The new generation must be made aware of the humiliation the people of Lebanon suffered at the Israeli occupation's military checkpoints and in its prisons, in addition to the Israeli violations of the most basic human rights, its aggression, and its racism, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Wednesday on the 22nd anniversary of Resistance and Liberation Day.

Sayyed Nasrallah underlined that the day the resistance defeated "Israel" and liberated Lebanon was a God-given day and congratulated the supporters of the resistance on the day celebrated to commemorate the resistance ridding Lebanon of the Israeli occupation.

"Praised be to Allah, who put us on the path of resistance, which made us not wait for a single Arab regime, the United Nations, nor the UN Security Council," the Hezbollah chief said, voicing his gratitude to all the people who made sacrifices from all resistance factions and various sects, "especially the martyrs and their families."

Sayyed Nasrallah also thanked those wounded in action against the Israeli occupation and those who spent years in the occupation's detention centers, the resistance fighters' sacrifices on the battlefronts, and "the steadfast, patient people all over the villages of Lebanon."

Furthermore, he thanked the Lebanese army, especially for its actions in the late 1990s, as there was "a lot of harmony with the resistance, the Syrian Arab Army, and the Palestinian resistance factions."

Finally, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for all it offered. "They were very generous, and what it offers is no longer secret, especially the pivotal role of martyr Major General Hajj Qassem Soleimani."

People must know who is the true protector of sovereignty

"We must, on the anniversary of liberation, recall the suffering of the Lebanese people at the hands of the occupation since 1982, and everything that happened then, from bombings, terrorism, and displacement," the resistance chief stressed.

"The Lebanese people must know the true colors of this entity that is trying to appear as normal and blend in with the peoples of the region," he underscored.

In light of the latest national developments, Sayyed Nasrallah asked, "Are the ones who care about the sovereignty of Lebanon those who remain silent for decades about the occupation and accept the May 17 agreement?"

"The people must know who is the true protector of Lebanon's sovereignty," he added.

"The achievement made in 2000 is the greatest in modern history, and it is an unblemished victory met with great pride from the Arab World, the Islamic World, and Lebanon," he said.

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"Our victory in 2000 shattered the illusion of the 'invincible' army, crushed the project of 'greater Israel', and gave hope to the Palestinians for liberation," the leader explained. "We must exhibit our sacrifices, for this victory did not come for cheap. It was made possible with blood, tears, worn hands, and fingers on triggers. We must show who resisted the occupation, who conspired against the people of their own country, and who stood on that hill. This is not to open up old wounds but to show who actually fought the occupation."

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: Our victory in 2000 shattered the illusion of the "invincible" army, crushed the project of "greater Israel", and gave hope to the #Palestinians for liberation.#LiberationDay https://t.co/SlJ26dCsZ6

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 25, 2022

Resistance never asked to be in charge

"The Zionist entity had a plan to withdraw and leave its vehicles on Lebanese territory so that the borders would remain in the hands of the South Lebanon Army, who would then clash with the resistance and reignite the spark of civil war, but the resistance swiftly foiled this plan," he revealed.

"The 'Spider-web Speech' is ingrained deeply within the Israeli occupation, and they realize that they will not live past eight decades (i.e. the Israeli occupation would not survive past 80 years since its establishment)," Sayyed Nasrallah said in reference to his popular speech made in Bint Jbeil to mark the Resistance and Liberation day when he stressed that "Israel" would not last longer than 80 years.

"The resistance did not ask to be in charge in Lebanon following its victory, and it did not eye it with greed despite Syria's presence and the fact that the heads of power in Lebanon were all allies of ours," he reminded, noting that the resistance was the only one to achieve the victory. "We did not fight for power but for the liberation of the land, the people, and the national dignity."

"The capabilities of the enemy have been declining since its defeat in Lebanon in 2000, and this was proven by the testimonies of former occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

Stronger than you expect

"This resistance that emerged victorious in 2000 fought in light of fragmentation in Lebanon, and there was no consensus on it," Sayyed Nasrallah said.

"Some people went as far as ask us: 'who assigned you with fighting the enemy?' at the time that our country was occupied, and its men and women were in captivity. We, in turn, ask them: We defended our country. What did you do?"

"This resistance is much stronger than you expect or imagine, and it is stronger than ever before. Its morale is very high," Sayyed Nasrallah explained.

"The state is heading toward collapse, and we must solve its economic problems so that we could still have a state we could be asked to hand our arms to," he added.

Extracting gas is very possible

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed that Hezbollah had asked its opponents to put the resistance aside and prioritize the issues burdening the people because the people are mainly concerned about the rising USD rates while certain parties only cared about the resistance's arms.

"Solve the crises the country is undergoing so that we could still have an army and a state, then come negotiate the defense strategies," the resistance leader highlighted.

"Lebanon is very capable of being an oil and gas-rich country," Sayyed Nasrallah added. "The issue of drilling for gas in the Mediterranean is very, very possible, and this could solve all of Lebanon's issues, but that requires immense courage."

Hands off Al-Aqsa

Commenting on the latest developments in occupied Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque, he said that the Israeli occupation doing anything to Al-Aqsa would lead to a regional war. "It will lead to undesirable consequences.

He also concluded by noting that the Palestinian resistance chose to utilize its option to respond to any Israeli meddling with Al-Aqsa Mosque.