Nasrallah justifies Lebanon riots in speech
Posted by tearsforlebanon on May 8, 2008
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah spoke to his supporters currently rioting across Lebanon on Thursday.
Rather than calling for calm, Nasrallah accused the government of
seeking to change Beirut airport into a base for the CIA, FBI and
Israeli Mossad.
“The dark decisions by the black government give us the right to
chop off the hand that stretches a hand towards the communications
network,” Nasrallah vowed.
Transcript of Nasrallah’s Speech
The government must know that it has led Lebanon into a dangerous situation. I will speak of many issues as they are.
The first topic is the communication network, then the issue of airport security Chief Shoukair and the hanging crisis.
Throughout history, all combat has used signs. The communications network is a logistic means for us to use inside signs.
The problem with a regular communications network is that it can be tapped.
Another problem is that a regular communication can be bombed.
The resistance cannot own hi-tech arms… The best means to face high technology is simplification
Our communication network is a regular telephone network, and is… the most important weapon in any resistance.
In the July War, our strongest point was control because
communication between leadership and field battles was secure, and this
was confessed by the enemy.
We are not a disciplined army; this is how we ensured success.
Many of our members died as martyrs because of landline and mobile phone communications.
The most important request of Winograd was to [hit] the communication of Hezbollah.
This network is neither new nor modern. It was updated, it’s true.
I want to remind them that when we entered the government, we (the
government) released a statement saying the network was part of the
resistant.
After Winograd, Welch’s promise of a “hot summer”… they opened
this as a new dossier, despite the fact that when we were in dialogue
we had begun to agree on the matter.
This is an important detail: there was a cable connecting Dahiya to
West Beirut, which we were told was making certain people
uncomfortable, and we agreed.
This is a new phase… there are bets on new wars which were lost… hence, they re-opened the network issue.
We do not want to fight with our arms; that is not the aim.
They accused us of extended the network through Kesrouan and Jbeil; this is untrue.
We do not need a land-network in Jbeil and Kesrouan. They then accused
us of the North, and we said we do not need it. They then targeted the
line between Dahiyeh and the South.
We met all their demands and reassured all their fears, and so they said the network was causing the government to lose money.
They then said the network could be used for international
intelligence; we said that this was a sin and a waste of public money.
They looked into the matter, and it was resolved.
They then asked for a compromise: end the sit-in downtown, and we will overlook the network.
We ask, if we fulfill this, suddenly the network is not illegal and
not a waste of public money? This is not a government; this is a gang.
We told them that was blackmail.
We told them the network was part of the resistance, but the sit-in was
an opposition movement and hence not under our control anyway.
(Our network) is related to defending the country against Israel.
I have learned, through experiences, that we should not say the
Siniora government. Siniora is a poor man, an employee. We should say
the government of Walid Jumblatt. When Jumblatt wants to remove the
airport security chief, he does.
This decision is a declaration of war by Jumblatt on the resistance and its arms for the benefit of the US.
This decision has uncovered the truth behind this team and their
loyalties and behavior during the July War. This decision aims to
destroy the infrastructure of the resistance and the ruling team is
therefore implicated in the assassinations.
Today this team is pushing the army and security forces into direct confrontation with the resistance.
The government is a cover for Terje Roed-Larsen and UNSCR 1559. That is its basic description.
We have the right to defend our existence from whoever declares and begin a war on us, even if they are our brothers.
The network is part of the resistance.
I said, before Jumblatt, that any hand that reaches for the
resistance and its arms will be cut off. Israel tried that in the July
War, and we cut its hand off.
We do not advise you to try us.
Whoever is going to target us will be targeted by us. Whoever is going to shoot at us will be shot by us.
Let’s look into who is really harming the people and stealing their
money. Unfortunately, this is the government. Jumblatt acknowledges
this openly on TV.
Jumblatt is a liar and a killer. He sits up there and draws red
lines, and the martyrs and people who defended Lebanon will be handed
over to the courts. This is not a government, this is a gang.
The second issue is the airport. It is not about Brigadier General
Wafik Shoukeir. It is entitled Wafik Shoukeir. We were asked to replace
him.
Shoukair is not an Amal or Hezbollah member. He is the son of a
national institution, who was raised to follow the law and not a ‘zaim.’
Former President Emile Lahoud refused to sign this request, and so
they turned to alternate means. We will not allow the airport to serve
the CIA and Mossad, point blank.
Sheikh Qabalan is not defending a Shia, but a national officer. If the
military institution falls apart, there is nothing left of this country.
The issue is much greater than the surveillance camera and Wafik
Shoukair… The decision was made in Moukhtara and the employees had to
carry it out.
Shoukair was not given the chance to defend himself. This is how a gang works.
The third and final issue is the current crisis. Who pushed the
country into this crisis? They did. We are patient. We were fought, and
we were patient.
When they made their decisions, they created the current crisis. We
are in a new phase. Am I declaring war? Not at all. I am declaring
oppression and self-defense.
We will not be killed in the streets. We will not be shot at. We will not accept for our resistance and military to be targeted.
I want to tell the Lebanese people… and the Arab and Islamic
people… that we did not see this emotion and enthusiasm when Israel
destroyed 100,000 homes and the country’s infrastructure.
If the fight were over the government, we would have had a regular
protest. We are not fighting for that. All this talk of power and coups
has no value. The point is that there is a team serving the US to do
what the US and Israel failed to do, and that is strip us of the
resistance’s arms.
We do not need anyone’s help. I am not asking for anything but
understanding. I am asking for the sympathy of the Arab people. I tell
you, we are not afraid of Sunni-Shia sedition. We are not going to use
arms. End of story.
The issue is that there is an American plan that we are fighting
against. This is the nature of the crisis. There is no need for fear.
Sectarian sedition is out of the question, and we will not use our
arms to take power by force. It will only be used to defend our arms.
After the July War, we were exposed to a billion-dollar smearing campaign. “Hezbollah is Iranian, Hezbollah is Syrian…”
Our image was not smeared, however, for our image is as bright as the sun and cannot be damaged.
Even if we disagree politically, we are brothers… There will be no Sunni-Shia strife in Lebanon.
This is our description of the current phase, which was created by Jumblatt’s government and the government of Condoleezza Rice.
