JCPOA, Lebanon maritime border demarcation unrelated: Sayyed Nasrallah

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The issue regarding the demarcation of the Lebanese maritime borders, the Karish field, as well as Lebanon's rights to its oil and gas in the Mediterranean sea are not related to the status of the Iran nuclear deal, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday.

"Whether the nuclear deal is signed or not, if the Lebanese state's demands are fulfilled, we are heading toward a state of calm," Sayyed Nasrallah told a crowd gathered for the laying down of the foundation stone of the Janta attraction site in the Bekaa region to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Hezbollah.

"If Lebanon does not obtain the rights demanded by the Lebanese state, we are heading toward an escalation whether or not the nuclear agreement is signed," the Hezbollah chief underlined.

"The focus in Lebanon must be on Karish and the Lebanese [maritime] border, as well as the US mediator that is still wasting time amid a time constraint," he added.

The Hezbollah Secretary-General warned earlier this month that any attempt to plunder any of Lebanon's wealth will be thwarted, indicating that Hezbollah was waiting for the Israeli enemy's response to Lebanon's demands regarding border demarcation.

He also noted that it is necessary to prepare for all possibilities, adding that Hezbollah is serious about this file to the utmost. Sayyed Nasrallah then addressed the Israeli occupation by saying that Lebanon and its people will no longer accept the looting of its wealth, warning the occupation against making any blunder in Lebanon.

Sayyed Nasrallah lauds withdrawal of Lebanese MMA fighter against Israeli player

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah took the opportunity to laud the Lebanese mixed martial arts fighter Charbel Abu Daher, who withdrew from the World Mixed Martial Arts Championship in Abu Dhabi in protest against having to compete with an Israeli player.

This step, Sayyed Nasrallah said, affirms that resistance knows no religious sect.

"We express to the young man, Charbel, and his family, our pride in his honoring patriotic and humanitarian stance," he said.

#Arab players continue their defiance against normalization with the Israeli occupation; this time, it was the #Lebanese player Charbel Abu Daher who withdrew from the competition, refusing to face an Israeli competitor.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/W9PKs66M8Y

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 18, 2022

Why Janta?

On the reason why the resistance chose the village of Janta to establish a tourist attraction site, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah clarified that Hezbollah laid down the foundation stone for a resistance tourism site in the first military camp established by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to train Hezbollah fighters in Janta.

"In 1982, following the Israeli invasion, there was a strong possibility that the [Israeli occupation] would invade all Lebanese territories and besiege Damascus. In those days, Imam Khomeini made a major historical decision and sent the vanguard of forces to Syria," Sayyed Nasrallah underlined.

"The forces' main concentration point was in the Zabadani region, and from there on forward, it was decided that they would enter Lebanon, they would enter Janta. The first Lebanese region to be reached by the brothers in the IRGC was this land on which we are celebrating," he added.

"The first combat training course ended, and the Janta military camp became a common place for holding combat training courses," the Hezbollah Secretary-General said. "The camps have expanded in Janta and its surroundings, and there are Janta camps in the valleys and hills."  

"Janta was also the first training camp for the Islamic resistance in Lebanon and the first military course to see resistance fighters in the Islamic resistance graduating," he said.

"This place has a great emotional and spiritual position in our journey, and that is why it was chosen," the Lebanese resistance leader stressed. "We aspire to have all the memories in these military camps in Janta and those of all the freedom fighters resurrected."

"We aspire to include in this landmark also all the memory of the rest of the camps in the Bekaa, the beginnings [of the resistance], the arrival of the IRGC to the towns of the Bekaa, [...] and the memory of the people of the Bekaa adopting the resistance."