Stressing there is no figure equivalent to General Qassem Suleimani in terms of retaliation; Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said the response to his blood must be the expulsion of US forces from the region.
In a memorial service for General Suleimani, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and other martyrs who fell in the US strike on Baghdad airport early Friday (January 3, 2020), Sayyed Nasrallah said the US will get out of the region humiliated.
“The minimal retaliation to assassination of General Suleimani is to liberate Iraq from US forces,” his eminence addressed crowds at Sayyed Shuhadaa Complex in Beirut’s southern suburb, Dahiyeh.
He stressed that when this goal is achieved then the liberation of Palestine and Al-Quds will be imminent.
Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed, meanwhile, that fair punishment of General Suleimani killers means that US forces, warships and bases must pay the price.
“We are neither angered nor afraid, but we consider that there is a chance to get rid of the US occupation and hegemony.”
Assassination and Martyrdom
Sayyed Nasrallah paid tribute to General Suleimani as a worldwide great Islamic commander, stressing that the date of his assassination, alongside Iraq’s Hashd Shaabi Deputy Commander Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, represents a new stage not only for Iran and Iraq but for the entire region.
He also praised Al-Muhandis as a “dear and great commander.”
“Suleimani has achieved his personal goal. Embracing martyrdom was his wish since he was young… In the last years he spent many nights weeping while remembering martyrs as he was missing them.”
His eminence offered condolences to the families and relatives of the two commanders.
“Martyrdom is one of two glorious things. It’s either victory or martyrdom. The day of martyrdom of General Suleimani and Al-Muhandis is another sample of victory of blood over sword. In the school of Imam Hussein (a.s) and Sayyeda Zeinab (a.s.) we adore martyrdom and we don’t see but beauty.”
Hezbollah S.G. then elaborated what happened early Friday, saying that General Suleimani left Lebanon for Damascus on Thursday and then to Baghdad, where he was received by Al-Muhandis.
As they rode the cars they were brutally targeted by US precise missiles that led to total destruction of the vehicles, Sayyed Nasrallah said, noting that all people in the cars turned into body parts that were hard to be identified.
Few hours, Pentagon claimed responsibility for the strike, and US President Donald Trump himself said that he ordered the attack, Sayyed Nasrallah added.
“We are before a clear crime and not a mysterious one, something which indicates two things: The first is that all previous attempts to covertly assassinate General Suleimani have failed, and the second is related to conditions our region has been witnessing especially in Iraq.”
Trump’s Foreign Policy a Failure
“We are before a clear crime and not a mysterious one, something which indicates two things: The first is that all previous attempts to covertly assassinate General Suleimani have failed, and the second is related to conditions our region has been witnessing especially in Iraq.”
Sayyed Nasrallah then talked about failure of Trump’s foreign policy, noting that the US President is confused as his term nears its end.
“Throughout three years of his administration Trump has failed to reach the goals he set at the beginning of his term. All forms of pressure by Trump have failed to subdue Iran.”
“All what he wanted is to get Iran into negotiation table. And now his term will end without achieving this goal.”
“In Syria, there is a clear confusion, the latest of which is abandoning Trump’s allies (the Kurds). In addition to the unclear decision, whether he wants to withdraw troops or redeploy them in a bid to protect oil fields there.”
“In Lebanon, and despite all money spent in a bid to distort the Resistance image” the US administration failed to dictate its conditions on the country.
He noted, meanwhile that the same thing applies in Yemen, Afghanistan and Palestine, Sayyed Nasrallah added.
Iraq and Attempts to Create Strife with Iran
“He (Trump) is so transparent since he is arrogant and doesn’t recognize international community. He repeatedly said that the US wants to take over the Iraqi oil. And when he was asked about the state in Iraq he used to say there was no state there.”
He added that Washington used the Takfiri group, ISIL, as a pretext to return to Iraq and reestablish bases there.
This scheme has been foiled as ISIL was defeated, Sayyed Nasrallah said, underlining the major role played by General Suleimani and Al-Muhandis in confronting the terrorist group.
