Nasrallah to Saudi
Invaders: Yemeni People will Triumph, You’ll
be Defeated
Video and Transcript (English)
Full
televised speech delivered by Hizbullah
Secretary General, His Eminence Sayyed
Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday, March 27, 2015.
Hezbollah leader elaborated on the pretexts
used by the Saudi Arabia to justify its war
on Yemen, saying they are "baseless"
pretexts.
Posted
March 31, 2015
March 31, 2015 "ICH"
- I take refuge in Allah from the stoned
devil. In the Name of Allah, the
Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Peace be
upon the Seal of Prophets, our Master and
Prophet- Abi Al Qassem Mohammad; on his
chaste and pure Household; on his chosen
companions and on all messengers and
prophets.
Peace be
upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
In fact, days ago, I was preparing for a
televised speech as I haven't met with you
for weeks. In my speech, I aimed at tackling
some local affairs besides having a general
look at the situation in the region.
However, no doubt, the serious development
that took place in the region with the
commencement of the aggressive war on Yemen
will dominate my speech as it dominated the
political concerns in the region and the
world. That's why I will very briefly tackle
the internal local affairs in two points
before moving into the latest development
that recommends taking a stance and
specifying responsibilities.
It goes without saying that every Lebanese
person, every Arab person, and every man in
the world has to specify his stance from a
development with such a magnitude, as in the
aggression against Yemen. In Lebanon, our
stance came late, too. We do not want anyone
to blame us for expressing our stance,
saying that Lebanon does or does not
tolerate such a stance. In fact, I was
preparing for my speech at midnight while
watching the latest news, when by chance, I
first saw breaking news on the Al Arabiya TV
channel to the effect of the commencement of
the aggression against Yemen. It was around
midnight. No sooner did stances start to
follow one after the other. Perhaps before
an hour passed, I saw PM Saad Hariri talking
and commenting and supporting the Saudi
aggression. He also condemned the people in
Yemen and talked to the effect of an Iranian
intervention, among the other points that he
tackled.
Well, in Lebanon as well, all parties had
their turn and took stances. This is a
natural right. Some support; others oppose.
Some are with; others are against. There is
no problem in that. We also have our right
to express our stance and our vision that is
different from the vision of others. As we
respect the right of others to express their
vision and stances and using the terms they
find appropriate- though these terms provoke
us for sure- we have this very right, and no
one is allowed to confiscate this right of
ours to express our stance in the terms we
find appropriate. However, I hope that this
new discord as well as this new political
division over this development in the Gulf
would not cause tension in Lebanon or have
its repercussions on the level of the
government. Indeed, the government must take
into consideration the various Lebanese
trends and visions over this issue to ensure
that it does not drag the country to further
congestion or influence the situation, in
general.
There are two points which I want to tackle
briefly as far as the local situation is
concerned.
The first point has to do with dialogue, and
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and what is
being said there. From the very beginning
we- Hizbullah and the Future Movement- chose
dialogue for the national interest and the
interest of our country. When officials from
all political parties and trends sit
together and talk with each other in Lebanon
under a logical and practical ceiling,
sectarian congestion would be relieved, the
country would be saved from collapsing, as
well as the files which we could cooperate
over, agree on, and achieve would be
covered. That is great. So, from the very
beginning, there were political forces in
Lebanon- from within and outside of the
Future Movement- who reject dialogue and
strongly oppose it, in addition to working
at crippling it. From the very first moment
of the launch of the dialogue, they did so
and are still doing so. In fact, they are
exploiting every opportunity to achieve this
goal, including the testimonies given in the
Special Tribunal.
As far as we are concerned, we do not mind
these voices and these stances. In fact, we
will carry on this dialogue as long as it
represents a national interest and not a
need for a group. We will bear all of these
provocations with open-mindedness- and we
can tolerate all of these provocations.
Thus, I especially call on the masses of the
resistance to have patience, tolerate, and
give no attention to these voices because
their aim is to revive sectarian and
factional provocation and sedition, as such
voices have no place except in an atmosphere
of sedition, severe divisions, and
international conflicts. However, we do not
want to secure what they wish for. All that
is needed is patience in besides neglecting
all of these provocations which are taking
place.
As for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and
all that is being said on its platforms,
everyone in Lebanon and the world knows that
years ago, we tackled this issue and
announced a clear, firm, and final stance on
the tribunal, its structure, its goals, its
laws, and its end results. This is final for
us. Thus, we find ourselves unconcerned with
this tribunal even if the Lebanese followed
the prolonged testimonies and heard many
stories, although they did not notice any
word, so far, with any legal value. I am not
concerned with discussing or commenting on
this issue. I want to remind you only that
we do not comment on all that is said in the
tribunal because, in fact, the tribunal does
not concern us in principle, in detail, and
from the very beginning to the very end. Our
stance on the tribunal is decisive and
clear. When something is absolutely
unacceptable to us, we do not need to
comment on it. Thus, I hope that no one
would say that so and so a witness said such
and such and Hizbullah did not comment. We
are not concerned with all that is said in
the tribunal. This is final.
The second point has to do with the new
campaign concerning finger-pointing at us
and accusing us of crippling the
presidential elections, which we have
noticed in the past few weeks.
No doubt, presidential vacuum is harmful to
Lebanon, and carrying out presidential
elections is very important. Still, some
like to hold others responsible. I am
concerned with what was said a few days ago
pursuant to accusing Iran, and consequently,
Hizbullah. The accusation is against Iran.
Iran is being accused of crippling
presidential elections in Lebanon. Frankly
speaking, I will only say that Iran does not
interfere in the presidential elections in
Lebanon. It did not ever and will never
interfere, in fact.
