Hezbollah’s Secretary-General: “We Will Not Abandon the Weapon That Guards Our Dignity”

Key Highlights from Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem’s Speech:

▪️ “Fajr al-Juroud” Battle was a joint operation between the Lebanese Army and the Islamic Resistance, resulting in a major victory through liberation. The battle targeted Takfiri groups and ISIS, and was carried out under the decisive and courageous leadership of President Michel Aoun, despite American pressure opposing cooperation between the army and the resistance.

▪️ The Army Commander at the time, General Joseph Aoun, fully cooperated with us. This battle exemplifies a defensive strategy, with the resistance acting as a support force for the Lebanese Army in liberating the region.

▪️ Where are the Arabs? Where is the free world and the Muslim community to stand alongside the people of Gaza?

▪️ Lebanon must reclaim sovereignty over its land. All the problems we face stem from the enemy, occupation, and American support for these forces.

▪️The government today is responsible for drafting a plan to achieve sovereignty; without sovereignty, stability and progress are not possible. I invite the government to hold intensive sessions to discuss how to reclaim sovereignty through diplomacy, equipping the army, a defensive strategy, and anything else that helps.

▪️We ask the Lebanese government to reclaim national sovereignty, and we must work under this slogan for at least one week and tell the government that we stand with them in achieving sovereignty.

▪️Some still do not understand what resistance is and what it does. Resistance is defense and freedom; resistance is for the people, family, faith, and will; resistance is homeland and dignity; resistance is Gaza and steadfastness; resistance opposes humiliation, surrender, and enemy domination.

▪️Resistance is not the army of a country but a supporter of the army. It is not a substitute for the army but supports and helps it. This army must be armed and entrusted with the responsibility of defense, and resistance plays a supporting role. Resistance does not stop enemy aggression but confronts it, disrupts the enemy’s goals, and defeats it.

▪️Resistance in Lebanon is great and successful because it has truly deterred Israel from 2006 to 2024. What is the alternative to resistance? Surrendering to Israel and abandoning Lebanon’s capabilities, resources, and power?

▪️You must know that Israel may occupy, destroy, and kill, but we will confront it with defense and sacrifice, and this is our strength and it continues. If there were no resistance, Israel would have reached Beirut just as it reached Damascus and occupied 600 kilometers of Syria.

▪️Resistance will remain a strong barrier to prevent the realization of Israel’s goals. Israel is neither capable of staying in Lebanon nor of achieving its expansionist project through Lebanon.

▪️The Lebanese government made a mistaken decision regarding the disarmament of the resistance and the people during Israel’s aggression and its expansionist intentions under the supervision of the evil America. This government decision is illegal and was made under Israeli pressure. If this government continues in this way, it is not a trustee of Lebanon’s sovereignty. Retreating from this decision would be a virtue for the government.

▪️The American movement we see is aimed at destroying Lebanon and inciting sedition. America still imposes sanctions on Lebanon and prevents reconstruction and the arrival of aid to Lebanon. America has banned the weapons that protect our homeland. Netanyahu wants a “Greater Israel” that includes Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine.

▪️Do not strip Lebanon of weapons and do not confront those who sacrificed 10,000 fighters—men, women, and children—with the leaders and commanders of the resistance at the forefront. You want to confront those who liberated Lebanon. Instead of seeking help from them and considering them supporters of the army, you want to disarm them.

▪️We will not abandon the weapon that has given us dignity, and we will not abandon the weapon that protects us from our enemy. The weapon is the soul, honor, land, dignity, and the future of our children.

▪️There is only one roadmap: expel the enemy from our land, stop the aggression, free the prisoners, and begin reconstruction. Then we will discuss the defensive strategy. There is no step-by-step plan; they must first implement the agreement and then we will talk about the defensive strategy. O government, adhere to what we have agreed upon and compel Israel to do so, and we will adhere to what you have entrusted to us. Be brave and stand up to the pressures, and we will stand with you in this position.