Hassan Nasrallah delivers speech
Nasrallah: Hezbollah stronger than the IDF
In remarks broadcast on a big screen at an event dubbed 'July Victory of 2016' in Beirut marking 12 years since terror group's 'victory' against Israel in 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah secretary-general says Israel is 'deterred by the resistance', knows it will lose the next round of fighting and is responsible for the Syrian civil war which it caused in order to gain strength.
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday that his organization is in “a stronger position than ever since its founding,” and is “stronger than the Israeli army.”
“Let me tell you: We are not the strongest army after the Israeli army in the region. Hezbollah is even stronger than the Israeli army,” the secretary-general bragged.
Delivering a speech at an annual event under the banner of “July Victory of 2016” celebrating 12 years since the Lebanon-based terror organization held its last military conflict with Israel in the Second Lebanon War, Nasrallah said: “Twelve years have passed since the victory and we continue to celebrate this event.”
“Twelve years Israel has threatened to go to war. At the same time, it talks about the strengthening of the resistance in Lebanon,” Nasrallah said his his speech that was broadcast on a big screen at the ceremony, which took place in al-Janubiyya, a suburb in Beirut.
Hassan Nasrallah delivers speech
“Let me tell you: We are not the strongest army after the Israeli army in the region. Hezbollah is even stronger than the Israeli army,” the secretary-general bragged.
“We are totally confident in our faith today. We are ready to sacrifice a lot more than their army, we are confident in our victory more than any other time,” he continued.
Nasrallah also addressed the civil war taking place in Syria in which his organization has been bogged down participating in the fighting on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
“In a few more days we will also celebrate in al-Karmel the first anniversary of the liberation from terror organizations. With Allah’s help, we will soon emerge victorious, also in the bigger regional campaign. Victory is near,” Nasrallah declared.
The terror organization's leader also told his listeners that Israel was responsible for the Syrian civil war and was exploiting its continuation to gain strength in anticipation of the next war with Hezbollah.
“For the last seven years the entire region has been at war with the aim of strengthening Israel. Everything is done for it and serves it,” he claimed.
Crowds at the event in Lebanon
Israel and the United States, he said as he continued his tirade, knew that they were doomed to lose in any future war, just as they had done so in every other war so far. “No one scares us away from wars. Anyone who wants war: They’re welcome.”
Nasrallah also praised Iran, which arms and funds his organization in its proxy war against Israel, describing it as the “power base of the path of resistance.”
“It stood by Syria’s side in the struggle, stood by Lebanon, Palestine and Gaza. Its position is also clear regarding what is happening in Yemen and in the region. So what did they do? They imposed sanctions in order to make the Iranian people overthrow the regime,” Nasrallah theorized.
However, the Hezbollah leader insisted that the pictures flowing out of Iran are not an accurate portrayal of the situation in the country. “According to the information in my hands, there is no truth to the idea that the Iranian people will topple the regime. This is an illusion. Iran is stronger today than any other force in the region,” he claimed.
Returning back to Israel, Nasrallah said that the country had clearly been “deterred by virtue of the resistance.”
“They established a completely new strategy for the Israeli army, appointed a new chief of staff and conducted maneuvers,” Nasrallah said as he offered evidence of his statements.
“What are the maneuvers for? They are because they know that in Lebanon there is a force that constitutes a big threat for them which preoccupies them,” he argued.
“Israel is hiding behind the fence. For the first time in Israel’s history, it is formulating a defensive plan for a campaign in the Galilee, not in south Lebanon. That is what we see in the maneuvers it carries out.”
Nasrallah also cited a senior Israeli officer who he said described Hezbollah as the strongest army in the Middle East after the IDF.
“Israel in 2018, and I repeat my words: The resistance in Lebanon, with the weapon at its disposal and its abilities, its expertise, its belief and its bravery, is in the strongest position since its founding,” he reiterated.
The opposition and rebels in Syria, he said, referred to Israel as friends “and it hoped that Damascus would be a friendly capital for it. (Israel) predicted that Assad would fall, that the Syrian army would collapse. Israel hoped that the world would recognize its sovereignty in the Golan Heights after the Syrian regime collapsed. All these hopes have gone.
“Everyone is now standing in line today to renew diplomatic relations with Assad. They don’t recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” he said before ending his remarks on Gaza.
“Gaza has not surrendered despite the ineffectiveness of the world. Gaza is detached from the world, subjected to a siege, and Israel is still limited in how it can deal with it. They (Hamas) have succeeded in forcing on Israel an equation whereby a bombing will be met with a bombing.”
