Hezbollah leader on the loss of martyrs Sayyad Fouad Shukr and Ismail Haniyeh

The following remarks were given by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on August 6, 2024. The remarks were published on Resistance News Network.

The enemy may resort to breaking the sound barrier over Dahiyeh [Lebanon], for provocation and to frighten those present at the ceremony. If this happens, we will respond with the appropriate slogan. We have sons and grandsons from the first generation of leaders present on the resistance fronts, fighting and advancing to the field of jihad. 

This is where our strength lies in continuity; targeting senior leaders will not affect our determination and resolve to continue the path. Martyr leader Sayyed Fouad Shukr is from the founding generation of the resistance but is also among the founding leaders. 

Sayyed Mohsen was present in the main resistance battles in a leadership position. Sayyed Mohsen is one of the key leaders [of Hezbollah] who contributed to the victory in 2000. During the July 2006 War [against Israel’s siege], the main battle room was under his command, and he played a crucial role in rebuilding capabilities after the July War. 

In managing the Lebanese support front, Sayyed Mohsen continued to follow, lead, manage and persist in his work. Sayyed Fouad was a strategic mind in the resistance and an excellent tactician. Intellectually, mentally, and culturally, Sayyed Mohsen had extensive religious knowledge, a broad general culture and excellent eloquence. 

Sayyed Mohsen was a teacher and mentor, building men and influencing his surrounding environment. In personal attributes, he was highly spirited, presented facts accurately and proposed both problems and solutions. Sayyed Mohsen is like a mountain range that can be relied upon during earthquakes and hardships. We acknowledge the magnitude of the loss, and the martyrdom of Sayyed Mohsen is a great loss, but this does not shake us at all nor stop us, as evidenced by the continuous and new operations in settlements and deeper areas. 

Recently, circumstances have developed that strongly help in understanding the real objectives pursued by [Benjamin] Netanyahu’s extremist government, such as the statement by the “israeli” finance minister [Bezazel Smotrich] who deemed it “just” to kill two million Palestinians in Gaza if the Zionist prisoners are not returned. 

One significant development is the Knesset’s [Israel’s Parliament] rejection of establishing a Palestinian state, with a near-unanimous agreement in the enemy entity on this, regardless of the nature of such a state. These developments concern everyone who bets in Palestine or the Arab and Islamic world on a negotiation path for establishing a Palestinian state and are a slap to them and to all Arab states that adopt the Arab Peace Initiative. 

Netanyahu does not want a halt to the war or a ceasefire and insists on this in all deals, aiming to displace the people of Gaza. The “israeli” does not accept a Palestinian state even in Gaza, because they see it as an existential threat, even if internationally recognized only in Gaza. 

The West Bank is bombed by [Israel’s[ air force and drones, and the project there is to expand settlements, displace Palestinians to Jordan and formally annex it. There is a Zionist project that says no Palestinian state, while the resistance front’s project is Palestine from the sea to the river, and all intermediate projects will dissolve, because they have no future and are unrealistic. 

If Netanyahu and the U.S.-Zionist alliance triumph over the resistance in Gaza and the West Bank, the child-killing entity will dominate the region. We face the risk of the occupying entity dominating the region, accompanied by astonishing U.S. hypocrisy. 

The United States has been silent for 31 years, and now its talk of establishing a Palestinian state are lies and hypocrisy, because any vote on a Palestinian state in the U.N. Security Council sees the U.S. use its veto power. The U.S. deceives the world by pretending to be dissatisfied with Netanyahu’s performance during the war and by exerting pressure on him, all of which is a lie as they supply him with tons of weapons.

‘A battle that has a horizon’

The U.S. defense of “israel” indicates that it is no longer as strong and prestigious as it once was. When Iran and Hezbollah spoke of a response to “israel” committing massacres, the United States confirmed it would defend the enemy entity. The occupation relies on the United States and Western countries for protection, because it is unable to protect itself. 

“Israel” is no longer as strong as it once was, and in the “True Promise” operation, several countries defended the enemy entity. “Israel,” which fought in 1967 and 1973 with the strongest armies in the region, is now afraid of the Iranian and Hezbollah response and relies on Western countries to defend it. 