The French contacted the Iranians and
invoked them too much. The Iranians referred
them to the Lebanese and told them that this
is an internal Lebanese affair, and Iran
does not put a veto on any Lebanese
personality to reach the presidential seat.
For your information- Iran did not name
anyone, refuse anyone, or discuss any name.
Thus, it is not responsible for crippling
elections. Today, we must say things as they
are. The side responsible for crippling the
elections is very well known in the media,
behind the scenes, and in political circles
by all of the Lebanese; it is a definite
state which I will name soon. This state
puts a veto on the most powerful, natural,
and logical candidate who might achieve
equilibrium and stability in Lebanon, and
enjoys the major Christian and national
popularity.
This state that puts the veto and prevents
elections is: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
and more precisely- Saudi Foreign Minister
Saud Al Faisal. This is known by everyone. I
personally deduce that the leadership of the
Future Movement in some place does not
oppose this choice. The head of the Future
Movement at some point in the covert
discussions or in his personal convictions
does not oppose this choice. However, the
problem in Lebanon is that there is a state
that had put a veto on a good president.
You know that Saudi Arabia is crippling the
presidential elections, so why do you hold
Iran responsible for this issue at a time in
which it has nothing to do with the Lebanese
presidential elections? It is we who decide,
elect, and choose. No one of our friends or
even foes dictate anything on us. First, let
your decision be in your own hands without
paying any attention to any veto from here
or there. As such, the dilemma of the
presidential elections in Lebanon might
reach its natural and logical end. I will
only tackle these two points as far as the
Lebanese affairs are concerned in order to
move into the crucial new development.
It was at midnight when we first heard in
the news that Saudi Arabia launched a war
against Yemen, and waged raids and broad
strikes against it. Later on, it was said
that 10 countries or so backed the strike, a
coalition was formed, and the campaign was
dubbed "Storm of Firmness".
Let's first talk some emotions, and then we
will move to politics. Since that very
moment to this very moment and as I follow
the news and comments, a question always
recurs in my mind and I find that many are
asking the same question: What happened in
fact that caused the "Storm of Firmness" to
be blown by the Saudi regime and its allies?
We are noticing Arab firmness, Arab
gallantry, Arab bravery, Arab heroism, and
Arab determination- praise be to Allah! That
is really something noticeable. However, it
is painful that since 1948 and for decades
now, the people of Palestine and the peoples
of the countries in the region that neighbor
Palestine have been suffering from
calamities due to the existence of the
"Israeli" entity in Palestine; still, no
"Storm of Firmness" or even "Breeze of
Firmness" had ever blown on us. We used to
dream of such an Arab breeze; unfortunately,
nothing of this sort ever took place.
Well, if the issue has to do with appeals
for help, the Palestinian people have been
crying for help for decades now and they are
still calling for help. In Lebanon, in 1982,
the Lebanese people appealed to you for
help; however, no sooner they lost hope in
you. In 2006, I told you we do not want
anything from you; just leave us alone. Yet,
the Palestinian people are still calling you
for help. In the latest war- the 51-day war
against Gaza- the houses of thousands of
Gaza residents were shelled and demolished.
Their women and children were slaughtered.
They are Sunni Muslims- allow me, but I am
obliged to talk as such. They were calling
and crying for Arab kings, princes, and
leaders. Still, they did not make any move.
So, where did this resolution, zeal,
courage, gallantry, and firmness sprout
from? This is really something surprising
and painful at the same time. Surely, there
is something that is much more crucial,
important, and critical than anything that
had happened in our region in decades.
Everything that has happened in our region
from wars and oppressions did not ever
require Saudi military intervention or a
Saudi firmness storm. What happened that
required all of what took place? Let's see
what this is. If the goal is to rescue the
Yemeni people, then why did you leave the
Palestinian people for decades without
making any move? You even conspired against
them, distorted them, failed them, and sold
them to the "Israelis" and the Americans.
Secondly, if the goal is to restore the
legitimate authority which you claim is
represented by Abed Rabbu Mansour and his
government, then why did not you exert any
effort to restore what is more important
from an authority- meaning the land of
Palestine and the sanctities of the nation
in Palestine and the first Kiblah for
Muslims?
Thirdly, you are saying that the new
situation in Yemen threatens your security-
the security of the Gulf and the security of
Saudi Arabia. But, it is still a new
situation and its capacities and
capabilities are not yet clear; they are not
finally formed. Still, you are saying that
you felt the danger, and took the initiative
and launched this aggression.
Well, haven't you felt the danger of the
existence of "Israel" which owns one of the
strongest armies in the world and borders
your ports, seas, oceans, and countries?
Arabs and Muslims! This provides further
proof in the eyes of these Arabs that
"Israel" is not an enemy and it has never
been an enemy or a threat that zealously
requires a storm of this kind.
Anyway, let's discuss these pretexts.
Indeed, it is my responsibility to interpret
this issue in order to wrap up our
discussion with a stance and a call. Let's
see these pretexts that have been given. Do
these pretexts justify or permit you to
launch such a fierce and destructive war? At
this time, houses are being demolished as
well as infrastructure. Civilians- women and
children- are being killed. Is there any
need, reason, or pretext for that? These
questions are also to be posed on the
religious sides that want to give a
legitimate dimension to this war. What are
the pretexts that were given, so far, for
the aggression against Yemen and against the
Yemeni people? In principle, they are three
pretexts. I will leave the main pretext to
the end because it requires a broad
commentary.
The first pretext is that, in their view,
there is a legitimate elected president.
