Father Elias Zahlawi to Al Mayadeen: Blood of martyrs 'not in vain'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen Net
23 Nov 2023 14:37

The priest of Our Lady of Damascus Church, Father Elias Zahlawi, offers his condolences to Al Mayadeen Media Network following the murder of Farah Omar and Rabih Me'mari by the Israeli occupation.

A screenshot of Father Elias Zahlawi during an interview with Al Mayadeen Español in Damascus, Syria, on July 24, 2022. (Al Mayadeen)

The priest of Our Lady of Damascus Church, Father Elias Zahlawi, offered his condolences and congratulations to Al Mayadeen Media Network, on the ascension of its two martyrs, reporter Farah Omar and photojournalist Rabih Me'mari.

In an interview with Al Mayadeen Net, Zahlawi expressed his "complete certainty that the blood of our martyrs, including fighters, children, women, the elderly, and men, will not be in vain."

Upon the assassination of Farah and Rabih, and their companion martyr Hussein Akil, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al Mayadeen Media Network, Ghassan Ben Jeddou, stated that "the occupation targeted the Al Mayadeen crew directly and deliberately." He addressed the Israeli occupation stressing, "you will not be able to silence the voice of Al Mayadeen, and you should know that no matter how much you kill [us] or attempt [to silence] us, we will go on."

#AlMayadeen's family shared its last goodbye today with its martyrs, #FarahOmar and #RabihMemari, at the network's headquarters.#Lebanon pic.twitter.com/RVxszWbxoE
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 22, 2023

Soon after, Al Mayadeen's correspondent Ali Mortada proclaimed "The tears we are shedding are not tears of weakness or fear, rather they are a show of our humanity," adding that "We will not leave the media arena even if we are all killed."

Mortada reaffirmed that the Israeli enemy's targeting of Farah "will not weaken journalists' resolve."

Politicians, parties, institutions extend condolences to Al Mayadeen

Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun extended his condolences to Al Mayadeen in a call with Ben Jeddou over the martyrdom of our colleagues, praising Al Mayadeen for its coverage and reporting of the truth.

"I was deeply saddened [to learn of] the martyrdom of Farah Omar and Rabih Me'mari while performing their journalistic duty," said Aoun.

Similarly, the Syrian Ambassador to Moscow, Bashar al-Jaafari, also expressed his condolences to Al Mayadeen, emphasizing that the assassination of journalists by the "ISIS-like Zionists" affirms that the conflict is existential.

Manal Jaafar, Rabih's wife, and also a colleague at #AlMayadeen, bid her final farewell to her husband today at the funeral procession held at Al Mayadeen's headquarters.#RabihMemari #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/xlMLKNDaQI
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 22, 2023

Moreover, Iran's Minister of Culture, Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili, offered his condolences to Al Mayadeen, praising its excellence in the Axis of Resistance.

"We congratulate Al Mayadeen on their heroism and their effective presence in the Axis of Resistance, and we hope to celebrate together in the region with the collapse of the occupation."