Imam Khamenei’s speech on December 11, 2024, addressed recent developments in Syria and the broader region.

Source: Telegram

Transcript: Resistance News

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and his pure, immaculate, and chosen household, especially the remaining proof of God on earth (Imam al-Mahdi).

I extend a warm welcome to all the dear brothers and sisters who have enriched this Hussainiyah today with their heartfelt and sincere monotheistic sentiments, especially those who have come from other towns.

In our region, which is one of the most critically important areas in the world, events are unfolding today. We must both correctly understand these events and take lessons and insights from them. The public’s mind in the country is also engaged with these issues. They have questions, comments, and opinions. However, I do not intend to analyze the events in Syria—others provide such an analysis. My intention today is clarification and illustration. By “clarification,” I mean explaining what has happened and what may have been deliberately concealed. To the extent that we see and understand, we will explain it. And by “illustration,” I mean that during today’s discourse, we will depict and show our situation, our movement, the region’s movement, and the region’s future as we understand it. This is the essence and summary of the points I hope to present today, God willing.

Firstly, there should be no doubt that what happened in Syria is the result of a joint American and Zionist plan. Yes, a neighbouring state of Syria has played a clear role in this, and continues to do so. This is evident to everyone. But the primary actors, the chief conspirators, the main planners, and the central command are in America and the Zionist regime. We have evidence; this evidence leaves no room for doubt.

One of the pieces of evidence is their behavior in relation to this incident. In a country, even if you do not agree with the government of that country, a war has broken out, and two groups are fighting each other. Well, such events happen everywhere, so why are you (America-Zionist) interfering? According to the reports, the Zionist regime has bombed hundreds of locations in Syria! If you are not involved in this incident, if the plan behind this incident is not connected to you, then sit back and watch. Two groups are fighting each other; why are you entering the war and bombing over 300 locations? The Americans themselves have announced… though this was until yesterday, and it may have increased since then… that they have also bombed 75 locations! Some of these locations that they have bombed are Syria’s infrastructure centers, places that are not easily built or repaired, and require great effort for a country… Building airports, establishing research centers, and training scientists: these are not easy tasks. Why did the Zionist regime and the United States enter this matter, become a side in the war, and start bombing the country? Bombing 300 or 400 locations is no small matter.

In addition to this, the Zionist regime occupied Syrian territories… Their tanks advanced close to Damascus. The Golan region, which belonged to Damascus, has been in their hands for years, and now they have begun taking other areas as well. The United States, Europe, and governments that are sensitive about such matters in other parts of the world, even over one meter or ten meters, have remained silent about the occupation and aggression.

Moreover, another piece of evidence is that in recent days, some of the aid necessary for the people of Syria, or for a specific region like the Sayyida Zaynab area, which was supposed to include supplies, personnel, and reinforcements, was completely blocked by Zionist and American aircraft. F-15 jets appeared in the skies, not allowing any aircraft to pass.

Of course, one of our pilots showed courage, took risks, and landed, but more was needed, and more should have been done; however, they stopped it. If you are not involved in this matter, if you are not the ones allegedly fighting in Syria under the name of a certain terrorist or armed group, if you are not behind them, why are you doing these things? Why are you intervening? Why are you offering support? Why are you preventing aid to the people of Syria?

Of course, these aggressors I mentioned each have their own motives. Their goals differ from one another. Some aim to occupy territories from northern or southern Syria. The United States seeks to solidify its foothold in the region. There are their objectives, but time will show that, God willing, none of them will achieve these objectives. The occupied areas of Syria will be liberated by the brave youth of Syria… have no doubt, this will happen. The U.S.’s foothold will not remain firm, and by God’s grace and power, America will also be expelled from the region by the Resistance Front.

I mentioned the “Resistance Front,” so let me say a few words about it. The arrogant powers are pleased after the events in Syria, expressing their joy, thinking that with the fall of Syria’s government, which supported the Resistance, the Resistance Front has weakened. They are gravely mistaken. Those who think that these events have weakened the Resistance Front lack a proper understanding of resistance and the Resistance Front itself; they don’t even understand what the Resistance Front truly means.