Although the man resigned and then he
withdrew his resignation although the legal
term had ended according to the Gulf
Initiative...Anyway, let's not discuss this
aspect. Suppose that there is no legitimate
problem. Suppose that he did not resign and
that his legal term had not ended yet.
Suppose there is an absolutely legal
president who is calling you for help: help
me to restore myself as a president and to
restore my cabinet to power in the country.
This is a pretext. Is this a sufficient
pretext to launch a war on Yemen?
In the past, you never did anything of this
sort. For example, you did not act as such
when the Tunisian people rose against Zein
Al Aabideen Bin Ali who fled to Saudi Arabia
and is still under Saudi patronage. At that
time, the Saudi king got angry. He as well
as Saudi Arabia had very hard and sharp
stances against the revolution of the
Tunisian people. He tried to restore
President Zein Al Aabideen Bin Ali; however,
he failed before the Tunisian will. Still,
they did not form an Arab and international
coalition or alliance, or call for help
because they wanted to launch a war on the
Tunisian people to restore the legitimate
president and government.
I will give one more example only. We all
know the stance of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia from the revolution of the Egyptian
people that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
It was a very antagonistic and negative
stance. It was an overt stance. It was also
said that a competition took place between
the Saudis and the Americans because they
considered the Americans to be mild and
lenient, or even connivers. They turned the
world upside down for the sake of Hosni
Mubarak.
Egypt is your neighbor, and it is very
important to you. Still, you did not form an
international coalition and did not call for
any help to attack Egypt and hit the rebels
against the president which is legitimate
according to you. You did not do anything of
this sort. Why, then, did you act as such
when it came to Yemen? So, this is not the
case. This is not a true pretext. This is
nothing more than an unconvincing pretext.
It was one of the lies made to launch the
war.
Still, why did they do that? If they wanted
to restore the legitimate president, they
should have at first started with sanctions,
political pressures, financial pressures,
and economic pressures; they may have called
for dialogues and made good of all the
friendships and enmities in the world. As a
final stage, they may resort to this option.
What is the secret behind this strange, odd,
and surprising military action with such a
magnitude? So, it has nothing to do with
wanting to restore the president and the
government to Yemen. The story is, by far,
more than that.
The second pretext is that the new situation
in Yemen is threatening the security of
Saudi Arabia, the security of the Gulf
States, and the security of the Red Sea. To
avoid using many names, I will only say, the
new situation in Yemen- in that, I mean this
overwhelming popular revolution headed by
the Ansarullah Movement with the cooperation
and the assistance of the Yemeni Army and
many of the Yemeni people, sections and
tribes, regardless of their trends and
sects.
This is the new situation. Is it true that
the new situation in Yemen is threatening?
Do you have evidence to give to Muslims, the
Islamic peoples, the scholars, and the
Muftis who provide you with their legal
opinion for your doing so? Do you have
decisive proof? Well, you are waging a war
in which blood is shed. If you want to call
people to account for their intentions which
you are supposing, you would be acting in an
inhuman way that has nothing to do with
Islam. This is rather the religion of George
Bush who calls to account according to
intentions. Do you have proof that the new
situation in Yemen is threatening Saudi
Arabia and the Gulf states? There is no
proof.
Secondly, everyone knows that the internal
problems in Yemen are great. There are
security problems, "ISIL", Al Qaida,
problems pertaining to parties and regions,
besides problems that have to do with
development, economy, society, livelihood,
finance, and politics as well as
reconstructing the regime and drafting a new
constitution. That means that the Yemeni
people and the political forces in Yemen
have much work for at least the coming 20 to
30 years. It is clear what the Yemeni
military capabilities are. In fact, the
people who know best about the military
capabilities in Yemen are the Saudis.
Well, has this Yemen done anything that
indicates that it threatens the security of
Saudi Arabia or the security of the Gulf?
Moreover, it is to my knowledge- and I do
not know if that was circulated in the media
or not- that the brethrens in the Ansarullah
Movement had contacts with the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the Gulf states.
There were contacts and negotiations. In
fact, on the eve of the decease of King
Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, there was a
delegation from Ansarullah in Riyadh. They
met and held talks with the Saudi
intelligence.
The king died and a new authority came.
Contacts were severed. Well, some people
said that they are ready for political
dialogue. They headed for political dialogue
in Sanaa- they did not agree to go to Aden;
you said Riyadh- they accepted to go to
Muscat. Why did you refuse Muscat? So, their
priority is Yemen. They are ready to have
contacts and carry out political dialogue
over the future of Yemen in Muscat or any
neutral state. They did not do anything.
They did not stage any aggression against
you. They did not take the initiative to
fight you. They did not announce war against
you.
On the contrary, they always used to address
you with goodwill. They are telling you that
what is taking place in Yemen with respect
to the threat of "ISIL" and Al Qaeda harms
the brethrens in Saudi Arabia just like it
harms the Yemeni people. What have they done
to announce war on them and rule out that
they threaten the security of Saudi Arabia,
the security of the Gulf, the security of
Bab Mandab, the security of the Red Sea or
the like?
So, this is also a weak and groundless
pretext. I hope that people would hear me so
that everyone would put his regional, party,
sectarian, and factional fanaticism aside to
try to grasp what is happening. I am
presenting a scene; do discuss this scene
with us. I am providing you with facts, some
of which are announced and others which are
not. When any man in this world wants to
back a war or approve of this war, he would
be a partner in it and its guilt on
doomsday- that is to every Muslim who is
seeking a clear conscience.
