Naim Qassem: We Will Never Surrender, Will Expel Israelis to the Last Man

Addressing a Muharram mourning ceremony at the shrine of the martyred leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, Sheikh Naim Qassem stated: "We confront all forms of dependency. Whenever the enemy faces us with weapons, we will counter them with weapons. We were born free, and we have consciously chosen to reject oppression, servitude, occupation, and guardianship, refusing to accept the plots and projects of others."

He added that the enemy has failed to break the resistance's core beliefs, steadfastness, and continued presence on the scene, emphasizing that Hezbollah remains active on the battlefield despite all hardships and sanctions.

Reflecting on recent regional developments, the Hezbollah chief warned: "Today in Lebanon, we are facing the most dangerous phase in our history and the largest joint American, Israeli, and international conspiracy that threatens the future of our country and our children. The primary objective of this plot is to fully eradicate and dismantle the resistance and its popular base in Lebanon."

Sheikh Qassem explained that to achieve this goal, the enemies initially launched a brutal and unrestricted war, resorting to the massacre of civilians and widespread destruction to force the resistance into submission. Subsequently, upon witnessing shifting regional equations following developments in Syria, the United States and the Zionist regime violated previous agreements in an attempt to tilt the balance of power in their favor.

He further pointed out that the adversaries tried to exploit the Lebanese government to create an illegitimate legal umbrella to eliminate the resistance, demanding political cover from state officials. In tandem with this, they blocked land, air, and sea routes to prevent weapons from reaching the resistance forces.

"They also blocked reconstruction efforts to keep people displaced, hoping to turn the social base of the resistance against it, while imposing a strict financial blockade," Qassem noted. He revealed that the enemies even sought to provoke the Lebanese army to incite internal strife, a plot that was ultimately foiled due to the vigilance of the army's commanders. Furthermore, pressure was exerted on Syria to close its eastern borders, allowing Israel and Washington to act as a hammer and anvil to contain the resistance.

The Hezbollah leader stated that after failing on the military front, the adversaries launched consecutive sectarian and factional plots. They initially attempted to pit the Sunni community against Hezbollah and subsequently sought to instigate conflict between Shias and Christians to incite society against the resistance.

Sheikh Qassem identified the United States as the chief architect and leader of this conspiracy, involved in every detail, utilizing all its espionage systems, as well as international, regional, and media resources to pressure Lebanon and siege the resistance.

Emphasizing that the resistance has made a resolute "Karbala-style and Ashura-inspired" decision, he declared that surrender is not an option. He stated that after 15 months of strategic patience, the resistance entered a phase of military warfare as of March 2 and will never allow conditions to revert to how they were prior to that date.

Concluding his remarks, the Hezbollah Secretary-General reiterated: "We will not accept what they desire. Victory, in every sense of the word, means the total expulsion of the Israeli enemy from our land, and we will drive them out of our territory down to the very last man."

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