THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL TRANSLATION
Summary notes of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s speech marking martyrdom of Hajj Qasim Soleimani & Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis – 05/01/2020
(These are rough notes jotted down simultaneously as the speech was ongoing. There may be slight translation errors here or there but this was a faithful attempt to capture the speech’s points ASAP)
2 January 2020 marks a completely new historical turning point
I will get back to this later in the speech
Now allow me to share some personal points about Hajj Qasim
Hajj Qasim achieved his objective with martyrdom as this was his personal objective
Soleimani use to tell Nasrallah: my heart is burning to meet Allah and the martyrs
He use to frequently cry when the martyrs are mentioned
Nasrallah to Soleimani’s family: rest assured as your father has reached his objective
Abu Mahdi after battle with Daesh ended asked Sayyed: pray for me for martyrdom O Sayyed
Congratulations to Hajj Qasim and Abu Mahdi and to their Iranian and Iraqi brothers with this great martyrdom
Now I will talk about this crucial event: what happened, what were the objectives behind it?
Where is the region heading, and our responsibilities?
My focus here is not about Hajj Qasim’s great personality, this will come at a later date, and likewise for Abu Mahdi
1) What happened?
Thursday night: hajj Qasim and his friends left Damascus airport publicly, to Baghdad airport
After entering their vehicles, after a short while, they were barbarically targeted with missiles from the air
They became burnt corpses whom you could not recognise anymore
Abu Mahdi: no head like Imam Husayn, no hands like Abal Fadl…
Hours later, Americans claim responsibility, Trump ordered it
We are before a public, clear crime. Trump says I ordered it, US army says I carried out the crime
Thus, we are not before an ambiguous crime requiring investigations
Ie Trump ordered the US army to carry out this crime, and so they carried it out
2) Why did they carry out this crime in this public way?
Two points:
a) the failure of previous assasination attempts
especially because they were trying to do it in a hidden manner in the last, without leaving traces
All these hidden attempts failed. So they went to a public assasination
b) all the circumstances of the current equations and situation in Iraq and region, and especially with upcoming US elections
Trump has been piling failure upon failure. He has nothing to present to US public in next election.
First example: Iran
Bolton to munafiqeen khalq (MKO) promised them in France: Iran regime will fall soon. This reflects Trump’s failed policies in attempting regime change in Iran, and later at least changing the behaviour of Iran through various pressure
Trump left Iran deal. Placed unprecedented sanctions. Pushing for sedition internally…etc all this failed
So what can he tell US public regarding Iran? Nothing! Worse than that, he is trying through mediators to sit with Iranian officials and they have refused. His term will end without receiving any phone calls from Iranian officials!
Second example: clear failure of their project in Syria, last of which was their betrayal of their Kurdish allies
Trump ends up leaving some soldiers to safeguard Syrian oilfields to steal them, he announced this. This reflects how lost they are in Syria.
Third example: failure in Lebanon!
They tried everything…(Sayyed is mentioning all the different ploys and plots that they tried)
In Yemen: complete failure to achieve any military victory in Yemen. This is an American war, not just Saudi
In Afghanistan, Trump is looking for a suitable way to withdraw from there
He is not sure whether to negotiate with Taliban or not! No success in Afghanistan
The Deal of the Century regarding Palestine: no one talks about this anymore, complete failure
As for Iraq:
What was Trump’s project? Trump was very clear about this, because he is so arrogant
What was Trump saying during election campaign? He was saying: Iraq’s oil is ours. Look how greedy he is over some limited amount of Syrian oil. Iraq’s oil reserves are incomparable to Syria’s reserves
Trump was asked: how can you take Iraq’s oil? He says: theres no government in Iraq, we’ll take the oil ourselves
Thus, Trump’s true project in Iraq: controlling oil fields, he doesnt want a government in Iraq that will stop him from this. And if there is a government, it must be subservient to the Americans
Americans brough Daesh for this purpose..
This was their real problem with Hajj Qasim and Abu Mahdi (for defeating Daesh and foiling these plans)
How did this project fail?
– by downing the Daesh pretext. Iraq’s stance in decisively defeating Daesh was crucial. Here comes Hajj Qasim and Abu Mahdi’s role..
