Iraqi Shiite Militia Leader Qais Khazali: The True Enemies of the Imam Mahdi are the Jews, Israelis, and Zionists

Qais Khazali, Secretary-General of the Iraqi Shiite Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq militia, said that his recent visit to South Lebanon was intended as a message to the Israelis more than to the Lebanese. "In the event of a military confrontation with the Israeli entity and its entire host of supporters, we will prevail," he said, speaking on the Iraqi Media Network (IMN) on December 20. From the Shiite perspective, he said, "the true enemies of the Imam Mahdi are the Jews, Israelis, and Zionists."

Qais Khazali: During my visit [to South Lebanon], I was wearing a uniform, but I did not carry a gun. This visit was a message to the Israelis more than to the Lebanese.

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In the event of a military confrontation with the Israeli entity and its entire host of supporters, we will prevail. Let me suggest a question that may not have occurred to you: What do we Iraqis have to do with Palestine? My answer is this: First of all, we are Muslims, and [Palestine] is part of our identity and our faith. Second, we are Arabs. Third, from a Shiite point of view, the true enemies of the Imam Mahdi are the Jews, Israelis, and Zionists.

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