It was August 14, 2024 — the eighteenth anniversary of the Divine Victory, won by the men of God after epic confrontations that lasted 33 days in July-August of 2006. As on every anniversary since that triumph, the people of Lebanon awaited the address of the resistance leader, Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.
But last year was different. The Sayyed, as the Hezbollah Secretary General is affectionately known by his people, did not appear that night. The region was tense, and the Israeli enemy remained on high alert, anticipating the resistance group’s retaliation for the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shokor.
Known for his measured and symbolic public appearances, Sayyed Nasrallah’s absence from the celebration was deliberate — part of a calculated response while the enemy stood watch. Yet, for the people, it was more than a tactical choice; it felt like a glimpse into a future they dreaded. It was a reminder that leaders may depart in body, but their path endures — a path the people remain determined to defend, no matter how the cost is high, under the shadow of continuous Israeli aggression.
For seventeen years, in every address marking the anniversary, Sayyed Nasrallah would salute the “most honorable” people — as he once called while praising their defiance and steadfastness in the during the 33-day war in 2006. He would recall the powerful scenes of southerners returning to their destroyed homes, determined to rebuild, their faith unshaken.
For the people, the anniversary has never been just about remembering the glory of 2006. It has always been a renewal of the oath to defend the homeland against the Israeli enemy whose aggression has never ceased.
This year, that meaning runs even deeper. Many longed to see the Sayyed appear once more, to hail their epic steadfastness during the 66 days of the brutal Israeli war on Lebanon in late 2024. They wished to hear him recall, as he once did, the scenes of cars streaming back into the southern villages even before the ceasefire took effect at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 — a testament to the courage that runs in their veins.
They also hoped to hear him salute, once again, the “most honorable people” — the valiant southerners who stood firm as the Israeli occupation procrastinated the withdrawal deadlines of January and February 2025.
For them, Sayyed Nasrallah’s words were never mere praise; they were a seal of honor, a binding reminder of the bond between a great leader and people.
Even without his appearance via the screen this year, Sayyed Nasrallah’s voice will never be absent. It rises in the chants of the faithful, in the lines of his past speeches replayed across screens, and in the slogans painted on banners carried by the young and the old alike. In every square and street, his words still rally hearts, his image still anchor hope, and his path still draw unwavering footsteps.
To the enemy, this anniversary carries a clear message: The people whom Sayyed Nasrallah led have not wavered. They stand as they did in 2006 and 2024— unbroken, united, and prepared. The torch he once carried is now held by many hands, and its light will not fade, no matter how fierce the storm.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