The “Resistance Front” is not a piece of hardware that can be broken, dismantled, or destroyed. Resistance is faith, a way of thinking and a heartfelt, decisive decision. Resistance is a school of thought, a belief system. The faith of a group of people is not a conventional or superficial matter… I will explain why it is people’s faith. It does not weaken under pressure; rather, it becomes stronger. The motivation of the individuals and elements of the Resistance Front grows stronger when they witness atrocities and the scope of the Resistance Front expands further. When they see the savage crimes of the enemy, those who doubted whether resistance was necessary or not are freed from their doubt. They realize that there is no way to continue on their path except by standing firm against the oppressor and tyrant. One must stand, one must resist; this is what resistance means.

Look at Hezbollah in Lebanon, look at Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine, look at the Palestinian resistance forces: all these groups faced immense pressure. Was the calamity that befell Hezbollah a small matter? Hezbollah lost someone like Sayed Hassan Nasrallah: was that a minor thing? The attacks, the power, and the firm fist of Hezbollah grew even stronger after that. Even the enemy understood and acknowledged this. They thought that after delivering a blow, they could invade Lebanon, push Hezbollah back, perhaps to the Litani River, and advance even further. But they couldn’t advance. Hezbollah stood with full strength. They acted so decisively that the enemy themselves called for a ceasefire!

Look at Gaza. It has now been a year and several months that Gaza has been under bombardment. They assassinated prominent figures in Gaza, like Yahya Sinwar, making him a martyr, and dealt these blows. Yet the people stood firm. They imagined that by pressuring the people, they would rise up against Hamas. The opposite happened; the people became even more supportive of Hamas. The same is true for Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian factions. The more crimes you commit, the more motivated the resistance becomes. The more you fight them, the more resistance expands. And I tell you, by God’s grace and power, the scope of resistance will encompass the entire region more than ever before.

The ignorant analyst, misunderstanding the meaning of resistance, thinks that if resistance weakens, Islamic Iran will also weaken! I tell you, by God’s grace and will, Iran is strong and powerful, and it will become even more powerful.

Let me say one more thing about resistance. First, let me explain what resistance means. Resistance means standing up against dominance of America and any other oppressors. This is the meaning of resistance. Resistance means fighting against dependence on these powers. Resistance means that nations do not become servants of superior powers like America and others. This is the meaning of resistance. Resistance, in this sense, is rooted in the beliefs of the region’s nations. I’m not talking about governments; the nations value resistance. The roots of resistance lie in the faith and beliefs of the nations.

Did you see what the region’s nations did in support of Gaza? People who do not share their language, have not seen their region, and do not know them personally, stood in solidarity across the region…and in a way, across the world against the Zionist regime and in support of the people of Gaza. This is the shared belief of the region’s nations, and this is the reason. Look, it has now been nearly 75 years since the occupation of Palestine. An event that occurred 75 years ago should gradually fade, be forgotten by people, and lose significance. Today, the steadfastness of the region’s nations and the Palestinians themselves for the cause of Palestine is perhaps ten times greater than it was at the beginning. Instead of fading, it is intensifying. This is the characteristic of a shared and universal belief, and it will undoubtedly continue. Alignment with the Zionist regime is a red line for nations. I’m not concerned with governments; they speak and act differently. If you ask the nations, they are opposed; the overwhelming majority of nations oppose it.

Of course, the Zionist regime commits crimes, but crimes do not bring victory to anyone. Neither the crimes of the Zionist regime in Lebanon, nor in Gaza, nor in the West Bank, where Palestinian groups are fighting. They commit many crimes there, but crimes do not lead to anyone’s victory. This is a divine tradition, and today we are witnessing this historical experience in Gaza and Lebanon.

Now, a question arises: With the description we have given of the Syrian situation, were we present in Syria over the past few years or not? Well, everyone knows the answer is yes; the martyrs of the Defenders of the Shrines are proof of our presence. But how? That requires an explanation.

One important point is that our presence is well-known, and everyone has seen the funerals of the martyrs. But there are a few points that most people, or at least many of our youth, are unaware of. We helped the Syrian government, but before we helped them, at a critical juncture, the Syrian government provided us with vital assistance. Many people are unaware of this. During the height of the [Iran-Iraq] war, during the Sacred Defense, when everyone was working for Saddam and against us, the Syrian government made a decisive and significant move in our favor and against Saddam. And that was cutting the oil pipeline that transported oil to the Mediterranean and Europe, with the proceeds going into Saddam’s pockets. This caused an uproar in the world. They did not allow Saddam’s oil to flow. How much oil was transported? One million barrels per day. One million barrels per day flowed through this pipeline to the Mediterranean. The Syrian government itself benefited from alternative oil transit routes. They even gave up the revenue they earned from it. Of course, they received compensation from us; the Islamic Republic did not leave this service unrewarded. So, first, they helped us. That’s one point.