So, everyone must scrutinize the stance. It
is not that Saudi Arabia took a decision,
thus, all Muslims must follow it! Why was
this decision taken? Against whom was this
decision taken? Had it been taken against
"Israel", we would have been ready to be
soldiers in this battle. But, no, this
battle was waged against an Arab Muslim
people. Everyone must sit and think before
saying a word on which he will be called to
account for on doomsday; in this world, man
might not be called to account by anyone.
The third pretext which is the most
important pretext is also logically feeble.
Later on, I will tell you what the true
reason behind this war is. The third pretext
which is most circulated by Saudi, Gulf, and
Arab media and all the media outlets
financed by Saudi Arabia and its allies is
that Yemen has become occupied by Iran; that
is why they launched a war against Yemen. It
is Iranian hegemony over Yemen. It is
Iranian intervention in Yemen. Yemen has
become Iranian.
Well, Yemen is an Arab country, and we must
restore it. It is part of the Arab Peninsula
which, indeed, they never accepted to have
as a member in the Gulf Cooperation Council
because they view it as a second level or
class state. Its people are poor, and it
would be more of a burden. Anyway, Yemen
must be restored from Iranian occupation,
Iranian hegemony, and Iranian control. This
is one of the biggest lies that they are
working at promulgating today via a fierce
media attack, which is more powerful than
the military attack.
Well, here too, let's talk calmly and
logically and from this point, in fact, I
will broaden my view on the region before
going back to Yemen as I wrap up my speech.
Where is the evidence and the proof that
Yemen is occupied by Iran? An occupation has
several faces; however, the most important
and prominent aspect is the presence of
Iranian forces occupying Yemen. For example,
if there are Iranian military bases in a
country, we may accuse Iran of occupying
that country. Are there Iranian troops in
Yemen? Are there Iranian military bases in
Yemen? Is Iran truly occupying Yemen
militarily? This is one of the very flagrant
lies which, in fact, are undisputable.
Well, they may say that it is not an
occupation in the military sense of the
word; there is rather Iranian hegemony and
control over Yemen. Good then. This point
deserves to be discussed not only for the
sake of Yemen, but also for the sake of
understanding all that is taking place in
our region. Allow me here to present an
essential problem that is in the mind of the
Saudi regime and those with them. There is a
problem in the mind which is not recognizing
any so-called "people"- the Tunisian people,
the Egyptian people, the Yemeni people, and
even the Gulf people, the Saudi people, the
Iraqi people, movements of peoples, the will
of peoples, and the causes of peoples. So,
they might be "powerful" kings and rulers;
thus, they look to people as their subjects,
and consequently, the subjects mustn't have
an independent will, an independent cause,
nor an independent identity. Should you one
day revolt, it would be part of the opposing
axes in the regional or international
struggle.
So, this is the essential problem. That's
why they acted with the Tunisian issue and
the Egyptian issue as such. From the very
beginning, they deal with Yemen, Libya,
Iraq, Syria, and all of the regions in the
same way. Where do this concept and this
mentality lead to? They lead to incorrect
stances, incorrect policies, and
consequently, incorrect results and
accumulating failures.
Well, let's take for example, the Saudi
foreign policy from 20 or 30 years ago to
our day. I do not want to tackle the
internal affairs; let's discuss Saudi
diplomacy. Provide me with Saudi successes
and achievements- there are only
accumulating failures. In this framework,
too, there is nothing but failure. Why?
Failure is the outcome of incorrect
policies. Incorrect policies are the result
of incorrect reading of events. Incorrect
reading is the result of a mind that thinks
in an incorrect way or has incorrect
complexes.
In principle, these incorrect policies and
incorrect conducts are leading the country
to be open to Iran, even if Iran does not
exert big or weighty efforts. Let's be
frank. It is you who are pushing the peoples
of the region to Iran, and I will give
evidence for that. The problem is in you and
not in Iran. The problem is in you, in your
failure, in your mind, in your
administration, and in your way, conduct,
schemes and comprehension.
Well, I will give a few examples through
which I will read the situation in the
region. I will start with Lebanon. In 1982,
when "Israel" occupied large parts of
Lebanon and entered the capital, Beirut, all
of the Arabs abandoned Lebanon except for
Syria. Some Arab countries had a political
stance for which they are thanked- I think
they were Algeria and Sudan. However, in
general, the Arabs who have money and power
and who purchase weapons, planes, and
artilleries for hundreds of billions of
dollars abandoned Lebanon. The Lebanese had
the right to resist the "Israeli"
occupation. They searched for sides to help
and back them, and show solidarity with
them. There were Syria and Iran.
Iran came from the end of the world. A war
was imposed on it and you have a hand in
that war which was imposed on Iran. Iran did
not say that Saddam Hussein is fighting Iran
with Arab and Gulf support, so then, let the
Lebanese act by themselves; on the contrary,
it answered our calls for help and assisted
the Lebanese. It provided them with skill
and experience. It provided them with
consultation. It provided them with money,
arms, and tactics. Still, the resistance in
Lebanon was Lebanese. Its men, women,
leaders, martyrs, prisoners, heroes,
wounded, families of martyrs, cause,
movement, and decision were absolutely
Lebanese. It was not an Iranian resistance.
However, since you do not recognize anything
called a Lebanese people, a Lebanese
resistance, a Lebanese movement, and a
Lebanese will, you categorized the
resistance from the very beginning to our
very day as an Iranian resistance or a
resistance that is subsequent to Iran at a
time in which it is not as such, and at a
time you do not have evidence that it is as
such- while I have thousands of evidence
that it is not as such. However, you act as
if the resistance in Lebanon is an Iranian
resistance and not a Lebanese resistance or
an Arab resistance. Still, when we achieved
victory and we wanted to present it as a
gift to the Arabs and to the Arab nation,
you did not accept. You dealt with it as if
it was an Iranian victory or a sectarian
victory at a time in which we wanted this
victory for all Arabs and for all Muslims,
and for all the honorable people in the
world.
