Speech by Hezbollah Secretary General, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, on April 5, 2024, on the occasion of the International Day of Al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Source: Al-Manar

Translation: resistancenews.org

[…] International Al-Quds Day is very special this year because of the Al-Aqsa Flood. Six months of war have passed, half a year. Six months of incessant fighting in Gaza and on the supporting fronts [Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen], six months of steadfastness on the part of the people of Gaza and the Palestinian people in general. There is no doubt that the Al-Aqsa Flood, i.e. October 7, is a pivotal moment in the history of our region, on a par with 1948, which saw the creation of the [Zionist] entity, the [Arab] defeat of 1967, the 1973 war between Egypt and Syria (on the one hand) and Israel (on the other), and Egypt’s entry into the Camp David agreements [in 1978], all of which are pivotal milestones. October 7 is a turning point, just as the victory of the Revolution in Iran in 1979 is a turning point, the invasion of Lebanon in 1982 is a turning point, the Liberation of 2000 and the war of 2006 are turning points. Just like these events, October 7 is a historic turning point, and the period before Al-Aqsa Flood is not the same as the period after Al-Aqsa Flood, at all levels, for the enemy, for the allies, for the region and even for the whole world, and we see this on a daily basis.

The most important thing is that the Israelis themselves accept this state of affairs: we have heard many Israeli officials say that since 1948, they have not seen anything like [October 7], and that this is a major, enormous and historic event. And that’s why they have called their current battle or war against Gaza the “Second War of Survival” or even the “Existential War”. In other words, we are facing an event [that threatens Israel’s very existence, by their own admission]. It is usually said that the Israelis exaggerate, lie and deceive (the whole world), but on this point they are telling the truth: the Al-Aqsa Flood has indeed endangered Israel’s very survival and existence and revealed its fragility, weakness and failure in security, military, political and moral terms. Israel is in a state of loss, collapse and disintegration. Everything collapsed in a matter of hours (on October 7), and Israel was saved (barely) by the Great Satan [the United States], who rushed in with all its might: Biden, the US administration, US fleets, US communications, US threats and US readiness to enter the war… Why? Did this story (October 7) need such a powerful intervention from the United States? It was the joint US-Israeli assessment of what happened on October 7 that established that it almost destroyed and brought down this entity.

This also makes us understand why the Israeli reaction was so monstrous, because the war that began against Gaza is not a war waged by a political mindset, nor by a military mindset; it’s not a war waged by someone who sets objectives and seeks to achieve them, no. It’s more like a war waged by people who have lost their minds, people who are raving mad, people who want revengee; they are savages, criminals, murderers, butchers, who want to make up (for the humiliation they suffered on October 7) in this way, by killing people and destroying everything. So this is also one of the reasons why the war has failed, because Israel is not waging the war rationally. Of course, there are other reasons for this failure, namely the Resistance, steadfastness, divine providence first and last, but (the fact that the enemy leaders have lost their minds) is one of the scientific and objective reasons (of this failure). After six months of war, Netanyahu, Gallant and many others have still lost their minds. You can see it on television, in their (haggard) eyes, in their (distraught) faces, in their (senseless) words. They are still dazed and distraught in the aftermath of October 7. As a result, the way they continue to fight is by people who have lost everything.

For example, one of the manifestations of Israeli failure is that Israel has achieved nothing. Now, what can they still do? Starvation, siege and continued massacres. Even when certain countries drop humanitarian aid from the skies and young Palestinians go to collect it, or when humanitarian aid lorries come in and Palestinians gather around them, the Israeli air force arrives and bombs them. The first time (Israel claimed it was) by mistake, the second time (Israel claimed it was) by mistake, etc., but it’s not a mistake, it happens every day, every day. Every day, even today, we have seen it on television, and yesterday we saw it on television, even young civilian men, who simply take a ration and leave with it (to feed their loved ones), and the Israeli army kills them and does not allow them to get up or leave. Why these (cold-blooded) murders? It’s to impose starvation, pressure and terrorism, because Israel can do nothing else. On the ground, Israel has no horizon in Gaza, it’s over. Now they’re talking about whether or not to attack Rafah, as I mentioned last time. Let’s suppose that Israel carries out the operation at Rafah, what then? The Israeli army went into Gaza City and came out, it went into Khan Younes and came out, let it go into Rafah and come out if it wants to, it won’t change anything (in military terms). It will not mean that the Resistance, with its ardour and its jihad, and with all its honourable factions, will have come to an end in Gaza. Today, senior Israeli generals are telling Netanyahu that the Resistance in Gaza cannot be eliminated in the way the Israeli army operates.