But in the case of the ISIS crisis, ISIS was a bomb of insecurity. ISIS meant creating insecurity in Iraq, Syria, and the entire region. Then, it aimed to reach its primary and ultimate target, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and destabilize it. This was the ultimate goal. This was the meaning of ISIS. We stepped in; our forces were present in both Iraq and Syria for two reasons.

One reason was to protect the sanctity of the holy shrines, because those devoid of spirituality and faith were hostile toward the holy shrines. They intended to destroy them, and they did destroy some. You saw it in Samarra; later, with the help of the Americans, they destroyed the sacred dome of Samarra. They wanted to do the same in Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimayn, and Damascus. It’s obvious that faithful, zealous young lovers of the Ahlulbayt (the Prophet’s household) would never tolerate such actions and would not allow them. This was one reason.

Another reason was the issue of security. The authorities quickly and timely understood that if this insecurity was not stopped in those areas, it would spread and reach here, engulfing our entire great nation in insecurity. The insecurity caused by the ISIS sedition was not ordinary. You remember the individual incidents that occurred; in the Shah Cheragh incident, the Kerman incident, the Parliament incident, and others like these. Wherever they could, they caused such catastrophes. This was intended to come here. The Commander of the Faithful (Imam Ali) said: “A nation that fights the enemy in its own home becomes humiliated. Do not let it reach your home.” Therefore, our forces went, our prominent commanders went, our dear martyr Soleimani, his companions, and colleagues went, organized, and armed their own youth both in Iraq and then in Syria. They stood against ISIS, broke ISIS’s backbone, and managed to prevail. Well, this was the nature of our presence in that matter.

Pay attention to this point: the nature of our military presence in Syria, and similarly in Iraq, did not mean that we would take our armies, our military, our IRGC, and deploy them there to fight in place of their army. No, that doesn’t make sense. It is neither logical nor acceptable to public opinion for an army from here to go and fight in place of their army. No, the war is the responsibility of that country’s own army. What our forces could do and did was advisory work. What does that mean? It means establishing important central and main command posts, determining strategies, and devising tactics. And in critical moments, entering the battlefield, but most importantly, mobilizing the youth of that region.

Of course, our youth, our Basijis, were also eager, insistent, and many of them went. We didn’t agree; many times they requested, asked, wrote, sent messages, and pleaded with me to let them go to Syria to stand against the enemy. Well, naturally, it wasn’t appropriate; at that time, it wasn’t deemed prudent, but they still went through various means, which you may know. Some of their stories are well-known; some were martyred, and others, thankfully, returned safely.

Our presence in those areas was advisory. In rare instances, our forces were present directly when necessary, and primarily our forces were volunteers and Basijis, alongside their local forces. Martyr Soleimani trained, armed, organized, and prepared a group of several thousand of their own youth in Syria, and they stood firm. Later, unfortunately, some of their own military officials created problems and caused issues. And sadly, they abandoned something that was to their own benefit. After the ISIS sedition subsided, some of the forces returned, while some stayed behind. Among those who had gone, a portion remained there. They were present and involved in these situations, but as mentioned, the main war must be fought by that country’s army. It is alongside the country’s army that volunteer forces from elsewhere can fight. If that army shows weakness, there is little the volunteers can do. Unfortunately, this is what happened. When the spirit of resistance and steadfastness weakens, this is the result. These calamities that are happening in Syria today, only God knows how long they will continue. Until, God willing, the Syrian youth rise up and put an end to it… this is due to the weaknesses shown there.

The Iranian nation takes pride in its army and its IRGC. High-ranking officials in the armed forces, in the case of Lebanon and Hezbollah, would write to me, saying they could no longer bear it and asking for permission to go. Compare this with an army that cannot endure and flees! Unfortunately, during the era of the tyrannical regime [Shah Pahlavi], our army was like this. They too did not stand firm against enemy and foreign attacks in various wars, including World War Two. At that time, the enemy advanced all the way to Tehran; they did not resist. When resistance is absent, this is the result. Resistance is essential, and we must use God-given strength.

Even in such difficult circumstances, we were ready. They came to me and said that we had prepared all the necessary resources for the Syrians and were ready to go. But the skies were closed, and the land routes were blocked. The Zionist regime and the United States had closed both Syrian airspace and land routes. It was not possible. This is how things are. If the motivations within that country had remained intact and they could have confronted the enemy, the enemy would not have been able to close their skies or their land routes. They could have been helped. Well, this is a brief depiction of the situation.