Well, this is an example. You may say: Iran
is greatly respected in Lebanon. Indeed, it
has its influence on a vast and large party.
That is true. But, it is not true to say
that Iran is occupying Lebanon, that Iran
has its hegemony on Lebanon or that Iran is
imposing its options on Lebanon. No, never!
I will come back to this point later on.
This is as far as Lebanon is concerned.
As for Palestine, you Arab governments- and
more precisely the Saudi regime and the Gulf
states- have abandoned the Palestinian
people. As we said at the beginning, you
abandoned them and left them to "Israel"
which kills, slaughters, shells, violates,
imprisons, and detains. You left them for
America to seek a political solution for
them through negotiations that have not led
to any results at all, as they search for
mirage through such negotiations. You did
not do anything for the Palestinian people.
Fine, do not fight for the Palestinian
people. Don't you have money and wealth? You
have billions of dollars. Why, then, do the
Palestinian people live in such misery in
camps, in exodus as well as inside
Palestine? Why are the Palestinian people
still not able to reconstruct what was
demolished by the wars on Gaza, and not only
the latest war? Why are the Maqdessi people
obliged to migrate from al Quds and the West
Bank? Why? Don't you have money? We do not
want you to fight. We do not want your
officers and generals, soldiers, planes, and
"Storm of Firmness" to be waged against
"Israel". Just give a little of your money
which you spend in Europe and America to the
Palestinian people. Have some pity on them.
You never had pity on them. You left them
not only to the occupation but also to
poverty, hunger, humiliation, and exodus,
too.
Well, the Palestinian people sought Iran for
help although a war was imposed on it by
you, too. It was an eight-year-war. Iran is
still suffering from sanctions and siege
because of you, too. This Iran answered the
calls of the Palestinians. It offered them
all that it can- money, arms, aids,
experience, skill, training, tactics, and an
absolute, final, sublime political stance.
Well, why mustn't the Palestinian people
have sympathy with Iran and love Iran? They
do so because Iran had sympathy with them,
loved them, helped them, and assisted them
despite all its troubles. Still you say: the
Iranian influence in Palestine. The
Palestinian file became an Iranian file. We
must work to restore the Palestinian file
and make it an Arab file again. Who took it
from you? Who competed with you on it? Who
struggled against you for it? You, yourself,
left it and abandoned it, and treated it
with contempt. Iran came for help, and
indeed, Syria always had an honorable
political and moral stance as well as its
stance in the field. However, now, I am
talking about Iran because Syria is not
accused in Yemen.
So, after all of that, they want to restore
the Palestinian cause after it turned out to
be an Iranian file. However, Iran does not
have hegemony over the Palestinians. It does
not control them. It does not control their
decision, movements, and leaderships at all.
I will also come back to this point in my
comprehensive conclusion.
Let's move now to Iraq. You say the Iranian
influence in Iraq, the Iranian hegemony in
Iraq, and the Iranian occupation of Iraq.
Firstly, there is no Iranian occupation of
Iraq. Secondly, as for the Iranian influence
and presence in Iraq, let's see what you
have done in Iraq. What did Saudi Arabia and
those with it do in Iraq? Firstly, Saddam
Hussein had enough motives and incentives to
stage an aggression against Iran; still, you
encouraged him and financed him as Prince
Naif confessed to one of the Iranian
officials face-to-face. He told him that
they gave Saddam Hussein 200 billion
dollars, and if they were able to give him
more, they would have done so. That is at a
time in which a million dollars was very
much money. You know what the oil price was
and what the capabilities of Saudi Arabia
were at that time. You, alone, provided him
with 200 billion dollars and provoked him to
wage that war. He headed to that war.
Iran was ruined, and Iraq was ruined, and
the two countries and both peoples are still
suffering from the consequences of that
oppressive war which is a "blessing" of the
Saudi regime. Later on, you encouraged,
provoked, helped, and supported George Bush
to occupy Iraq. The US Army thus occupied
Iraq. You were part of this military,
security, field, logistic, and political
operation from a facilitating level, indeed.
You did not fight. You did not have military
power to fight. It was not required from you
to have military power to fight. The
Americans occupied Iraq.
When it seemed that the Iraqi people would
not succumb to the US occupation, and rather
would exploit the opportunity of getting rid
of the regime of Saddam Hussein to restore
their decision, status, and position and
confront the occupation, whether through
politics or through resistance, you opened
the way for all Al Qaeda and Takfiri groups
to enter into Iraq. I, myself, know and the
Iraqis know. Some of the Iraqis had said
that in the media.
I always used to demand and I still call on
the Iraqis to have the courage to reveal the
truth to the Iraqi people and to all the
Arab peoples and the peoples of the world:
Those who used to dispatch the suicide
bombers and the booby-trapped cars to Iraq
as well as finance the killing operations in
Baghdad and the Iraqi cities in the north,
the south and the middle without
differentiating between the Kurds, Arabs,
Turkmen, Sunnites, Shiites, Muslims, and
Christians are the Saudi intelligence
apparatuses.
You plunged the Iraqi people into
misfortune, and the last of the misfortunes
you inflicted on them is "ISIL" whom you and
your allies brought along from all around
the world to topple the regime of Bashar
Assad and the government of Al Maleki. Was
this hidden? The entire world knows that. I
will not say the so and so cabinet; your
enmity in Iraq was for a definite person.
Well, you finally brought along "ISIL" to
them. Your intelligence and "Bandar" brought
along "ISIL" and financed and armed "ISIL".
