Nasrallah claims Hezbollah thwarted Israel-US plan with Russia's help
Hezbollah's Sec. Gen. Nasrallah hails victory over ISIS in festive ceremony attended by Iranian delegation; claims he visited Syria’s Assad, charges 'Israel and the US were counting on ISIS,' in their quest for regional domination.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah claimed Thursday night he recently came out of hiding to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, adding that his organization, with Russia’s assistance, managed to prevent an alleged US-Israeli plan to take over the region by exploiting ISIS.
Nasrallah also stated that Hezbollah's recent military victory against ISIS forces along the Lebanese-Syrian border had halted Israel and the US's quest for domination in the region.
The statement was made as the terror group's leader marking the so-called "Second Liberation Day" in celebration of its defeat of ISIS in a stand-off that took place along the Labanese-Syrian border.
The operation, launched two weeks ago in cooperation with the Syrian and Lebanese armies, ended this week after the last ISIS militants abandoned the territories they had captured on the Syrian side of the border.
The Hezbollah-led celebrations were held in the town of Baalbek within the Bekaa Valley where an official ceremony was attended by an Iranian delegation headed by Jaberi Ansari, who is the advisor to Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Jawad Zarif on the Middle East and Africa.
The ceremony featured a speech by Nasrallah, broadcast from his hiding place on a huge screen. "I would have liked to participate in the celebrations with you," said Nasrallah.
He went on to reference Israel's stake in the area, stating that "Israel and the US's dreams in the region are based on ISIS and they are collapsing," Nasrallah said.
"The axis of resistance, with Russia's help, thwarted the American-Israeli plan in the region. The Trump administration has brought diplomatic relations with Russia to its lowest ebb. The US poses the real threat to the world and is preparing to take us into nuclear war," he continued.
Earlier Thursday, it was reported that Russia had stationed its advanced S-400 anti-missile defense system near an Iranian arms factory in Syria, which allegedly manufactures long-range guided missiles for Hezbollah to use against Israel.
Hezbollah, which has already accumulated over 100,000 rockets, is believed to be seeking to target sensitive sites in Israel. To that end, it has been trying to obtain long-range guided missiles by smuggling them from Iran through Syria.
However, according to foreign reports, Israel has been bombing these weapons convoys, thereby foiling Hezbollah's smuggling efforts and leading the terror group to the conclusion its only option is to move the missile production closer to home.
During his speech, Nasrallah added that even after ISIS's defeat, the US had a "new terror plan."
"We all know that Iran has decided to fight the American-Israeli plan led by ISIS, that Israel has been troubled by 'the Second Liberation' and that the US has tried to serve Israeli (interests) and change Resolution 1701 (the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah after the Second Lebanon War), which turned UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) into an organization in Israel's service.
"The Lebanese Foreign Ministry is struggling against this, and here too the Iranians have invested a great deal of effort, so that the efforts of the United States, Britain and Israel have failed yet again," he continued.
"The (UN) Security Council ignores the daily violations of Israel at sea, in the air and on the ground—for as far as the Americans are concerned, people in Israel are more important than the residents of Lebanon," Nasrallah charged.
He also detailed Hezbollah's successful operation on the Syrian-Lebanese border and his cooperation with Assad in working to expunge and liquidate ISIS fighters.
"There was terrorism on the northern and eastern borders of Lebanon. In the north, the army defeated the terrorist operatives. In the east, where radical elements became a problem for Syria, Lebanon took over," Nasrallah said. "The Lebanese had three options: to do nothing, to cooperate, or to fight."
He added that his group had "asked the Syrian leadership to help us recover the mountain ranges from ISIS, and we very much appreciate the sacrifices made by the Syrian army in the campaign to liberate Lebanese territories."
Assad, he claimed said, "No problem, and went out to help Lebanon. We are making it clear to the Lebanese people that the borders are currently under the control of the Lebanese army," said Nasrallah.
"We are waiting for Lebanon to make another decision, which is to return the Lebanese territories captured by Israel in the Shebaa Farms. We expect this achievement to be achieved during the time of President Michel Aoun," added Nasrallah.
