The peoples of West Asia are today in the age of victories and major shifts in power that the people and resistance of Palestine, Lebanon, and the region are creating, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday during a festival in Sidon, Lebanon.

"The normalizers and those who betrayed the Palestinian cause see that victory and liberation are far-fetched, and we see it as imminent," Haniyeh said. "The blockaded Gaza that underwent wars and battles is preparing, with its people and resistance, for a strategic battle with the enemy."

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh: the normalizers and traitors of the #Palestinian cause see victory and liberation as far-fetched, and we see it as imminent.#Palestine https://t.co/6nfDNaXWeT

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 26, 2022

In the case of any Israeli aggression on Gaza or occupied Palestine, Haniyeh said, 150 rockets will strike the Israeli occupation within five minutes. 

"From the Lebanon of resistance, we will crush your dreams. You have no place in Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa; Al-Quds belongs to our Arab and Islamic Ummah," he told the Israelis.

Seif Al-Quds made a shift in the struggle

Haniyeh hailed Lebanon, its resistance, and its people, which he said have embraced the Palestinian people and accompanied them through pain and hope. "The normalizers and traitors see that Al-Aqsa is far away, and we see it as close."

"Following years of security cooperation and conspiracies from those far and near, Jenin is once again uprising and raising the banner of resistance," Haniyeh added in reference to the occupied West Bank. "Gaza, which is embargoed by land, sea, and air, has been in battles and wars, and it raised the sword of Al-Quds in the face of the occupation. Through its resistance and people, it is preparing for a strategic battle with ['Tel Aviv']."

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh: Besieged #Gaza, which fought a number of wars and battles, is today, alongside its resistance and its people, preparing for a strategic battle with the enemy ["Israel"].#Palestine https://t.co/bzGS0SUlj1

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 26, 2022

"The battle of Seif Al-Quds caused a shift in the struggle against the Zionist enemy [...] the occupation, armed with all sorts of weapons, has the rockets of Al-Qassam [Brigades] and the resistance from Gaza falling over its head," Haniyeh stressed.

Al-Quds and the West Bank, he added, have fallen under the pressure of depriving the Palestinian people of their right to resistance and their land. "The people of the [West] Bank and Al-Quds have foiled the [Israeli] plans to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque."

The strategic choice for liberation is comprehensive military resistance

In his speech to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Haniyeh said: "Prepare yourselves; the return [to Palestine] is so close."

On the Lebanese energy resources, Haniyeh expressed "full solidarity with Lebanon against the Israeli attacks on its wealth" and stressed that "the enemy has no right whatsoever in Lebanon's water resources and wealth, just as it has no right in Palestine and its land," pledging "not to abandon the gas of Gaza, as it belongs to the people of Gaza."

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh addressing the #Palestinian refugees in #Lebanon: Prepare yourself; the return to #Palestine is so close. https://t.co/Ab8CKbsdGs

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 26, 2022

The Hamas chief continued to say, "We never interfere in the affairs of Arab countries, and Lebanon will always be in the right place," stressing the need for "Lebanon's security and stability, as they are part of Palestine's."

The head of Hamas' Political Bureau pointed out that the movement "adheres to joint action with all national and Islamic forces here in Lebanon and is open to all options," adding that "the right to return is sacred and will never be waived, neither for resettlement nor for an alternative homeland." Haniyeh stressed that "this right is the most prominent one in our struggle with the enemy."

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh: The enemy has no right whatsoever in #Lebanon's water sources and wealth, just as it has no right in #Palestine and its land. https://t.co/mAL5ahB950

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 26, 2022

Haniyeh stressed that the most strategic choice for liberation is comprehensive resistance, especially armed resistance, stressing that "there is no alternative for Palestine but Palestine, and when we demand our brothers in Lebanon to improve the conditions of the people of the [refugee] camps, it comes in the form of a fraternal human right demand." 

He concluded by saying, "We know that Lebanon never failed and will never fail the Palestinian refugees in its camps, especially that there are US attempts to place a spoke in UNRWA's wheels," noting that the UN organization bears witness that the Palestinian people do indeed want to return to their homeland.