Then, tables were turned. You were terrified
by "ISIL", which escaped your grasp and
control as Al Qaeda did before. This is
Iraq. What have the Iraqi people seen from
you and from the Saudi regime? What did the
Iraqi people see from you over decades when
Saddam Hussein was slaughtering the Iraqi
people, perpetrating mass massacres against
the Iraqi people, exterminating the people
in the north and the people in the south,
and staging aggressions against the people
in the middle? Weren't you supporting Saddam
Hussein and the regime of Saddam Hussein?
Since the beginning of the US occupation,
these oppressed Iraqi people found people
standing by their side. The Iranians stood
by the Iraqi people in politics, in the
international stance, in the regional
stance, and even in resistance. This was an
unmatched significant Iranian bravery and
gallantry because it was supporting the
resistance in Iraq against the US Army, and
not only had it supported the resistance in
Lebanon and in Palestine against the
"Israeli" Army. The Americans threatened to
strike Iran. They threatened to strike al
Quds Force, which is well-known by now. They
threatened to shell its barracks, and they
used to know where the Iraqi resistance men
used to receive their training in Iran.
At the end, when "ISIL" attacked and
provinces fell before it; when Baghdad was
about to fall besides Irbil and the south;
and when "ISIL" was about to reach the Saudi
and Kuwaiti borders, who first took the
initiative to help the Iraqi people? Who
sent its children, money, arms, artillery,
and experts and did not wait for anyone in
the world? Who did not differentiate between
supporting the Shiites in the south and the
Kurds in the north? With the same eagerness,
it supported all of the Iraqi people:
Shiites, Sunnites, Kurds, Turkmen, and
others. Wasn't it Iran? What did you do to
defend the Iraqi people in the face of "ISIL"?
What did USA do later when it came and
formed an international coalition and
alliance, and brought along airplanes? The
game is clear so far.
For what reason wouldn't the Iraqi people
respect and love Iran? Why shouldn't Iran
have presence and influence in Iraq when it
stood by it, helped it, supported it, and
defended it in the few-months battle that
was about to extradite its existence and
entity with the blessing of your support of
"ISIL"? Then, the Al Arabiya channel, Al
Jazira channel, and Arab officials come to
talk about the Iranian influence in Iraq. It
is you who are lazy, indolent, and failures
because you did not assume your
responsibilities towards the Iraqi people.
There is only one side which exists, is
active, has zeal, and assumes responsibility
and rapid presence- although the Iranians
are usually calm and cold. Still, why
shouldn't the Iranians have presence and
influence in Iraq?
The same happened in Syria when you brought
along all the savages in the world not to
support the Syrian people, but to topple the
regime and to control Syria. I know the
details but there is no time now. Perhaps in
a week or in ten days, we will tackle that.
The real goal is that Syria and President
Bashar Assad- this young president who rules
under a definite political and economic
situation- become under control. I know what
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey exerted and
what the adopted policy with President Assad
was to bring him over so that Syria would
become subsequent to the Saudis or the
Qataris, or the Turks.
However, Syria wanted to remain an
independent state; it believes in its
strength and its regional status, and
influence. You gathered the entire world to
fight Syria in order to topple President
Assad and the regime. You demolished Syria,
killed and slaughtered the Syrians, and
oppose a political solution in Syria.
Brothers! Go now and conduct a survey with
all the Syrians inside and outside of Syria.
You will find a consensus among the Syrian
people; all the Syrians want a political
solution. Enough with this war that will not
lead to toppling the regime, but rather to
more demolition and destruction.
Who is preventing a political solution in
Syria? Who is igniting the fire in Syria? It
is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its
allies because the goal has not been
achieved yet. It is natural that Iran
becomes respected in Syria because Iran
offered help, assistance, and support to
Syria. There is no Iranian army. The number
of Iranians in Syria is very limited. I
don't know; perhaps the number is 20, 25,
30, or 40. They do not reach 50- I know for
sure that they are not more than 50. Still,
Saud Al Faisal says that Syria is occupied
by Iran. The issue is much funnier. He says
Syria is occupied by Hizbullah! Iran is a
regional state. It is possible for it to
occupy Syria. But how can Hizbullah occupy
Syria?
This is the mentality that ignores that
there is a Syrian people, a Syria army, and
a regime that enjoys a wide, popular
"incubator". Are those who are fighting in
Syria Iranians? Are those who are fighting
in Syria Hizbullah? Praise be to Allah!
Hizbullah is fighting from the rear north to
the far most south, and from the east to the
west? Or are the Iranians doing so? What is
this? This is sheer falsehood and
fabrication.
Before going back to Yemen, let's talk about
Lebanon. I claim that we- Hizbullah- have
had ties of friendship and adoration with
Iran since 1982. I don't hide that I believe
that His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei
is the Imam and leader of Muslims.
Still, I tell you frankly and I am ready to
swear by God that Iran never ordered us or
informed us of an order nor asked us to
execute any order, whether on the internal
or the regional level. We are an independent
leadership. We scrutinize. We decide. At
times, we are counselled by their views and
experience; yet, they never once gave us a
decision: Do this. Don't do that. Accept
this. Don't accept that. This is the way
Saudi Arabia deals with its friends and dear
ones in the world. I do not want to talk
about Lebanon. I hope the brethrens in
Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front
for the Liberation of Palestine, and the
Popular Front-General Command as well as the
other Palestinian factions which had old
ties with the Islamic Republic would tell
us: Has Iran ever called on you to take a
definite decision? Has it ever dictated a
decision on you: Do this. Don't do that.
Fight. Don't fight. Object. Discuss. Never!