On the ground, it’s clear: what’s happening in Gaza now are operations. There is no longer a war in the sense of war. Yes, there are operations, but they are essentially massacres committed by aerial bombardment, the massacre of civilians, the destruction of buildings, the prevention of the arrival of humanitarian aid and the imposition of famine. On the ground, Israel has not achieved any results, and in the negotiations it has not achieved any results either, and all the pressure exerted on the Palestinian negotiators, all the threats, all the intimidation and all the massacres have not weakened the Palestinian negotiators and have not forced them to make concessions on the fundamental issues that cannot be conceded, in particular the unconditional return of displaced persons to northern Gaza. This is one of the (fundamental) conditions demanded by the Palestinian Resistance, and the issue is not just that of prisoners.

So Israel is getting nowhere, neither on the ground, nor in negotiations, nor through pressure. Where is the exit? In the end, Netanyahu will have to stop (the war) and he won’t be able to achieve the objectives he has announced. Well, it’s been six months. After six months, we see (a resounding Israeli failure). Do you remember the first few weeks? Today there are articles in the enemy entity asking [Prime Minister] Netanyahu, [Defence Minister] Gallant and [National Security Adviser] Halevy: “These 360,000 reserve soldiers you took from their homes, schools, fields, factories and universities, what have you done with them? Where are they now? Where are they? What have they done? What have they achieved?” These 360,000 soldiers are in addition to the regular army (and despite this huge force, Israel cannot claim any military achievements). So far, Israel has not achieved any of the objectives it announced. After six months, it has not succeeded in eliminating the Resistance, in particular Hamas, whose name it keeps repeating. After six months, it has not been able to recover the prisoners. They got some of them back through negotiations. And after six months, neither Netanyahu nor the government waging the war have any vision or plan for tomorrow (the post-war period). They don’t know what Gaza will look like tomorrow. How will Gaza be managed (after the war)? They are lost! Sometimes they say that the armies (of the Arab countries) will take care of Gaza, sometimes they say that it will be the Palestinian Authority, then they say that there’s no way it will be the Palestinian Authority, sometimes they talk about management by clans, sometimes by certain (Palestinian) families, sometimes they talk about occupying Gaza again and restoring the settlements, sometimes they just talk about establishing security domination… So far, the Israelis are completely lost. We’re still waiting for someone to officially announce the plan for post-war Gaza (but they’re absolutely incapable of doing so). This is a clear sign, my brothers and sisters! It’s proof of failure, proof of confusion, proof that Israel is in over its head, and proof that they’re completely lost, because Israel hasn’t the slightest idea what it wants to do. And in the face of whom? Faced with Gaza (just imagine if it were faced with the entire Resistance Axis)! They don’t know what to do when faced with Gaza (alone)? What is the next day? What is the image of Gaza after the end of the war?

Netanyahu and the enemy government have no choice (they have to end the war). As I said in my last speech, it’s only a matter of time and patience, but let’s be realistic and give some quick figures, some eloquent highlights of the situation. I’m going to mention them quickly, even though each point deserves to be detailed. Of course, Netanyahu, instead of starting to come down from his pedestal, went into overdrive and spoke of “total victory”, “absolute victory”. I don’t have time to read it to you, but the brothers have compiled for me a long list of statements by senior officials, reserve generals, journalists, researchers and analysts mocking Netanyahu, asking him to explain what “absolute victory” means? He talks about absolute victory after six months of war, so what does he mean by “absolute victory”? What does absolute victory mean? The army that has to achieve absolute victory or total victory, can we explain them what exactly that means?

