– 2006-08-16 01:40:44
Address of His Eminence Sayed Hasan Nasarallah
LEBANON (August 3, 2006) — In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious Most Merciful: “Men said to them: “A great army is gathering against you”: And frightened them: But it (only) increased their Faith: They said: “For us God sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs.”
Peace be upon all of you…
Once again, I address you today as we are entering the fourth week of the open war which “Israel” declared against Lebanon. As usual, I find myself concerned to talk about several points and issues that are relevant to the field, political and public developments that are occurring on the level of this confrontation.
I will mainly concentrate on some field issues because of their significance and because I have been telling you since the first day that the field is the main, crucial and decisive element of this battle, added to other significant and key elements that must not be ignored or overlooked. This is why I will try in my speech to focus on some of the field aspects due to their criticality and significance regarding the ongoing battle.
As I speak, your brethren and children of the resistance combatants are enduring heroic battles along the frontline in south Lebanon, in each town, village, highland, mountain and outpost. This is where I begin, from the battles which the freedom fighters are conducting against a group of brigades, as the enemy declared.
This issue is nothing new; this is a group of Israeli enemy brigades, the crème of the brigades, the crème of the parachutists, and armored brigades, which are operating within the shade of a heavy and violent cover by the Israeli air force.
These battles on the ground are taking place at present. They began since the first day of war and aggression. Since the first day, there have been confrontations on the ground. But what is occurring at present is that these battles have become more comprehensive, wider, and more violent. We all remember the confrontations that took place in Maroun El-Rass, Aytaroun, and Ayta Shaab at the early days as well as the historic and heroic battles that took place at the triangle of men in Bint Jbail, Maroun El-Rass and Aytaroun.
Over the past two or three days, this operational confrontation on the field took different forms with the participation of a number of brigades and tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers as well as hundreds of Israeli tanks and vehicles. However, on the opposite side, the freedom fighters stand up to them with courage, valor, and strength, intercepting this advancement. The fact that a few days have past, one can still see that the fighting is still taking place at the frontlines and in the front villages and outposts.
The Zionists as well have been surprised by this confrontation on the land since the start. But now, they are receiving confirmation on their first conclusions which they concluded from the battles of Maroun El-Rass, Aytaroun, Ayta Shaab, Bint Jbail or any other battle that is giving them confirmation through the events of these days. The two most important issues on the level of the field are protruding as follows:
The first issue relates to the human element, the way which the Israelis used when they came and infiltrated or surrounded a certain town, leaving a back road for the fighters to escape and turn tail. But in all the battles which they endured until now, the fighters have been maintaining their positions, fighting to the last breath and last bullet despite all the harsh and difficult conditions which they have encountered. Therefore, the Israeli has been surprised by the present confrontations, by the human element of the resistance. The experience has proven until now and will prove in the future the same issue; that they are men who have a certain level of faith, will, courage, steadfastness and willingness to sacrifice lives. This is the issue about which I have spoken and said that these entrenched feet do not tremble and will not vanish even if the mountains had to vanish. The Israelis are experiencing this issue in every post and in each battle.
Speaking further on the human element, by asking all the military experts they will say that what is occurring is like a miracle; that complete brigades with their tanks and vehicles and under the heavy cover of the air force are attacking groups of the resistance in this or that village, in this or that post. Still, those men maintain their positions, fighting, keeping steadfastness and falling as martyrs. They even find the initiative by attacking and inflicting materialistic and human losses upon the enemy. This is a miracle when measured by the military and materialistic measurement. However, when measured by the men of God, this becomes a natural issue because this is the meaning of faith, will and honesty.
The second element is the capacity that was available at the resistance, this was also surprising. The enemy was shocked by the ability, quality and quantity that destroyed its tanks and military machines, which are the most advanced, important and most powerful tanks and military machines in the world. Still, the freedom fighters or mujahideen have been intercepting and destroying these tanks. The entire Israeli military tactic depends mainly on the deep penetrations using tanks and armored vehicles. But when the tanks cannot move, the movements of the enemy officers and soldiers become slow on the ground. This is the situation.