The same applies to Syria and Iraq.
Well, this is the truth, but you can't
comprehend this truth. Indeed, that is not
something strange. That is because Iran is
not the Persian Empire. Iran is not the
state of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi-
your ally, your friend, and even your master
in the old days. Iran is an Islamic
Republic. It is the state of Islam. It is
the state of Imam Khomeini. It is the state
of the struggling and striving Muslim people
who view Islam above any other racial or
sectarian consideration, whether Persianism
or anything else. Yes, you will feel
bewildered because Iran helps Lebanon,
Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and other places and
still, it does not dictate, take decisions,
interfere, and spread its hegemony. You do
not want to believe that because you cannot
comprehend this kind of mentality, morals,
intellect, and track.
One day, there was a delegation from the
Hamas leadership in Riyadh. They told us
this story, and we have no problem in
relating it. When Saud Al Faisal questioned
them about their ties with Iran, they told
him frankly: Iran provides us with money,
arms, and training; provide us with what
Iran provides us with, and we will severe
our ties with Iran- they told me this, and
this is not shameful. Yet, they want to
fight the Iranian influence in Palestine.
At that time, Hamas told you so, but you did
not provide it with money, arms, and
training. You did not dare to provide it
with that because "Israel" is concerned in
the issue as well as the USA. That's why I
told many Palestinian leaderships at the
time of the Arab spring: Brethrens! Dear
ones! Should you go east and go west, should
you fly to Mars or descend to the seventh
earth, you will not find anyone on the globe
who would provide you with arms, artillery,
experience, military tactics except Iran and
Syria. You may find countries which would
provide you with money to build houses; but
you would never find any state on the globe
that would provide you with arms other than
Iran and Syria. Now, they reached this
conclusion.
Well, as far as Yemen is concerned, what did
you do in Yemen? Is there a crime that a
weighty national force in Yemen is
perpetrating and you came to punish it for
that? Well, what did you do? What did the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia do in Yemen? It has
been controlling Yemen for decades. It
interferes in everything in Yemen: in the
administration, politics, security, economy,
the army, the tribes, and even sects.
Haven't you sought and spent large amounts
of money to convert tribes from one sect to
another? Let's not mention names. Haven't
you manipulated all contradictions in Yemen
to keep your hegemony and control over
Yemen? What have you done after decades of
authority? What is the status of the economy
in Yemen? Where are the infrastructure and
stability in Yemen? How do you deal with
Yemen? You refused to include Yemen in the
Gulf Cooperation Council. You viewed it as a
burden. Didn't you deal with the Yemeni
people with superiority and arrogance? This
is what the Yemenis, themselves, say.
Well, as for Ansarullah, or the Houthis- as
you say, haven't you - the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia- supported six wars against these
oppressed, vulnerable people who are
besieged in Sa'ada Province in order to
exterminate and extradite them? Haven't you
attacked them and you were defeated? When
they came to have the highest word in the
country, they came to you after they forgot
all of the past and told you: let us talk,
carry dialogue, and reach an agreement.
Isn't this what you did in Yemen? Didn't you
do this in Yemen? What have you offered
Yemen and the Yemeni people? Yes, you spent
billions of dollars in Yemen, but on buying
consciences and converting sects, and on
supporting Takfiri groups and buying
allegiances. That's what you did in Yemen.
At the end and after decades, these Yemeni
people reached a degree of awareness,
determination, and will. After all, all the
peoples of the region are not being viewed
anymore as they were in the past. These
people took a decision to restore their
country, state, borders, authority, entity,
existence, and dignity.
Now, I will talk in detail because this is a
big war that is taking place now. Well, on
the contrary, the Houthi brethrens or
Ansarullah- call them as you like- used to
not have any ties with Iran until before the
Sixth War, i.e. until before a few years
ago. They used to have ties with Arab
states; one of these Arab states is Qatar.
This is what Qatari officials told me.
Even I or anyone in Hizbullah didn't have
ties with the Houthis. Until the Sixth War,
we used to not know them except in the
media. We used to show sympathy with them
through the media. We used to find them
oppressed, but there weren't any ties with
them. There wasn't any close acquaintance
with them. Well, they are oppressed. Iran
showed sympathy with them and stood by their
side. It recognized their right, and that's
why they love Iran and respect it. Still,
Iran does not interfere in Yemen or in the
Yemeni decision. Today, the Yemenis make
their own decisions and they decided how to
deal with this war.
I will tell you even more than this: The
Islamic Republic does not dictate or
interfere. Even if anyone asks it, it does
not answer; it tells them all, whether in
Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, or any other
place: The decision is yours. It does not
have any hegemony, and it does not
interfere. Well, yes, Iran is respected in
Yemen. After all of these decades of
calamities which the Yemeni people witnessed
because of your performance and politics,
you are now pushing all of Yemen to the
bosom of Iran as you did with Iraq, Syria,
and a great part of the Palestinians. Yemen
cannot be restored through waging a war on
Yemen. Restoring Yemen may be achieved
through understanding Yemen, dealing
fraternally with Yemen, carrying dialogue
with the Yemenis, being humble with the
Yemenis, and through a rational conduct with
the Yemenis- and not through a "Storm of
Firmness", but rather through patience,
sympathy, and love. As for "The Storm of
Firmness", I will tell you where it will
lead.
O Arabs! O Muslims! O peoples of the world!
