You are voting for resistance, martyrs, strength of Lebanon: Nasrallah

• 

There is no Arabism without occupied Palestine and Al-Quds, and there is no Arabism with normalization, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday during an electoral rally in the Southern Suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.

"The attendance today and yesterday sends a message to all of those betting on the popular base of the resistance turning against it," Sayyed Nasrallah stressed in a nod to the large masses attending the rallies Hezbollah has been hosting.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah highlighted that following the speech made on Al-Quds Day, which he made alongside the leaders of the Axis of Resistance that they used to underline their support for the Palestinian cause and Al-Quds, the Israelis told diplomatic channels that they did not want to carry out aggression against Lebanon.

"Our state of alert and preparedness will remain high until the end of the Israeli military exercises, and the same goes for the Palestinian resistance," he said in light of the Israeli occupation launching the largest military drills in its history in occupied Palestine, codenamed "Chariots of Fire" as the region undergoes high tensions.

"Everything Parliament speaker Nabih Berri said is voicing the ideologies and the beliefs of the national duo (Hezbollah and Amal Movement)," Sayyed Nasrallah said.

Regarding the Lebanese authorities, he underlined that Hezbollah was not putting itself up as a substitute for the state. "The presence of the state is important and essential because the only alternative is chaos," he explained, stressing that no single entity could replace the state.

"Even on the issue of resistance, we do not present ourselves as an alternative to the state, and that is why we always push the narrative of 'Army, People, and Resistance'."

Sayyed Nasrallah underlined that there is a state in Lebanon that has its own institutions, and what needs to be done is to take care of the problems and flaws it is suffering from. He, however, stressed that Lebanon's situation is delicate and sensitive, and "this issue cannot be approached with enthusiastic and revolutionary means as happens in other countries."

Election law unjust toward youth

"What we all should aspire for is a fair and capable state, and we can achieve this by various means. A just state would propose an electoral people that allows the citizens to feel that they are able to vote whoever represents them into Parliament [...] citizens under the age of 21 not being able to vote is highly unjust toward the youths that have national duties but are deprived of their rights."

He also stressed that a just and fair state is one that does not burden its own people with liberation or defense. "The responsibility of building a just state falls on everyone, and whoever claims that they can do this alone are not being truthful."

We call for cooperation

"We are calling for cooperation and partnership rather than marginalization, and everyone should be represented in Parliament based on their popularity [...] any narrative that promotes a minority and a majority in the government is illogical, and it will drag Lebanon into crises. This is what we have always been saying," Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted.

"When we started taking part in the government in 2005, we went in with the intention of safeguarding the resistance. We have never asked the state to protect the government; we never have. We are simply asking not to backstab someone who is part of the state."

In a nod to criticism Hezbollah has been facing with regard to its alliances and coalitions, the party's chief underlined that "electoral and political alliances do not mean there are no differences between the various parties [within the coalition]."

Not heading East will not lead Lebanon anywhere

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah underscored that Lebanon not heading East and expanding cooperation with the countries of the East just out of appeasement to the United States "will not take us anywhere [...] We have treasures in our seas while the Lebanese people are suffering from unemployment, rising costs of living, and starvation."

"Why do we not exploit our treasure in the sea? Is fear from the US preventing us from doing so?" he asked. "What can the US do more than it has already done? More than embargoes, starvation, and pushing Israel to commit aggression against us?"

He once again reiterated his support for Lebanon drilling for oil and natural gas in its territorial waters in the Mediterranean Sea. "Lebanon has the right to drill for natural gas and oil in the disputed area just like the enemy is," he said, adding that Lebanon was not a bankrupt or poor state, and "the politicians have no right to turn Lebanon into a servile country begging for help."

Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: "#Lebanon has the right to drill for oil and [natural] gas in the disputed area just like Israelis do."#LebanonElections2022 #LebaneseElections2022 https://t.co/JB1yRGLQPF

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 10, 2022

"Lebanon is rich and strong; why would [Lebanese people] want to become beggars and sit at the doorstep of the International Monetary Fund that wants to impose humiliating conditions on us?" Sayyed Nasrallah asked.

I know you are voting for resistance, martyrs, strength of Lebanon

"You are today between two parties: one that is taking responsibility while the other is resigning and trying to evade accountability despite being a party to the system that caused the oppression," he told the Lebanese people.

Also addressing the Lebanese people days before the legislative elections in the country, Sayyed Nasrallah acknowledged that they are "voting for the martyrs, the resistance, and the strength of Lebanon, its vigor and all its allies," recognizing that the Lebanese people had all made sacrifices and that it was their sacrifices that were protecting the borders and sovereignty of Lebanon.