They were able to finish this battle within a few years.
After Daesh fell voices grew within Iraq for Americans to leave. But Americans didnt want to leave..
After Daesh’s fall, there were parliamentary elections, in which the anti-US general movement won in these elections. The US call them the ‘Iranian line’. This is not an accurate description. They are those who refuse to be subservient to America..
The government headed by Adel Abdul Mahdi that was established after these elecions:
– refused sanctions campaign against Iran
– refused the Deal of Century
– went to China and made huge billion dollar deals to build Iraq by giving China oil in return
– refused to close borders with Syria and rather opened them
– and also called for US withdrawal
This made Americans very angry and they felt that Iraq was completely slipping out of their hands
Americans never wanted a stable, strong government in Iraq. From 2003 onwards they unleashed vicious hordes of militants to blow up and destroy Iraq
In recent times US wanted to push Iraq into civil war.
Wise stance of Marjaiyyah and Iraqi tribes and people prevented this
The Americans in recent weeks acted in a delirious manner
This was US failure in Iraq and the region. Now you are going to US elections. What are you going to tell the people?
Let’s be realisic though, he does have achievements. But in terms of foreign policy, what does he have?
Venuezula, Cuba, North Korea, China, Russia, even his friends and allies whom he daily insults
Trump talks about 3 things only in terms of foreign policy achievements:
1) $400 billion he took from Saudi Arabia
2) the weapons deals to Arab states that he struck, boasting that he is securing American jobs
3) moving embassy from Tel Aviv to Quds
These are his achievements. Otherwise there is nothing.
Hence they need achievements before the elections.
We are not before an isolated assasination. This is the beginning of a new type of war in the region
A new American track in the region
This assasination was not a ‘war’ for them, because they cannot do this.
Trump knows very well a war with Iran is a very dangerous adventure. So he looked for something that can change the equations without going to war
Hajj Qasim visited Sayyed on Wednesday, first day of new year
He wanted to visit Sayyed, thats how he wanted to start new year
Sayyed told him: Americans are talking alot about you, they are preparing for your assasination. Hajj laughed and said: I wish!
They looked and found Hajj Qasim was everywhere in the regional axis. Palesine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanisatan, in every detail of the resistance, wherever they look they foundQasim Soleimani!
And in Iran, what does Qasim Soleimani mean in Iran?!
Israel says Qasim Soleimani is the most dangerous existential threat to it. It never dared to kill him. It could have in Syria many times (but didnt dare), so it went to the Americans for that purpose
Hajj Qasim embodied everything for the resistance. So they said: lets kill him publicly. They purposefully done this, and claimed responsibility for it proudly, this was all on purpose
They wish that there now be weakness throughout the resistance axis..
We must place the objectives of the assasination and try to foil them
There are two major projects in the region. There’s the US and Israeli project of hegemony
And the second is the project of resistance, independence, sovereignty, and freedom for our Ummah
Some people sit here, some sit there, and some have no idea where they are sitting
What is our responsibility to confront these objectives?
The confrontation began right after the assasination: We killed one of your greatest generals…to weaken Iran..
Then came the response from Sayyed Qaaed (Khamenei), Iranian officials, and the millions of Iranians who came out
Nasrallah to Pompeo: watch the response of Iranians to you on tv, and see the millions of Iranians on the streets replying to you
As for Iraq, Trump tried to confuse the resistance movement there, to cause chaos in Iraq and threaten everyone there
But the Iraqi response has begun, with the huge funeral processions of Iraqis and Iranians together!
Americams have been trying for years to divide Iranians and Iraqis, but all these joint funeral processions have foiled all of these efforts
At all levels Iraq has foiled these plans
The magic has turned on the magician
The world is looking towards the Iraqi parliament to act (to vote for the withdrawal of Americans from Iraq). We hope they can achieve this
If US objectives are not downed in parliament, then I know the honourable resistance in Iraq will not leave one American soldier in Iraq!!!
