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On August 6, 2024, the Secretary General of Lebanese Hizbullah Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech marking the one-week anniversary of the assassination of Faud Shukr, aka Mohsen Shukr, a senior military commander in the group who was killed in an Israeli strike that targeted his location in the southern suburb of Beirut.
Before the commencement of his speech, news report said that Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier while flying over Beirut. Nasrallah said in his speech that the IDF did so to frighten those gathered to attend the commemoration ceremony, calling the move "petty."
At the beginning of his speech, Nasrallah touched upon Shukr's life, saying that assassinating commanders will not weaken the group's "determination to continue on the path": "Since the first day of Al-Aqsa Flood, Sayyed Mohsen began preparing and arranging for means to support the battle and he was present in the operations room throughout the battle. The central operations room of the July War was also under the supervision of Sayyed Mohsen."
"Shukr's Assassination Is Heavy Loss"
Acknowledging that Shuker's assassination was a heavy blow to Hizbullah, Nasrallah continued: "In the martyrdom of the leaders, we acknowledge the pain and sadness because we are human beings, but we combine sadness for separation with the joy that they have reached the level of martyrdom. We acknowledge the extent of the loss. The martyrdom of Sayyed Mohsen is a great loss, but this does not shake us at all and does not stop us."
He emphasized that Hizbullah's attacks that followed Shukr's assassination do not represent Hizbullah's retaliation, suggesting that avenging him requires harsher response: "The settlers ask what happened today and in the past days. Is it a response to the assassination of Fouad Shukr? We say: No, this is not a response to the assassination."
Responding To Israeli Officials
He further condemned the recent statement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and accused Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu of refusing every hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas: "Recently, circumstances have developed that strongly help in understanding the reality of the goals that the extremist Netanyahu government is seeking, such as the statement of the Israeli Finance Minister who considered it 'fair' to kill two million Palestinians in Gaza if the Zionist prisoners do not return."
Nasrallah claimed that Netanyahu does not want a cessation of war and ceasefire and wants to displace the people of Gaza: "The Israelis do not accept a Palestinian state even in the Gaza Strip because they see it as an existential threat even if it is recognized internationally only in Gaza... There is a Zionist project that says there is no Palestinian state, while the resistance front project is for a Palestine from the sea to the river, and all projects in the middle will dissolve because they have no future and are unrealistic."
America's Role In Gaza
Regarding the American role in the war on Gaza, Nasrallah said that "the United States of America has been silent for 31 years, and now its talk now about establishing a Palestinian state is a lie and hypocrisy, because any vote on a Palestinian state in the Security Council is blocked by the American veto right. The American [administration] is deceiving the world that it is not satisfied with Netanyahu's performance during the war, and is working to pressure him, and all of this is a lie because they are supplying him with tons of weapons."
Message To Muslims And Christians
Addressing the Muslims and Christians in the region and around the world, Nasrallah told them that if Israel wins the battle in Gaza and the West Bank, it will not show respect to their sacred sites and it will advance towards occupying other territories beyond its borders.
"If the resistance in Gaza is defeated, and it will not be defeated, then Israel will not keep any Islamic or Christian sanctities," he said, adding that Israel will expand its aggression to Jordan, Syria, "all the way to Egypt."
Nasrallah argued that it is the duty of all the people of the region to set the goal of preventing Israel from winning this battle and from eliminating the resistance and the Palestinian cause. What is required, he said, is confrontation and resistance, not hesitation and not submission. He called on "the resistance" in Gaza and the West Bank to be more patient and steadfast and on Iran-backed factions in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to continue supporting Gaza.
Message To Lebanese People
Nasrallah addressed the Lebanese people who believe that Hizbullah is politicizing the war in Gaza for domestic gains in Lebanon, urging them to realize the danger that surrounds the region: "We ask those who do not support us in Lebanon not to stab the resistance in the back and not to participate in the psychological war against us."
"Iran Is Now Obligated To Respond"
Addressing the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Nasrallah pointed out that "Iran was obligated after the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus to respond, and now it is [also] obligated to respond after the assassination of the martyr Haniyeh in Tehran."
However, he argued, Iran, like Syria, does not have to be engaged in a full state of war against Israel. He further acknowledged that the assassination of the two commanders, Shukr and Haniyeh, is an "Israeli achievement," but it is not a victory because the battle is still ongoing.
"Retaliation Is Coming"
As for a potential retaliation by Hizbullah and Iran against Israel following the assassinations of Haniyeh and Shukr, Nasrallah said his party will avenge Shukr, Iran will respond to the assassination of Haniyeh, and Yemen will respond as well, noting that the Israeli anticipation for a counterattack is part of the retaliation: "The Israeli anticipation for a week [now] is part of the punishment, it is part of the response, it is part of the battle because the battle is a psychological battle, moral, nerves, brains, weapons, and blood, this waiting from the enemy is part of the punishment."
He also explained that the retaliation could involve a joint operation launched by Iran and its proxies or it could be initiated by Hizbullah only: "Our response is coming, Allah willing. Alone or with the axis. These hypotheses exist. We can all respond at the same time, and it is possible that the interest of the axis dictates that each one responds when he wants and in his own way with the target or targets, he chooses, alone or within the framework of a comprehensive response by the entire axis. This is a great battle, precious and dear blood, and a dangerous targeting."
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