So spoke Abu Obeida, Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hossein Salami
Respectively the military spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah and the Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
Yesterday, Saturday 14th December 2024, Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released some interesting statements - here they are (emphasis mine), as reported by Al Mayadeen Short News (a summary can also be found in this Al Mayadeen article):
The occupation army recently bombed a place where some enemy captives were located and repeated the bombing to ensure they were killed.
We have intelligence information that confirms that the enemy deliberately bombed the place with the aim of killing the captives and their guards.
Our fighters tried to rescue the enemy captives and succeeded in retrieving one of them, but his fate remains unknown.
We hold the war criminal Netanyahu, his government, and his army fully responsible for this attack and for the lives of their captives.
It is not the first time that the Israel “Defense” Forces (IDF) try to kill the hostages held by Hamas; actually, in the past Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel) successfully killed a few them (here is one example). The reason behind it? Once all hostages are dead, Israel can stop pretending negotiations with the Palestinian resistance and it can carry out its genocidal plan in Gaza.
Yesterday Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem gave a speech too. Here are some highlights from Al Mayadeen Short News (a summary can be found in this Al Mayadeen article):
We had anticipated an Israeli aggression against Lebanon at any moment, but we did not know the timing, and this expectation existed both before and after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
The enemy seeks to eliminate any resistance that stands in the way of its expansionist project across the entire region.
Israeli crimes were aimed at breaking the Resistance but failed to achieve their goal, and these crimes do not constitute an accomplishment.
We thwarted the enemy's goal of eliminating and crushing the Resistance and displaced the settlers, and the only achievement the enemy made was causing us pain by killing our commanders.
It is inconceivable for us to surrender, and this will never happen with Hezbollah's Resistance.
The aggression is the problem, not the resistance.
The enemy realized that the prospect of confronting Hezbollah's resistance was blocked, so it resorted to an agreement to halt the aggression.
The Resistance triumphed because the enemy failed to achieve its central goal of eliminating Hezbollah and returning the settlers without an agreement.
We prevented the enemy from entering the "New Middle East" through the gateway of Lebanon.
We have tolerated hundreds of Israeli violations in order to help implement the agreement and not stand as an obstacle to it.
What matters is the continuation of the Resistance in the field, regardless of its limited resources.
We are monitoring what is happening and acting according to our assessment of what is in our best interest. [I hope that they are seriously monitoring the situation, not only in southern Lebanon, but also in Syria - more on this later.]
Hezbollah's resistance continues with faith and preparation, and increasing sacrifices add to our responsibility in confronting the enemy, which can only be restrained by resistance.
The Resistance continues, and every phase has its own methods and approaches, and this is what we will work on.
We repelled the aggression on Lebanon and stopped it at the borders with the steadfastness of the fighters and the support of our people.
If it weren't for the steadfastness of the fighters, "Israel" would have reached Beirut and begun its subsequent steps of settlement.
The Resistance, along with its people and army, prevented the occupation from achieving its expansionist goals in Lebanon.
Hezbollah's plan for the next phase is the implementation of the agreement south of the Litani River, reconstruction, and the election of a president.
The regime in Syria has fallen at the hands of new forces, and we can only judge them once they stabilize and take clear positions.
Hezbollah lost the military supply route through Syria, but this is a minor detail; the Resistance is flexible and what matters is its continuity. [Minor detail? Only if Hezbollah has enough stock of weapons and ammunition for a long war!]
We do not believe that what is happening in Syria will affect Lebanon, and we hope that Syria will emerge stable, as its people desire.
We supported Syria because it is positioned against "Israel".
We hope that the new leadership in Syria will consider "Israel" an enemy and refrain from normalizing relations with it.
As aforementioned I seriously hope that Hezbollah is keeping an eye on Israel in Syria, digging trenches and building strongholds on its own border with Syria, as the IDF keeps advancing towards Damascus along border between Lebanon and Syria. I am afraid that the IDF may soon launch a ground attack towards Beirut from there (maybe at the end of the 60-day ceasefire?), thus bypassing Hezbollah’s defences in southern Lebanon.
And, of course, there is also a possibility of a war between Little Satan and Great Satan (a.k.a. the Outlaw US Empire) on one side and Iran on the other - check out the latest latest post by Richard Silverstein on his Tikun Olam blog: Trump Advisors, Israeli Leaders Urge Iran Attack.
Since we are talking about Iran, I will conclude with a few recent statements by the Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, who, regarding Syria, was quoted by Al Mayadeen as saying (emphasis mine):
The Israelis occupy the South, another force [Turkey] dominates the North, and yet another controls the East, leaving the Syrian people isolated and facing an uncertain future.
We now understand the critical value of Resistance. The failure of an army to stand firm paves the way for a nation’s occupation. Syria’s experience is a bitter lesson from which we must draw essential insights.
Israel will pay a heavy price, with its soldiers buried in occupied Syrian lands. However, this requires time and steadfastness.
…while Al Manar cited him as saying (all emphasis mine):
Iran is not a land that foreigners can look at irrelevantly. This is the land of the men and women of jihad.
The young mujahideen of the Islamic world have the faith, zeal and motivation necessary to defeat the Zionists and will carry out this action.
Today we see how the foreign powers that are incinerating Syria are like hungry wolves hunting for a lone deer in the desert, tearing off each piece of its body.
In the face of enemies martyr Suleimani, who is a model of steadfastness and resistance can be a guide, and Muslim nations must stand up and defend their identity.
It looks like Iran may be brewing something in Syria and surely it is ready for whatever the Outlaw US and Israeli Empire is preparing against it!
thanks for that - I'm worried of course about the supply lines now.
MY only comment is this.IF the Zionists want their hostages back release all the Palestinian hostages (1000's) tortured and abused.