O honourable and great Iraqi people, the least that can be done as a response is removing US forces from Iraq
The Americans did these assasinations not to leave Iraq but they will lose it anyway
The blood of these martyrs must lead to a second liberation of Iraq from US. This is the least that can be done!
In Syria, we must go forth strongly until the final victory. No one must feel frightened.
Yemenis must continue in Yemen too
As for us in the resistance factions, we must do two things:
1) Trump wanted to frighten us. The first response of the resistance factions: we will continue on our path without any fear. These martyrs will provide a huge boost forward. Especially as we feel we are on the verge of a historic regional victory
(Sayyed mentioning powerful words from Imam Husayn..)
2) the resistance must increase its coordination and boost its power, as the region appears to be going in another direction
Martyrdom of Hajj Qasim must not affect the continuation of the program that he placed, likewise for Abu Mahdi
The final response: the just penalty
What does that mean?
We know who did the crime, and they must be punished.
It is well known who Hajj Qasim is
Qasim Soleimani is not an Iranian issue. It concerns the whole resistance and the whole Ummah
If the Iranians wish to respond fine..but this does not remove the responsibility of the resistance factions.
The factions are not tools of Iran..
Iran will not ask resistance factions to implement or do anything
So what will we do?
Keeping in mind this is an attack on the whole resistance axis
We must all go towards a just penalty..
So what is a just penalty?
There is no US personality that equals Qasim Soleimani in value
Soleimani’s shoes are more valuable than Trump’s head and the whole US administration
The just penalty: the US military presence in our region
US military bases…
US military ships…
Every US officer and soldier in our region
The US army killed these men, and they will pay the price
We dont mean the American people and citizens – there are many in our region – we dont mean them. They must not be touched, otherwise this would serve Trump’s policies.
The just penalty equals the US army, the occupiers, the criminals
This is my opinion
If these assasinations are left without much reaction, then this is a very critical and dangerous precedent
From the very beginning we must put a stop to this
If the resistance and people of region go towards this: America will run away from the region as cowards
Just as they did in the past under the blows of the mujahidoon, who were very small in number back then. Today they are states, armies and nations
When the coffins of the Americans begin flying back to the United States, Trump and his administration will realise how they lost the region
Our determination in the resistance axis must be this: the response for the assasinations is removing the US forces from the whole region
If it is achieved, and it will be achieved, then returning al-Quds to the Ummah will be a stone-throw away
We may not even require a conflict with Israel
The ignorant Trump and the idiots with him dont know what they have done
The coming days will reveal this to them…
What blood of ours have you shed? (as Sayyeda Zeinab has said)
Today the just penalty for Qasim Soleimani is the same as that of Hajj Imad, Sheikh Ragheb, Sayyed Abbas al-Musawi, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and all the martyrs
I am happy for Hajj Qasim, i am very happy for him
We are not angry, reactive, scared, to the contrary. We are saying: this is a great opportunity for the Ummah
O’ people of the resistance, O’ truthful and patient ones, O’ most pure and dignified people, we will continue this path, and the blood of the martyrs will not be lost!
Wasallamu alaykum wa rahmatullah
Thank you for that.
Nasrallah said a week ago that he was 99% sure trump and the us wouldn t start a war with iran. You can read his statement on the saker website. I gueaa he was 100% wrong. It s impossible to predict the moves of headless state ruled by maniacs. I this the bestbway to deal with them it s this old saying: prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Always.
This is the speech of a fighter for the cause of all humanity. Thank you, Nasrallah. Long live General Soleimani!
Very important speech by Hassan Nasrallah. He develops the strategy in the new stage, after January 2. This means that the resistance and the peoples are now in the strategic offensive with a clear aim: the US military – including the bases, the soldiers, the officers, the warships – has to leave the region. I understand this as a concrete, realistic aim – of course not easy to reach.
Using the poison of their own hatred the US has become a victim of their own hubris……failing to understand the resultant galvanization of millions of people the US has finally exposed itself for what it most assuredly it is…..the predominate terrorist state on the planet doing the bidding of the Jewish cabal….what comes now is the Reaction….followed by another reactive reaction……followed by another…..until what???…..until the sunshine breaks out…..until the fog evaporates and the sky become a vibrant bright blue…..or is it now that the forces of good/evil become engulfed in a great darkness…..a tumultuous struggle that ends who knows where…..i think we are at that doorstep…..the handle is being turned…..the door is about to be opened…..with the real meaning of “GAMES” to be revealed….. the final “SCORE” as yet….unknown…..or is it….???