O Yemenis! O Saudi people! O Arab peoples
whom some of your countries want to send
your sons to fight! The true reason is that
Saudi Arabia flopped in Yemen and lost
Yemen. It lost its control and hegemony over
Yemen. It felt frustrated from its internal
choices and its men in Yemen and from the
Takfiri groups in Yemen. It felt that Yemen
has become the ownership of its people and
the ownership of truly national,
independent, and sovereign groups that do
not succumb to anyone's patronage. Saudi
Arabia can't tolerate this. The goal of the
war is to restore control and hegemony.
That's it, and we are ready to argue with
anyone who has anything else to say. These
are the goals of the war.
Here, allow me, even if for once in my
speech to use this term instead of saying
Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
and the Saudi regime: For the princes of the
Saud Dynasty to restore Yemen, it is
required that Saudi blood be shed; the blood
of Saudi people and army officers, the blood
of the Yemeni people, and the blood of Arab
peoples' officers and soldiers will be shed
because king so and so or prince such and
such had lost control and hegemony over
Yemen. This is a word of truth I am saying,
and you as well as I know that saying the
truth brings along consequences; however, it
must be said in this stance and in this
period of time.
Accordingly:
Firstly, we condemn the oppressive US-Saudi
aggression against Yemen and its people,
army, edifices, present, and future.
Secondly, we call for the halt of this
aggression from now, and at every moment, we
call for stopping this aggression.
Thirdly, we call for resuming initiatives
for political solutions in Yemen, and this
is something possible before and after the
aggression. The brethrens in Yemen said that
they accept dialogue in Muscat or in any
neutral state. Go for dialogue. I do not
know their decision now and whether they
still agree to go to dialogue now. However,
this is what I hear in the media. When
people go for dialogue, they reach a
solution and then they head towards
organizing regional relations through
achieving guarantees that secure the Gulf
states with respect to the new conditions in
Yemen.
Fourthly, I have a call to the countries
whose governments are cooperating in the
aggression. Reconsider your decision. Listen
to your consciences, religion, mind, and
interests. Do you accept that your son's
blood be shed for the sake of a
self-indulgent prince who lives in luxury to
restore his power and control over a
prideful, poor, oppressed, struggling and
striving people? This question is for the
Jordanians and to the peoples of the Gulf
states, the Saudi people, the Egyptian
people, the Sudanese people, the Moroccan
people, and the Pakistani people to answer.
These are the countries which are meanwhile
being circulated in the media. Is this for
your interest?
Let's put all the countries aside. I am very
much surprised by the stance of the
Palestinian authority in Ramallah and the
stance of President Mahmoud Abbass. Is it to
the interest of the Palestinian people that
you support a war on a people, O Abu Mazen?
Is it to the interest of the Palestinian
people to support an aggression against a
country? What would the logic be with which
you will address the people from now on
should the "Israelis" stage another
aggression on the West Bank and Gaza? You
don't have any logic anymore. You have
supported a war against a people. That's it!
Do retire; you have no logic anymore.
As for the other states, let them think of
their interests and the interests of their
peoples. Is this to your interest? Only for
the money of Saudi Arabia and for courting
Saudi Arabia, the entire region must go into
war! Things may be addressed through
politics, negotiations, and gradual
solutions. Why was the initiative for war
taken then?
Fifthly, the oppressed, persecuted,
prideful, noble, courageous, wise, firm, and
determined Yemeni people have the right to
defend, resist, and confront, and they are
doing so. And here, I am telling you that
they will gain victory.
This oppressed, fighting, struggling, and
resisting people will gain victory because
this is the law of Allah Al Mighty and of
history. Is this Saudi Army along with all
those who will join it more powerful than
the US Army? Where is the US Army in Iraq?
Where is the US Army in Afghanistan? Where
is it in Lebanon when it came in 1982? Is
the Saudi Army more powerful that the
"Israeli" Army? Where is the "Israeli" Army
in all of its battles? All throughout
history, the invaders are defeated. They are
humiliated. Saudi Arabia and the rulers of
Saudi Arabia still have a chance not to be
defeated and humiliated. They only have to
reconsider their incorrect policies, and to
deal with fraternity with the Yemenis and
head to dialogue as all the gates are still
open.
This is the end result of this battle. It is
known from now. So, do not rejoice with your
air raids. In Iraq sooner and later, in
Afghanistan, in Gaza, in Lebanon, in the
July War and before July War, all military
schools in the world now say that aerial
strikes do not make victory or decisively
end a battle. Well, where is the Saudi Army?
Indeed, the Saudi Army does not fight. They
will get the Pakistanis, the Egyptians, and
the Jordanians to fight for them. Thus, the
peoples have a major and decisive
responsibility. They are called for a stand
of solidarity- to take a position and
prevent their governments from getting
involved and responsible for shedding the
blood of the Yemenis. They are called for
staying away from a battle with such a clear
and decisive end: the defeat of the Saudi
regime. We respect and honor the Saudi
people who are among the oppressed peoples
in our nation.
The final and absolute victory is for the
Yemeni people because this is the law of
history. He who knows these people knows
that they will not tolerate this aggression,
humiliation, and insult; rather, they will
fight to defend their dignity, existence,
land, and honor. However, there is still
time and the chance is still available.
Instead of turning to accomplices in
shedding the blood of the Yemeni people and
destroying Yemen, the Arab states, the Arab
League, and Arab presidents must hold
historic responsibility and make an Arab,
Islamic, or international initiative to stop
this aggression and head towards a political
solution, or else defeat and shame would be
the fate of invaders. Peace be upon you and
Allah's mercy and blessings.
See also -
Saudi envoy denounces
Nasrallah’s speech as ‘slanderous’:
“The speech made by Hezbollah’s General
Secretary Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah expressed
the confusion experienced by the sides he
represents [Iran], and contained a lot of
slander and false allegations against the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Asiri said in a
statement.
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