Lebanese Political Analyst Dr. Saleh El Machnouk: The Lebanese People Do Not Want To Become Martyrs For The Sake Of Iran's Agenda And Nasrallah's Apocalyptic Vision

Lebanese political analyst Dr. Saleh El Machnouk said in a July 16, 2022 show on MTV (Lebanon) that the Lebanese people do not want to become martyrs for the sake of Iran’s agenda or for the sake of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s "apocalyptic" ideas. He also said that Iran brings destruction to every country it intervenes in, even though it accuses America of doing so. For more about Dr. Saleh El Machnouk, and for information about his father (former Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk), see MEMRI TV Clip No. 3912 and MEMRI TV Clip No. 8687.

Saleh El Machnouk: "Today, I heard Sheikh Nabil Qaouq [of Hizbullah] saying that Saudi Arabia is a treasonous country. That treasonous country gave $37 million in humanitarian aid to north Lebanon. What did your 'loyal' country [Iran] send except for missiles, explosives, the IRGC, destruction, blood, ruin, and hunger? This has happened wherever Iran has intervened.

"It destroyed Iraq by intervening there. It destroyed Yemen by intervening there. It destroyed Bahrain and Syria by intervening there, and it destroyed Lebanon by intervening here.

"They tell you that America brings destruction wherever it goes – the U.S. has a presence in Germany. Is there destruction there? It has a presence in South Korea. Is there destruction there?

"There are 180 American bases around the world, and everywhere people are living in comfort, except for places where there is an Iranian presence.

"The bottom line is that Hassan Nasrallah wants to drag us into apocalyptic options. He wants us dead. Brother, go and have yourself killed. Go and become a martyr. You have Yemen, Iraq, and Syria with you. Take with you all those people who believe in this 'strategic' option. We Lebanese want to live, whether you like it or not.

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"Who told you I want to die? And who told you I want to be martyred? When the Lebanese decided they wanted to be martyred in defense of their cause, they did just that. But you cannot force five million Lebanese to become martyrs in keeping with an Iranian agenda, on Iran's schedule, and with Iranian tools and weapons – all in defense of your vision that begins in Venezuela and ends is Beirut's Dahieh."