This is as if President Lincoln were to order the assassination of General Robert E. Lee, instead of meeting honorably on the field of battle. There were millions in the South who would have willingly continued their resistance if not for the words og Lee. What was achieved?
You remind me of an anecdote related by General Grant in his Memoirs.
On one occasion when the Union and Confederate armies camped near to one another, they all went to sleep in the evening expecting to fight a battle in the morning.
General Grant rode out alone to see the positions of the armies for himself. In the mist, he took the dark uniforms of a Southern regiment for Union blue, and rode close to them.
Although most Confederate soldiers could drop a rabbit at 200 yards, no one even fired at General Grant. Instead, they saluted him as he rode by – and he returned the salute.
At the earlier battler of Waterloo, English soldiers came to the Duke of Wellington to say that they had a shot at Napoleon – should they try to kill him? Wellington forbade it. He explained that the battle was against the enemy army; his soldiers did not assassinate heads of state. (Even though Napoleon was personally leading the French army that day).
The iranian tv showed the entire speech. I wish you could all understand persian. The lebanese translator did such an amazing job, full of passion. It was glorious!
Hm. I don’t like Hassan Nasrallah’s threat to strike back at American troops.
It’s not that I don’t sympathize with the Resistance, but because I’m deeply worried about the repercussions those attacks will have if they are carried out. I fear that they will put Lebanon in danger (again) and that they’ll be adding more wood to the fires of war if they do attack.
Israel and its United States-based backers have been planing to take out the Islamic Resistance for decades now and a Hezbollah attack against U.S. troops could just give them the excuse they need. I know Hezbollah has survived two wars with Israel already, but I’m not sure if they can survive a third… and I also fear that the whole of Lebanon will be destroyed by Israel during a new war.
Couldn’t there be another way for Hezbollah to show its support and commitment to the cause of the Resistance in this crucial momento without risking war?
On a more positive note, I must say that even though I was disilussioned when I first heard the threat of the Sayid, I felt consolation and joy when I read that he explicitly promised NOT to target U.S. civilians. When I read it, I said: “ May the Lord bless him!”, and even tears formed in my eyes.
I hope people take note of it: it’s the only time I’ve seen a high ranking Hezbollah official explicitly declare the Islamic Resistance’s opposition to harming civilians in all my years of studying the group.
This is VERY important for Hezbollah, because the media and the Israeli and U.S. governments always try to present Hezbollah as a terrorist threat seeking to attack the West, as if it were Al Qaeda or Daesh. The words of the Sayid, on the contrary, clearly show the world that Hezbollah is truly a Resistance Movement and not a terrorist organization bent on harming civilians (Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israeli civilians during wartime, though I will NEVER justify it because it is wrong, is different in their view, because they don’t consider Israelis civilians, but settler-colonialist and trained soldiers living on occupied land and these deliberate attacks are generally a response to all the Lebanese civilians Israel has killed when bombing Lebanon.)
So even though I think the Sayid’s message is mostly bad news, I still hope that good will come out of it and help people realize that Hezbollah’s character is not that of a terrorist group, but of a resistance.
We need to keep praying for peace and for a just resolution to these conflicts and, even if the situation is made worse, remain trusting God: He is the only one who can lead people to good and even if people choose to do evil, He can make good come out of it.
“I know Hezbollah has survived two wars with Israel already…”
Not just “survived”. They won those wars.
Nasrallah is under the illusion that the American public is concerned about its government’s foreign policy in the Middle East, save the evangelicals commitment to supporting Israel, most don’t care and many are even geographically illiterate. And he should know by now that it doesn’t matter who is president, the foreign policy, of violently opposing any government that doesn’t bow to the United States economic interests, never changes. The president is just a figurehead, a salesman, and that is why those that actually run the country prefer someone other than Trump, someone that is more eloquent, someone discreet.