Let’s consider the following data:

– the state of the army, tired and in need of new officers and soldiers;

– the problem of recruitment and the conscription law, and the problem of the Haredim [orthodox religious people who were previously exempt from military service in order to devote themselves to Talmudic studies, but who have lost this privilege and are threatening to leave the country en masse];

– the hundreds of thousands of people who have left, even if I don’t have a definite number to give you: sometimes they talk about 500,000 Israelis who have left the (Zionist) entity, sometimes they talk about 800,000 or even 900,000 people. A few days ago, I read an opinion poll among Israelis who have left (occupied) Palestine, according to which 80% of them do not intend to return (to Israel). As for the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons inside occupied Palestine, who fled the south (settlements around the Gaza Strip) or the north (Lebanese border), opinion polls in the northern settlements indicate that, depending on proximity to the border, between 40% and 80% do not intend to return, and many of them have already reorganised their lives, and rented houses, bought houses, sold their houses and transferred their children to schools and universities (in the towns in the interior where they have settled permanently). This will be a major blow to the idea of settlement in the northern colonies, because the question of settlement is a security project and strategy, not a simple question of relocating people. That would merit a development in its own right;

– the effects of the economic and financial situation resulting from the actions of the brothers in Yemen in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, as well as the battle in the Gaza Strip and the battle in southern Lebanon and northern Palestine;

– the situation within the government, which is conflictual and highly virulent;

– the end of the grace period. During the first, second and third months, everyone said that this was a battle for existence and survival, and that we had to be patient with Netanyahu, with the government, and show national solidarity to get through this stage, but the grace period is over. Now Lapid wants early elections, so does Gantz, and so do the Americans. This puts great pressure on Netanyahu and his coalition;

– a very significant decline in Israeli support for the continuation of the war. Why is this? Because after one month, two months, three months, six months (of war), there are no results and no horizon, so where are you taking us? Public opinion is starting to decline to the point where more and more people are saying “Stop the war! The priority is to free the prisoners, and then we’ll deal with Hamas, Gaza and see what we want to do.”

– the loss of international status: this is the first time in the history of the entity since 1948 that the enemy entity has felt this loss at international level. Whether this is of value or not is anyone’s guess, but it is one of the (undeniable) results. Today, human rights organisations affiliated to the United Nations and the United Nations (stand up against Israel), the UN Security Council recently passed a ceasefire resolution and the Israelis are not responding, and not for the first time. Several countries have broken off relations with Israel, and many countries have begun talks to stop selling arms. Israel’s image in the world (is more degraded than ever), and that’s why yesterday Trump, who is a sincere and loyal friend of Israel and Netanyahu personally, you know the friendship between them, even though Netanyahu betrayed him, and then Trump insulted him when he lost the election, he insulted Netanyahu and said he had no loyalty, as you remember. Now Trump has come back and remembered his friendship and said to Netnayahu yesterday, “I call on you to stop the war immediately and reach a peaceful situation because you are losing the PR war in the world.” Part of public relations involves the media, international relations and international standing. Yesterday, according to reports of the phone call between Biden and Netanyahu, Biden said: “You’ve lost the world”, adding that even Israel’s allies and friends had begun to inform them that they would reconsider their policy towards the entity. Can Israel stand it? Maybe Netanyahu can bear it, but how much can Israel bear?

– the embarrassment of the US position. The US gave you time: one month, two months, three months, four months… They came to Lebanon and told us that the war would end at the end of January, then when January ended they said February, then the (Islamic) month of Sh’aban, saying that before Ramadan the war would end. The US has given Israel all the time in the world, a full six months and more: if, throughout this period, Israel is failing, is incapable (of achieving its objectives), is stupid and imbecilic, doesn’t understand what it’s doing, has no clarity about the post-war period, etc., and continues to commit crime after crime, massacre after massacre, then this (US) ally who is covering up for you and sponsoring you has presidential elections (at the end of 2024) and is embarrassed. At the end of the day, there are people who have a voice and an opinion, and the report on yesterday’s call between Biden and Netanyahu expresses this situation, even if we must not let ourselves be fooled. US hypocrisy is well known: they pay lip service to the Arabs, to the Palestinians, to the whole world, they threaten, rant and rave (with affected anger), but in the meantime, their convoys of planes, missiles, bombs, armaments and money for Israel are in full swing. But in the end, it remains a present and influential factor.

– the incapacity of the enemy, who has no plan for tomorrow, as I said, and this also leads to confusion. In the end, what is to be done? He will be forced to stop the war.