Today, when they advance or penetrate some locations, they start seeking for places where there is no resistance in order to keep advancing. But sooner than ever, the resistance takes the initiative in the places of their advancement, haunting, killing and expelling them. These abilities are presently available pertaining to quality and quantity. In other words, this is the antiarmor capacity at the resistance coupled with the numbers about which you heard or seen through the TV screens and special agencies. Until now, we did not display any images because at the frontlines the issues can be difficult. The number of the tanks and machines that have been destroyed until now is very large. I confirm that the Merkava tank or the Israeli military vehicles have been also intercepted, deactivated and frustrated because of the human element that possesses a high level of steadfastness and military abilities which have been abundant on this field, thanks to God. Those two elements have been clearly surprising for the enemy.
Regarding the issue of the ground confrontation, I would like to stress on the following points:
First, pertaining to the battlefield, the ballistic issue as well as the remaining issues about which I will talk, the enemy, has been employing a policy of clear, abundant and open lies. This is the nature of the enemy and it can be part of its psychological war. Anyhow, some employ this policy and lie in the psychological or non-psychological wars. For example, in the battle of Maroun El-Rass, the fighting took place for days. But the enemy said that it took control of Maroun El-Rass since the very beginning. Also in the battle of Bint Jbail, the enemy said it controlled the city of Bint Jbail. Instead, Bint Jbail maintained steadfastness and fought until one of the Israeli analysts or senior military observers said in his article: Are we controlling Bint Jbail or is Bint Jbail controlling us? At present, through its statements, the enemy is trying to portray itself that it occupied, controlled, entered and took control of wide areas of south Lebanon. Most of these issues, without saying in their entirety, are untrue and lies and they are part of the psychological war which the Israeli enemy is employing.
The second point relates to the prior one. First, the enemy is trying to present a victory, which is different from the psychological war. It is trying to say that I achieved the so-and-so achievement. I have listened to the Israeli media means saying that after violent battles the Abbad outpost of Hizbullah has been placed under control. There is no such outpost with the name of Abbad which belongs to Hizbullah. There is a point at the international border opposite to the Abbad outpost; it is an observation point that has been evacuated since the very first day, where there has been no fighting. Still, they say that they controlled the outpost of Hizbullah after violet battles. I do not know what violent battles they are talking about and with whom they fought. Did they fight each other? Anyhow, on the second point, we are facing land battles and I said a clear policy since the first day. We do not have a policy of clinging on to the geography. Therefore, we have no intention for our fighters and mujahideen to be killed in defense of this point, this hill or that village.
Our way of fight is not geographic. As I said, we are not a regular army and we do not use the way of the regular army. We rather use the way of the guerillas. Therefore, it would be useful for us to allow them advance into the entrances of the villages because this will give us a chance of a direct engagement in order to inflict human and materialistic losses upon them. This is our aim on the ground. Our aim is to inflict the largest possible number of human and materialistic losses upon the enemy. This issue is being achieved until now, thanks to God, in a great level. After this, when the enemy says it entered this hill or that village, this will neither change our strategy of combat nor our tactics or the morale of our fighters. On the contrary, when the enemy says that it entered this village or that hill after 23 days of fighting and heavy bombardment and ground battles while employing several brigades of the army, elite and reserves, what kind of achievement can this be?
This in fact is an achievement of the resistance, knowing that this village and that outpost have lasted until today while we know that the way of the Israelis is in using their tanks and brigades to invade and enter tens of kilometers within a few hours, but still, they are only advancing a few meters within days into south Lebanon. This is on the level of the battlefields at first.
Second, with respect to the sea, this is also part of the policy of hiding the losses about which I talked earlier. First, I would like to stress on the statement that was issued by the Islamic Resistance, that the resistance missiles targeted an Israeli warship type Saer 4.5 opposite to the coast of Sour. The Israelis denied it, the issue ended at this point and the case was closed in the media. But since I am talking about the field operations, I must point to this issue and say that when we first struck the warship (Saer 5) opposite to the coast of Beirut, the Israeli enemy immediately denied the issue. But the ship was by chance close to the seashore and we were able to shoot the missiles and take footage of the hit.
