/ May. 23, 2015/BEIRUT: Hezbollah and Syrian army troops captured another peak in the Qalamoun hills Saturday, as they advance toward the few remaining jihadi strongholds in the border region. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar reported that the allied forces took over Tallit Sadr al-Bustan, 2 kilometers north of Tallit Moussa, which was captured last week. They took full control over the hill and killed an unidentified number of jihadis, most of whom escaped, the report said. Control over the new peak allows them to observe what remains of jihadi-held territories on the outskirts of the Syrian village of Flita. The hill also overlooks the outskirts of Jarajeer, and a part of the outskirts of Lebanon’s Arsal. The advancements come nearly three weeks after Hezbollah and the Syrian army launched the offensive against jihadi groups operating in Qalamoun. They have achieved a large number of field victories, taking more than 310 square kilometers out of the 780 square kilometers of land that had previously been controlled by jihadis. Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front is the most prominent jihadi faction operating in Qalamoun, while ISIS is present in some areas too. Tensions between the jihadi rivals have also risen dramatically since the Qalamoun offensive, with the Nusra Front vowing last week to “eradicate” ISIS from the area after a series of provocations.
