Hezbollah Chief Nasrallah:
‘Deal of Century’ Behind U.S. Brinksmanship
BEIRUT (Dispatches) -- The head of Hezbollah resistance movement Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday the U.S. Mideast plan, dubbed "the deal of the century” is the main factor behind the recent tension between Iran and the U.S. government.
Nasrallah called for everyone to join his party in fighting the plan initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, which he said "aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause,” to protect the future of Palestine and Jerusalem Al-Quds.
He said recent developments in the Persian Gulf region and the targeting of Iran are "linked” to the deal and are a "large part” of Trump’s long-awaited plan, set to be announced at a conference on the Palestinian economy in Bahrain next month.
Earlier this month, the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier task force, B-52 bombers, an amphibious assault ship and a missile defense system in and around the Persian Gulf amid growing tensions with Iran.
Nasrallah stopped short of providing an official stance by Hezbollah on the recent increased tensions.
"Many embassies and international security agencies are trying to understand our stance ... but, God willing, we will announce this on Quds Day,” which is set to take place at the end of next week.
He also said Lebanon is capable of countering any Israeli attempt to prevent it from accessing its oil and gas resources in the Mediterranean Sea.
His comments come amid an ongoing dispute between Lebanon and the occupying regime of Israel over the reserves. About 856 square kilometers of sea are disputed between Lebanon and the Zionist regime.
The Hezbollah chief also said his party supports the "joint stance among the three Lebanese leaders” on the subject of demarcation, he said, adding that Lebanon was in a strong position.
President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri have all said that they have agreed on a "united stance” on the border demarcation issue, though they have not released further details. However, they have said Lebanon would allow the United Nations to oversee the process, just as in the formation of the Blue Line on Lebanon's southern land border.
The other main demand from the country is that disputes over both the sea and the land borders be solved together.
Acting U.S. Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs David Satterfield is currently engaged in shuttle diplomacy between Beirut and Tel Aviv, presenting each side with the other’s proposals. He is set to return to Lebanon early next week.
The Hezbollah head’s comments came during a speech given on Resistance and Liberation Day, which this year marks the 19th anniversary of Zionist troops withdrawing from south Lebanon.
One of the most important achievements linked to the 2000 withdrawal, Nasrallah said, was the creation of a "golden balance of power in Lebanon” among the Lebanese army, the people and the "resistance” - Hezbollah.
Therefore, Hezbollah remains an important part of the "protecting force” in Lebanon, he said, which can easily counter Israeli threats and maintain Lebanon’s "security and stability” in the present and the future.
Nasrallah also reiterated his stance that Syrian refugees should be returned to their home country as soon as possible, saying that "the Lebanese are united on helping the Syrian refugees return.”
Lebanese politicians are divided on the issue of refugee returns, with Hezbollah, Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement and their allies calling for immediate return, while Hariri’s Future Movement and his allies say that they cannot return before a political solution is found to the war there.
Nasrallah said that "the real reason for the differences ... is linked to the upcoming Syrian presidential elections,” as the international community waits to see Syria’s political fate, and said the discussion of the issue has been marred by sectarianism.
In a similar vein, Nasrallah insisted that the Lebanese people and Palestinians were "unanimous” in their rejection of the permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and that the nearly half a million registered refugees living in the country have a right to return to their homes.
In advance of cabinet holding its final session on the 2019 draft state budget, Nasrallah said that despite the inclusion of articles that it did not approve of, Hezbollah "will not hold up the passage of the budget.”
"The budget is an important point from which to fight corruption and stop financial waste ... and will be the basis of budgets for 2020, 2021 and beyond,” he said.
Nasrallah called for everyone to join his party in fighting the plan initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, which he said "aims to liquidate the Palestinian cause,” to protect the future of Palestine and Jerusalem Al-Quds.
He said recent developments in the Persian Gulf region and the targeting of Iran are "linked” to the deal and are a "large part” of Trump’s long-awaited plan, set to be announced at a conference on the Palestinian economy in Bahrain next month.
Earlier this month, the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier task force, B-52 bombers, an amphibious assault ship and a missile defense system in and around the Persian Gulf amid growing tensions with Iran.
Nasrallah stopped short of providing an official stance by Hezbollah on the recent increased tensions.
"Many embassies and international security agencies are trying to understand our stance ... but, God willing, we will announce this on Quds Day,” which is set to take place at the end of next week.
He also said Lebanon is capable of countering any Israeli attempt to prevent it from accessing its oil and gas resources in the Mediterranean Sea.
His comments come amid an ongoing dispute between Lebanon and the occupying regime of Israel over the reserves. About 856 square kilometers of sea are disputed between Lebanon and the Zionist regime.
The Hezbollah chief also said his party supports the "joint stance among the three Lebanese leaders” on the subject of demarcation, he said, adding that Lebanon was in a strong position.
President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri have all said that they have agreed on a "united stance” on the border demarcation issue, though they have not released further details. However, they have said Lebanon would allow the United Nations to oversee the process, just as in the formation of the Blue Line on Lebanon's southern land border.
The other main demand from the country is that disputes over both the sea and the land borders be solved together.
Acting U.S. Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs David Satterfield is currently engaged in shuttle diplomacy between Beirut and Tel Aviv, presenting each side with the other’s proposals. He is set to return to Lebanon early next week.
The Hezbollah head’s comments came during a speech given on Resistance and Liberation Day, which this year marks the 19th anniversary of Zionist troops withdrawing from south Lebanon.
One of the most important achievements linked to the 2000 withdrawal, Nasrallah said, was the creation of a "golden balance of power in Lebanon” among the Lebanese army, the people and the "resistance” - Hezbollah.
Therefore, Hezbollah remains an important part of the "protecting force” in Lebanon, he said, which can easily counter Israeli threats and maintain Lebanon’s "security and stability” in the present and the future.
Nasrallah also reiterated his stance that Syrian refugees should be returned to their home country as soon as possible, saying that "the Lebanese are united on helping the Syrian refugees return.”
Lebanese politicians are divided on the issue of refugee returns, with Hezbollah, Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement and their allies calling for immediate return, while Hariri’s Future Movement and his allies say that they cannot return before a political solution is found to the war there.
Nasrallah said that "the real reason for the differences ... is linked to the upcoming Syrian presidential elections,” as the international community waits to see Syria’s political fate, and said the discussion of the issue has been marred by sectarianism.
In a similar vein, Nasrallah insisted that the Lebanese people and Palestinians were "unanimous” in their rejection of the permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and that the nearly half a million registered refugees living in the country have a right to return to their homes.
In advance of cabinet holding its final session on the 2019 draft state budget, Nasrallah said that despite the inclusion of articles that it did not approve of, Hezbollah "will not hold up the passage of the budget.”
"The budget is an important point from which to fight corruption and stop financial waste ... and will be the basis of budgets for 2020, 2021 and beyond,” he said.