Nasrallah: Past year has shifted the war against Israel in our favor

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah spoke on Thursday on the occasion of Quds Day, claiming that “the developments of the past year have served our struggle against Israel.”

According to him, “the revival of Quds Day is an essential part of the battle for the liberation of Palestine. This year, more than ever, we have seen the axis of the resistance to be strong, capable and cohesive, as we have seen on the ground in recent weeks.”

In his speech, Nasrallah said: “Every year on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan, all the minds, hearts, desires, feelings, squares, fronts, fists, platforms, voices, throats and pens meet about the centrality of Jerusalem, its purpose and its restoration from the grip of the occupation.”

“Every year on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan, all the minds, hearts, desires, feelings, squares, fronts, fists, platforms, voices, throats and pens meet about the centrality of Jerusalem, its purpose and its restoration from the grip of the occupation.”

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah

Nasrallah went on to point out that “on the international level, the world is steadily marching towards a multi-polar world order. We are heading towards a situation where the hegemony of the one pole is represented by the US and Israel, and the world are marching in this direction. What is happening in Europe, in Ukraine, between Russia and NATO, between Russia and America, the ever-increasing tensions between China and the USA, and the European position in this milieu is astonishing, the reflection of this position on important and influential countries in the world.”

Vehicles drive past pictures of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, ahead of the parliamentary election that is scheduled for May 15, in Taalabaya, Lebanon. Picture taken May 4, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/AZIZ TAHER)

At the regional level, he claimed that “during the year, we witnessed clearly and officially, the failure of projects of terrorism and aggression, and we also witnessed regional countries’ openness to the possibilities of calm and agreement, solving internal problems between the various countries in our region through diplomacy and dialogue.”

He went on to claim that “certainly this new path in the region helps to bridge the gates of various conflicts, acute internal conflicts and harmful ruptures in the body of our nation, in the face of the Israeli attempt to create an Israeli-Arab axis in the confrontation with Iran and with the resistance axis. This year, more than ever, we saw the the axis of resistance emerges from the experience of the past few years as strong, capable and cohesive, and what we are witnessing on the ground.”

“At the Palestinian level”

He added that “on the Palestinian level, the escalation of the Palestinian resistance in the West Bank and in Jerusalem has come to be, in my opinion, one of the most decisive factors in this struggle with the large presence in al-Aqsa, especially these days, despite all the attacks and great difficulties.”

“Also, resistance capabilities are increasing in the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian people are mobilizing around the choice of resistance inside and outside of Palestine. All these important Palestinian developments bring us more than ever into the circle of certainty regarding the results of this conflict, in addition to developments at the level of the entity, at the regional level and the international level.”

He emphasized that “at the current stage, efforts should be focused on supporting the West Bank and Jerusalem, supporting the armed resistance and supporting the steadfast people there, who constitute the environment for the resistance.

“The West Bank today is rightfully the protector of Jerusalem, its people, its people, women, young and old,” he continued. “The Church of the Resurrection deals with Islamic and Christian holiness and maintaining its existence and its identity, and they have always been and prove every day that they are up to the challenge and meet this historic responsibility.”

A MAN RIDES a motorbike past a picture of Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, near Sidon, last year. (credit: ALI HASHISHO/REUTERS)

He concluded by saying: “What should occupy all of us in the axis of resistance and at this particular stage is how to provide useful support and stronger support at every level so that this resistance in the West Bank and this courageous uprising will continue.”

In the meantime, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, also spoke on the occasion of Quds Day. “Today, the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque stands upright against the Zionists who want to change the historical religious facts.”

He went on to claim that “the Zionists are violating the sanctity of the al-Aqsa mosque right in front of the camera lenses.” According to him, “several variables indicate the nearness of liberation, the first of which is the fracture and disintegration of Israel that will lead to its collapse, and the second is that we are facing a new international order in which poles rise and fall, and signals a decline in American influence in the world.”

He noted that “reconciliations and progressive steps through dialogue instead of conflict indicate that we are facing a reality that brings good news to the peoples at the regional level.” On the other hand, he emphasized that “the consequences of the agreement signed between Iran and Saudi Arabia will impact several countries, especially on the situation in Yemen.”

According to Haniyeh, “based on these changes, we can say that we are in a progressive position in contrast to Israel” and added that “we continue on the path of resistance. This is the message of our people. In Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, in the interior of the country, in the camps and in the Diaspora.”