There are a few other points I need to mention.

The first point is that everyone should know, the situation will not remain like this. A group may come to Damascus or other places, celebrate, dance, and violate people’s homes, and the Zionist regime may bombard, bring tanks and artillery, but this will not last. Surely, the brave youth of Syria will rise, resist, sacrifice, and suffer losses, but they will overcome this situation, just as the brave youth of Iraq did. The brave youth of Iraq, with the help, guidance, leadership, and organization of our dear martyr (Soleimani), were able to drive the enemy out of their streets and homes. Otherwise, the Americans were doing the same in Iraq. They would break into homes, force the man of the house to the ground in front of his wife and children, and press his face to the ground with their boots! This happened in Iraq as well, but they stood firm, resisted, and our dear martyr put all his efforts into this cause. They will do the same. Of course, it may take time, it may be prolonged, but the result is certain and definite.

The second point is that the Syrian incident has both lessons and warnings for us… all of us and our officials; we must learn from it. One of the lessons is the issue of “negligence”—negligence toward the enemy. Yes, in this incident, the enemy acted swiftly. But they should have understood before the incident that the enemy would act and would act quickly. We had also assisted them. Our intelligence apparatus had conveyed warning reports to Syrian officials months earlier. Of course, I do not know whether these reports reached the senior officials or got lost along the way. But our intelligence officials had informed them. Since September, October, and November, they had been reporting continuously. One must not be negligent; one must not overlook the enemy. The enemy should not be underestimated, nor should one trust the enemy’s smile. Sometimes the enemy speaks pleasantly, with a smile, but holds a dagger behind their back, waiting for an opportunity.

Another point is that the Resistance Front must neither become arrogant from victories nor despair from defeats. Victory and defeat always exist. The personal lives of individuals are the same: they have successes and failures. The lives of groups are the same: one day, a movement is in power; another day, it is not. The same applies to governments and countries. Ups and downs exist in life; one cannot avoid them. What is necessary is that when we are on the rise, we must not become arrogant. Because arrogance brings ignorance, and arrogance itself causes negligence. When we face a downfall or failure, we must not become depressed, hopeless, or heartbroken.

The Islamic Republic, in these forty-plus years, has faced major and difficult events… big events! The youth did not witness those days; here in Tehran, the people of Tehran were sitting in their homes, and Soviet-made MiG-25 fighter jets belonging to Saddam would fly overhead. If it showed “decency,” it would not bomb, but it would still intimidate… yes, it intimidated! And we could do nothing; we had neither air defenses nor the necessary equipment. We faced these situations. One day, right here in Tehran, everyone was sitting in their homes, and suddenly, Saddam’s planes came and bombed Tehran. They bombed the airport and other places. I myself was giving a speech that day at a factory near Tehran airport. There was noise; we got up and looked out the window. I saw the Iraqi plane myself, as it came down, dropped its bombs on the airport, and left. We witnessed these events. The Islamic Republic has faced these various, bitter events, but it has never succumbed to passivity for even a moment. Passivity should not come from a believer. The danger of passivity is sometimes greater than the injury itself. Passivity means that a person observes, feels they can do nothing, and thus surrenders! This is passivity. Therefore, in progress and success, arrogance is poison; in failures and problems, passivity is venom. We must be aware from both. The Quran says: “When the victory of God has come and the conquest, and you see the people entering God’s religion in multitudes, then glorify the praises of your Lord. And seek His forgiveness”… repent for the shortcomings you have committed!

There are, of course, some whose aim is to demoralize the people; this must not happen. Some do this from abroad; foreign televisions, radios, and others speak to the people in Persian, presenting events in a way that scares the people and demoralizes them. Their case is different and should be dealt with differently, but no one inside the country should do this. If someone inside, in their analysis or statement, speaks in a way that demoralizes the people, this is a crime and must be prosecuted.

Certainly, the Iranian nation is ready to act. And it is clear that presence in any region requires the agreement and supervision of that country’s government. When we were present in Iraq, the Iraqi government itself requested our presence. Similarly, in Syria, the Syrian government requested our presence. We were able to go at their request and with their agreement. If they do not request it, naturally, the path is closed, and assistance will not be possible. However, God Almighty will help, God willing, and the roots of Zionism and malicious Western agents in this region will be eradicated, by His grace.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.

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