This is not a completely true statement but in practical terms, yes. The Americans, albeit not this one and others of similar intellectual curiosity, are in general mentally sedated.
They are bombarded from many angles: financially, physically, emotionally manipulated and deprived of honest journalism to wit. You can blame them for being ignorant but at the end of the day the system is built to coral them and has done its job. In effect – they are victims, too, of a different variety. The government here holds people hostage by disinformation and poverty to keep the meat grinder MIC running.
In any regard I believe this probably caused Trump to lose the next election. Although a subset of his previous voters will vote him in again just for being a male chauvinist, a decided fraction voted strategically. They hoped for a resurgence of nationalistic, pacifistic policies. The velvet glove is off now and everyone with a discerning eye can see it is wedded to Jewish interests.
This is really a final desperate act when there’s no other options. The Iranians should rejoice because such a public act that was sure to turn the populations against the US means there’s little left up their sleeves. If Iran doesn’t take the bait and over react in a way that can be manipulated for aggression, then a new president is sure to come in. Assuming, of course, true organic, democratic elections are even possible here.
Nils, I understand the causes. I myself 12 years ago believed that the United States defended human rights throughout the world, that the Republicans were the bad guys, and that CNN was a credible news organization. Since then I’ve come to realize that the United States uses the pretext of defending human rights to destroy human rights in order to maintain its hegemony; that the US is a plutocracy and that the Republicans and the Democrats are two sides of the same coin: and that the corporate media does not do news; it does narrative.
The tactics of the corporate media are well known. When a foreign government is on the agenda for regime change, the corporate media will dedicate hours on end demonizing the leader of the target nation, accusing him of being Hitler and of harming his own people. This is all done to win the public’s consent for war. The corporate media has been very successful in its endeavours. I can attest to that, because I’ve seen the reaction of certain people whom I have tried to explain that they are being lied to. The reaction is sometimes so visceral that I’ve given up trying.
I agree with you with regards to Trump losing the next election. He won the electoral vote, but it was close in many States. And I’m sure many people were motivated by his professing a non interventionist foreign policy to vote for him. This assassination does not bode well for his re-election. However, like I’ve said before, it doesn’t really matter who is president, the system is too corrupt to be remedied. The foreign policy with regards to the middle east will be the same; they will do everything in their power to hinder the progress of Israel’s rivals.
I long ago learned the teachings of Prophet Muhammad that gave birth to Islam is a virtuous faith in obedience and devotion to Allah (God the Father). The Arab and Persian Muslims who strictly adhere to the Holy Quran fill themselves up with spiritual love for Allah. Mortal death is not their worry, only the wrath of Allah should they sin without remorse. I clearly see General Soleimani had no fear of a violent end to his life because his greatest concern was reconciliation for the purposes of peace for all peoples in the Middle East, even the impenitent Jew.
Qasim Soleimani had no equal in the western Citadel of Evil that houses the generals and admirals who never risk their own blood but freely boast of murder and mayhem of others around God’s world. I shun these most unprincipled men whose military suits are adorned with undeserved ribbons and medals to make them appear like peacocks strutting about looking for attention. That uniform does not make an honorable man; it hides a coward who has no spine for bravery, justice or truth.
I also loathe the Christian evangelical heretics and apostates who exhort their congregations to embrace the falsity of “Judeo-Christian” teachings that glorify war in God’s name. They are not Christ-like; they are minions of Satan whose acts of seduction endear themselves to ignorant worshipers who are too lazy and sluggish of mind to understand the Logos of God as written in the New Testament.
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”(Romans 16:16-18 KJV 1611)
The Holy Quran also gives correct instruction about watching out for deception.
“And say not — because of the falsehood which your tongues utter — ‘This is lawful, and this is unlawful,’ so as to forge a lie against Allah. Surely, those who forge a lie against Allah do not prosper.” (An-Nahl 16:117 Holy Quran)
If we Christians and our Muslim brothers believer in our respective faiths with our heart and soul, we are both commanded by God to condemn the unnecessary shedding of blood and the lies that attempt to warrant such acts. For we glorify God by obedience to him and not listen to the blasphemy of false leaders.