“Israeli” radars and U.S. satellites are on high alert, fearing a response, and today our drones have reached east of the city of Akka [in Israel]. If Netanyahu’s government triumphs in Gaza and the West Bank, it means that Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause will be in great danger. 

Netanyahu and his allies’ real project is to make Jordan an alternative homeland for the Palestinians. If the resistance in Gaza is defeated, which it will not be, “israel” will not spare any Islamic or Christian holy sites, nor will Palestine or Jordan and its ruling regime, nor Syria, up to Egypt. 

The “israeli” threat cannot be faced by burying heads in the sand and fleeing from the storm, because the enemy fights without red lines. What is required is confrontation, resistance and not hesitating or yielding; this is a human and legitimate duty. 

Every honorable person must confront – and the aim of this battle is to prevent “israel” from achieving victory and to eliminate the Palestinian cause. This confrontation has the potential for a significant historic victory. The assassination of leaders Fouad Shukr and Ismail Haniyeh is an “israeli” achievement, but it does not change the nature of the battle and has made the enemy’s situation more difficult. 

Operations in the West Bank have escalated, reverse migration has increased and damage has been inflicted on all fronts. “Israel” remains in a difficult situation even after the assassination of [Hamas] martyr Ismail Haniyeh and martyr Sayyed Fouad Shukr. In fact, it has become more difficult according to its own admission. 

We are in a battle that has a horizon. We call on the resistance in Gaza and the West Bank, based on the partnership in blood, jihad, future and honorable people, to have more patience and perseverance. 

Our call to the support fronts in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen is to continue supporting Gaza despite the sacrifices. We call on Arab countries to wake up to the danger that threatens the region. Iran was obliged, after the attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, and now it is obliged to fight after the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran, but it is not required for Iran and Syria to enter the battle. 

Some in Lebanon must understand the magnitude of the dangers in the region. They express fear if the resistance wins the battle, and I tell them to fear the enemy’s victory instead. Those who do not support us in Lebanon, we ask them not to stab the resistance in the back and not to participate in the psychological war against us. 

Hezbollah, Iran and Yemen are obligated to respond, and the enemy is awaiting this response, considering every cry directed at it as the response. We act with courage and deliberation, and the week-long “israeli” wait is part of the punishment. 

In the past, the enemy stood on one and a half feet on the Lebanese border, and today the threat from Hezbollah and Iran has made “israel” as a whole stand on one and a half feet. The most significant thing we do is that, as soon as the drones are sent, the sirens go off in the enemy’s entity.

‘Our response is coming’

Chemical factories are worth $31 billion. Technology factories are worth $76 billion. Power plants are worth $9.7 billion. Food factories are worth $12 billion. These factories that took 34 years to build can be destroyed in one hour or even half an hour. 

The enemy’s decision to go to a full-scale war is complex, and when they want to go to war, they don’t need a pretext. Our drones went to the east of Akka, and one of the Iron Dome missiles failed to chase one of the targets and fell in Nahariya [in Israel[.  So far, 19 have been injured. 

The enemy’s army is obliged to explain in Nahariya because it is forced to respond, and these are “israelis,” while it did not acknowledge Majdal Shams [in the Golan Heights], because the target was our Arab Syrian brothers from the Druze community, as there is deception and a project of sedition. 

Delegations are coming and pressuring today, and some communications come from shameless parties that did not condemn the killing of civilians and children in Lebanon and Palestine. The U.S. is asking for more time to work on stopping the war in Gaza, but who can trust the U.S. that has been persistent in hypocrisy and lies for 10 months? 

Our response is coming, whether alone or with the Axis. This is a big battle, with precious and dear blood, and a serious targeting. This is a big battle, and the blood is precious and dear, and such a serious targeting cannot pass by the resistance regardless of the consequences. 

We speak today with responsibility about a future we will shape together with our patience, endurance, reliance on God and the blood of our martyrs. The “israeli” enemy is the one who chose to escalate with Lebanon and Iran. 

We are keen in Lebanon on our country and our people, but we cannot demand anyone to act with aggression within the context of the ongoing battle for 10 months. Our response is coming, strong, impactful and effective. 

Between us and them, there are still days and nights, and we await the battlefield.

The statement was lightly edited.