“After ISIL defeat, national Iraqi factions won the parliamentary elections and a new government was formed by Mr. Adel Abdul Mahdi, and they refused to be part of the anti-Iran campaign, as it also refused the ‘deal of the century’. Therefore the Americans felt that they would lose Iraq.”
Sayyed Nasrallah added that Washington then tried to sue discord between Iraq and Iran and to drag Iraq into civil war.
Hezbollah S.G. also talked about US administration failure in Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea.
“In his new election campaign all what he talks about are the $400 Billion he took from Saudi Arabia, arms deals with Arab states which worth tens of billions of dollars, and transferring the US embassy from Tel Aviv into Al-Quds (Jerusalem).”
Suleimani Central Figure in Axis of Resistance
Returning to assassination of General Suleimani, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that the US strike which killed the top Iranian commander is not isolated incident and represents the beginning of a new approach adopted by Trump administration.
“They (Trump administration) settled on assassinating Suleiman who is a central figure in the Axis of Resistance,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, noting that he warned the Iranian general of attempts to kill him.
Sayyed Nasrallah underlined the major role played by General Suleimani across the region countries from Palestine to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan, noting that he has posed an existential threat to the Zionist entity.
“Israel considers Suleimani as the most dangerous man. But it couldn’t dare to kill him. So it resorted to the US to do so.”
Retaliation
The retaliation for the assassination of Suleimani has already started in both Iran and Iraq, Sayyed Nasrallah said.
“The US goal behind assassinating Suleimani was to terrify Iran and subdue it. However the confrontation has already started since Imam Khamenei’s speech in which the Supreme Leader vowed severe revenge.”
Meanwhile, in Iraq the US was hoping to create atmosphere of fear and strife with Iran, Sayyed Nasrallah said, noting that its goal was foiled as the Iraqis took to streets and held joint funeral for both Iraqi and Iranian martyrs.
In this context, Sayyed Nasrallah said that now there are calls in Iraq for US withdrawal, noting that the eyes are now on the Iraqi parliament. He hoped that the Iraqi parliament will approve a bill to get the US troops out of the Arab country.
“The minimal retaliation for assassination of General Suleimani and Al-Muhandis is to expel foreign forces from Iraq and liberate it from US troops.” Sayyed Nasrallah said.
His eminence noted, meanwhile, that the responsibility of the Axisi of Resistance now is “to go forward in face of US goals to terrify us, and to coordinate between each other and come closer in a bid to strengthen our capabilities.”
“Suleimani is not only an Iranian figure. He is all of the Axisi if Resistance: Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan and every country which has Resistance supporters.”
“Iran can retaliate as it pleases, but this doesn’t exempt the Axis of Resistance from retaliation on its behalf,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, stressing that such retaliation is not at the request of the Islamic Republic.
“Fair Punishment”
Referring to the word “fair punishment” Sayyed Nasrallah had earlier used in his statement shortly after the martyrdom of the two commanders, his eminence stressed that there is no equivalent figure to General Suleimani.
“Suleimani’s shoe is worth more than Trump’s head. Fair punishment means that US forces, bases and warships must pay the price.”
In this context, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that US civilians must not be targeted because such move serves the interests of Trump.
“The US forces will leave our region humiliated, defeated and terrified. The martyrs who blew themselves up and forced the US troops out of the region in the past, are now many more.”
“Avenging Suleimani and Al-Muhandis must be through the expulsion of all US forces from our region. When we accomplish this goal, then we don’t need a battle to liberate Palestine, and the Zionist will pack their bags and leave.”
“If the people of our region head in this direction… When US coffins come back to their country… When the US officers who came to the region vertically will return back horizontally, at that time, Trump and his administration will realize that they lost the region and lost the elections. Those idiots don’t know what did they do!”
“The fair punishment in sake of Suleimani will also be a fair punishment in sake of Imad Mughniyeh, Mustafa Badriddine, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and all other martyrs.”
At the end of his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated that he is happy for General Suleimani because he fulfilled his wish of martyrdom, noting that “we are neither angry, nor afraid, but we consider his blood an opportunity to expel the US from the region.”
“O most honorable people… We will continue the path and triumph at last,” his eminence concluded his speech.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
