Mohamed Salami

Hezbollah secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah asserted that Qalamoun battle resulted in a major victory and a very important military achievement.

"The battle in Qalamoun barrens is open, and who defeated the Zionist enemy will eradicate the takfiri groups."

In a live speech broadcast by Al-Manar TV channel, Sayyed Nasrallah said that the clashes have been ongoing since few days between the Syrian army, the popular committees and Hezbollah on one hand and the Nusra Front and ISIL takfiris on the other.

The Syrian Qalamoun barrens and the Lebanese eastern mountain range form the battlefield which is mountainous and extend over hundreds of square kilometers, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.
The wide battlefield included scores of military posts, natural caves, and car bomb facilities, Sayyed Nasrallah added.
His eminence noted that the militants used to withdraw as a result of the fierce clashes, but that they did not use to escape the battlefield.

Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that Qalamoun battle resulted in:

1. Inflicting heavy losses upon the militant groups and expelling them from the areas of clashes.
2. Regaining 300 square kilometers of Lebanese and Syrian and Lebanese territories from the terrorist groups.
3. Linking the liberated Syrian barrens of Assal al-Ward with the Lebanese outskirts of Brital, Younin and Nahle in Bekaa.
4. Reaching a greater extent of security in the Lebanese and Syrian towns. (Absolute security requires eradicating the terrorists in the Lebanese barrens).
5. Gaining the ability to control the militants' movements in the whole area after liberating the hills and the mountains.

Hezbollah leader refuted all the circulated news which exaggerated the number of the party's martyrs, stressing that the Islamic Resistance sacrificed 13 of its sublime mujahidin in Qalamoun battle.

"In Qalamoun, the Lebanese and the Syrian blood mixed in face of the takfiri groups."
"In Lebanon, certain political forces launched an intimidation propaganda before and during Qalamoun battle, yet they forgot that nothing can weaken our determination," Sayyed Nasrallah added, "Also, those forces tried to cause a rift between Hezbollah and the Lebanese army."

"We appreciate the national role of the Lebanese army, and let the trouble makers keep away."

Sayyed Nasrallah greeted the spirits of the martyrs and hailed the sacrifices of their families as well as those of the mujahdin on the occasion of the victory.

Sayyed Nasrallah said that there are certain political forces which tried desperately to defend the terrorists in the barrens, describing them as "rebels".

Sayyed Nasrallah asked the soldiers and the officers of the Lebanese army and the security forces as well as the martyrs' families whether those are rebels or terrorists.

"Are those who kidnapped and killed the Lebanese army soldiers, assaulted the military posts and the residential areas in Bekaa, detonated the car bombs in different Lebanese areas and occupied swathes of the Lebanese territories in Arsal barrens rebels? Or terrorists?"

"Saudi Arabia blacklist Nusra Front and ISIL, and the Lebanese court as well as the international community consider them as terrorist groups, so why do those political forces support them?"

Sayyed Nasrallah added that the Lebanese government must assume its responsibilities or that the Lebanese locals in Bekaa who defeated the Israelis will eradicate the takfiri groups and expel them from their barrens."

"The locals in Bekaa have the right to expel the terrorists from their barrens and that objective will certainly be reached."
In a different context, Hezbollah Secretary General stressed that the Nakba (catastrophe) in Palestine which we mark its anniversary is the result of the Ummah's defeat caused by the British and the Zionist scheme.

Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out that "we have to study the causes of al-Nakba and identify the responsibilities in order for the contemporary generations to learn from the past experience".

Sayyed Nasrallah underscored that the takfiri plot is the new Ummah Nakbah (catastrophe) after the Palestinian one.

The Americans plot to fragment and destroy the Ummah through the takfiri groups, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.

On Bahrain, Sayyed Nasrallah said that the situation of the Bahraini jails and prisoners is miserable.

Sayyed Nasrallah addressed the Bahrainis: "You have to stick to your steadfastness in face of the regime oppression and the international community's silence."

On Yemen, Sayyed Nasrallah reiterated his condemnation for the US-Saudi aggression, stressing that it failed to reach any of its objectives.

"The Saudi-led aggression has succeeded only to kill, destroy, and violate the sanctities by razing the shrines."

Sayyed Nasrallah said: "Unfortunately, the barbaric and criminal Zionists did not destroy the shrines, while the Saudis did not respect any limit."

Sayyed Nasrallah further called on the Ummah to exert all the possible efforts to halt the Saudi aggression on Yemen.

Domestically, Sayyed Nasrallah urged the political forces to mull the proposals submitted by MP General Michel Aoun regarding the presidential deadlock.

Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted that all the Lebanese must be concerned with finding solutions to end the political dilemma as the presidential void affects all the parties negatively.

Hezbollah Secretary General refuted all the rumors on his medical situation and asserted that he does not suffer from any health problem.