After we played the footage, the Zionists were forced to admit that there was a military ship that was hit and that they had missing soldiers with a search mission for them. With respect to the second strike, I confirm that it took place, but there is no necessity at present to exploit the issue because the technical means defined the location of that ship for us, hence we managed to hit it, and the coordinates confirm that this ship has been hit, but this time off the coast of Sour. There was heavy fog and the ship was very far from the seashore. However, this issue has been accomplished. Anyhow, in a battle of this kind, it is normal for the enemy to hide the issue and emerge through the media to say that Olmert was onboard this ship which Hizbullah claims it had struck, and that he has been sailing in open. How can we know that Olmert was riding the same ship which we hit or any other ship?
Second, regarding the missiles bombardment issue, despite of what the Zionist enemy said until now on this field, the missile shelling of the settlements in north Palestine reaching after Haifa will continue; rather, it will continue with a higher rhythm pertaining to quality and quantity. Yesterday, the Islamic Resistance fired more than 300 rockets into the northern settlements and shelled the settlement of Beit Shan or Beesan and the city of Afoula in the after-Haifa Israeli depth using Khaibar.
A few days ago, the Israeli enemy said that it will suspend its air strikes on Lebanon for 48 hours after the massacre of Qana. Its aim is to let the steam and ease the environment as well as lessen the impact of the massacre it had perpetrated. The enemy took this step. We also suspended our strikes, knowing of course that the enemy did not commit totally but partially. We stopped striking the settlements in north Palestine for two days.
At this point, I wish to point to the stupidity, arrogance and ignorance of the leadership of this enemy. Look to the mistake it has committed. This of course is evidence to us. Olmert read a speech of victory and announced that “Israel” won the battle. He also said that he indeed managed to destroy the entire military infrastructure of Hizbullah. Perhaps, he mainly relied on the 48 hours during which the shelling of the Zionist settlements stopped. These same words were repeated by Shimon Peres, the “stupid” prime minister; also his “senile” deputy said the same words adding that the military infrastructure of Hizbullah has been completely destroyed and that its Secretary-General fled the country.
This arrogance and this ignorance prevented them from approaching the truth about which Lebanese and Israeli military experts talked. Even news reporters can understand more than this arrogant political and military leadership of the Zionist enemy. This is because the truth, as these experts understood, was that the resistance and its leadership took a decision to stop shelling the settlements for 48 hours. This is because we wanted to give the people a chance to rest and move the injured and sick people as well as let the people depart the towns that are experiencing difficult humane crisis, and give chance to lift the wreckages. This is the real reason.
Hence, when the resistance stopped the shelling for 48 hours, this means, on the military level, that the resistance leadership is in full control, not only of the fronts, but also of all the launching pads of the missiles. This is why no individual action or violation took place. Therefore, there are forms that are operating efficiently and there is a leadership that gives the order, times the launching of the missiles, and there is a base along the front receiving orders and obeying.
This is the correct reading of the 48-hour stoppage of missiles launch. But how did the enemy read it? Therefore, as soon as the truce (suspending air strikes on Lebanon) ended and the Israelis resumed their raids again on our villages, cities, infrastructure and capital city, the Islamic Resistance fired in one day yesterday more than 300 rockets into the settlements, knowing that the usual daily record was 100, 150 or 170 missiles.
We did not wish the brothers to launch this number, but this quantity yesterday was intended as it was today. The resistance also shelled Afoula and Bait Shan. The resistance can also, as I can confirm after yesterday’s and today’s performance, fire the number it wishes or the number ordered, targeting the depth it seeks or the depth ordered. It can fire in the morning or in the afternoon or at night. We have no problem regarding this aspect.
This is the truth regarding the ballistic issue. Therefore, we can find that the Israelis were frustrated; and I can say that what happened was like a scandal for Olmert, Peres, the minister of war and the staff commander. The Israeli media means and senior Israeli political and military analysts began talking about this issue. We heard Olmert’s retraction speech in which he said to the people, we did not promise you that we will stop the rockets, we did not promise you with this or that issue. He did promise them, his promise has been videoed.
Anyhow, this Israeli frustration and this Israeli scandal are part of the aspects of the confrontation that forced the enemy staff commander yesterday to launch more threat to the Lebanese, and he said that he was studying the possibility of striking the Lebanese depth including the city of Beirut. Anyhow, this is an intimidation and part of the psychological war, but there may lurk a serious will behind it as well.
Continued in Part 2