– the inability to close the other fronts. They have gone to great lengths to stop the Lebanon front. The United States has threatened and continues to do so, the European countries have sent threatening messages, to no avail. Even the threat of all-out war against Lebanon has not stopped the front. The internal voices which, intentionally or not, consciously or unconsciously, (play into the enemy’s hands), and this ferment which has occurred in the country to put pressure on the Resistance and stop the front, but this has not stopped it and will not stop it. Consequently, the Lebanon front will never be stopped, and this question has been settled once and for all: Hezbollah’s (daily) operations against Israel will only cease when the war in Gaza comes to an end. As far as Yemen is concerned, the United States told the Israelis “Let us take care of Yemen”, and the US, British and NATO fleets arrived but were unable to do anything. The US generals are lying to the Israelis, claiming that they have reduced the intensity of the Yemeni attacks. What have you reduced, my friend? The world’s biggest shipping companies have stopped sending their ships to the area, Israeli ships are avoiding passing through the Red Sea, and with this drastic drop in shipping traffic, it’s only natural that the number of operations should fall, because the Yemeni brothers have effectively succeeded in preventing as many ships as possible from crossing the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. It’s a real success! If there are no more ships going to occupied Palestine, the members of Ansar Allah will not continue to fire their missiles and drones (for fun). This is a definite success, and all the intimidation and threats from the Americans, the British and, unfortunately, the international community, have not been able to stop this front. The same goes for the powerful and effective Iraqi front against occupied Palestine, which is in fact the first. They have not been able to stop these fronts, which are a pressure factor: Israel has a problem in the north, a problem in Eilat (the far south), a problem with the economy, a problem with transporting goods, a problem with public security within the entity. And when the war ends, my brothers and sisters, the entity will face major challenges: there will be resignations, enquiries, commissions of enquiry, trials… God only knows what the entity will look like in the aftermath of the war, and that is precisely what Netanyahu is running away from in order to gain time and prolong the war (in a frantic headlong rush).

Therefore, in the light of rational, political, military, security, economic and moral data —we are not talking about mystical things, we are not saying that so-and-so had a vision, that so-and-so had a dream or that so-and-so is an optimist, we are not only talking on the basis of our religious faith, even if it remains permanently present in the background—, we are talking on the basis of political, field, military, economic, security, diplomatic, local, regional and international data : we see with the utmost clarity what His Eminence the Leader (Supreme Ali Khamenei) has been saying from the very first days, namely that this Israel will be defeated, and Gaza will be victorious, and the Resistance will be victorious.

Netanyahu and the Netanyahu coalition will have no choice but to stop the war at some point, and when the war stops, that in itself will be a defeat for Israel and a victory for the Resistance, irrespective of all the other aspects that we might talk about later, whether it’s the repercussions on the (Zionist) entity, the strategic losses and the shaking of the foundations of the entity that we’ve talked about in the past: I’m not going to dwell on it, but there will be opportunities later on to talk more about it, and that’s what we see (crystal clear). And when we fight on the front in Lebanon, or on the front in Iraq, or on the front in Yemen, in support of the main battle, the primary terrain on which our Palestinian brothers are fighting (in Gaza), we fight with a clear, luminous and flamboyant vision of a great victory to come. It’s only a matter of time.

Yes, in this battle there are sacrifices, there are martyrs, there is suffering, there is pain. In any case, I believe and we believe that the Americans will reach this point. The whole world has already reached this point. When the Security Council says that there must be an immediate ceasefire and Israel does not respond, it means that the international community has come to this conclusion, and that only the Americans are left. If what has been reported is true, that Biden told Netanyahu that there must be a ceasefire, if it is true that Trump told him to stop this war, then it means that the whole of America, the Republicans and the Democrats, have come to the same conclusion. And within the entity, there are these cries and demonstrations that have started to form and grow against Netanyahu. So, all the data leads us to this result, but what is important is that we continue, that we remain firm and that we persevere, whether in Gaza, in the West Bank, in southern Lebanon, in Yemen, in Iraq, in the political position, in Iran, in Syria, in Lebanon, with a clear and great hope that no, this is a battle in which we are destined for victory. Those who believe that in this battle they are heading for defeat, I call on them to reconsider their calculations, whether in Lebanon or in the region. Let our adversaries reconsider their calculations, and let our friends reconsider their calculations: the Axis of Resistance, in this battle, is heading for a great historic victory, with the grace of God. […]

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