Putin on US strikes on Syria and chemical weapons: “It’s boring, ladies.”

Press statements following Vladimir Putin's meeting with President of Italy Sergio Mattarell

Kremlin, April 11th, 2017 

Source : http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54267

Transcript :

Question: Mr Putin, if I may, I have a question about Syria. What is your take on what is happening in Syria? Is there a danger of another US military strike against Syrian targets?

Vladimir Putin: We discussed this with the President. I said that this reminds me very much of the events of 2003, when US representatives in the Security Council showed alleged chemical weapons discovered in Iraq. A military campaign in Iraq ensued, which ended with the destruction of the country, an increased terrorist threat and the emergence of ISIS on the international scene – no more, no less.

The exact same thing is happening now, and their partners are nodding approvingly. In this connection, our remarkable writers, Ilf and Petrov, come to mind, with their famous line, “It’s boring, ladies.“ We have seen this all before.

Why is this happening? Everyone wants to restore relations in the Western community after – thanks to the former US administration – many European countries adopted an anti-Trump position during the election campaign. Syria and Russia, as a common enemy, provide a wonderful platform for consolidation. We are ready to put up with that for a while in the hope that it will eventually lead us to some positive trend based on interaction.

For consumption within America, there are reasons for this. Simply put, political opponents of the incumbent president are still out there, and if anything happens, it will be blamed on him. I have no doubt about that.

Now about whether new attacks are possible or not. We have information from a variety of sources that such provocations (I cannot find another word for this) are being prepared in other parts of Syria, including in southern suburbs of Damascus, where they are planning to plant certain substances and accuse Syrian authorities of using them.

However, we believe that things like this should be thoroughly investigated. We plan to officially address the appropriate UN institution in The Hague and call on the international community to thoroughly investigate these matters. A weighted decision can then be taken depending on the findings of the investigation.

Ex-UK ambassador to Syria: Assad is not the author of chemical attacks

Interview of Peter Ford by Sky News on April 5, 2017

Transcript:

“Ask who benefits – clearly it’s not the Syrian regime or the Russians who are benefitting. And I believe it’s highly unlikely that either were behind what’s happened. There are different possibilities. One is that all of it is fake news: the images, the videos, the information all come from opposition sources and not from any credible independent journalists.

It’s also possible that the pictures show the aftermath of a bombing attack which happened to hit a jihadi chemical weapons munition dump. We know for a fact that the jihadi’s were storing chemical weapons in schools in Eastern Aleppo because these were seen later by western journalists. This is one distinct possibility. […]

We never learn, do we? Iraq’s chemical weapons – remember that one? We were stampeded. Aleppo, we were told that there was a holocaust going on – massacres – didn’t happen. Independent reporters went in afterwards and saw no evidence of massacres. What we did see were fighters being bussed out quietly. And we discovered subsequently that a lot of the footage was fake.”

Asked whether western intervention in 2013 “might have changed things”, Ford replies:

“Well, it’s not profitable to discuss the what-might-have-been – personally, I think it was correct in 2013 not to intervene on the side of the jihadis. Maybe I’m wrong, but I suspect that most of the people, when they thought about it for a second, would ask themselves: well, what’s going to replace Assad and the secular regime which is protecting minorities, Christians, women’s rights? I don’t think the Islamists would have been a better bet, and that is even more the case today. Remember that in Idlib where this happened is a rats’ nest of the most extreme jihadis.

Dogs returning to their own vomit. They made all these mistakes: Iraq, Libya – they never learn and they would like to reproduce the same scenario in Syria. Fortunately, the Trump administration moved only last week – and this may be significant here – moved only last week to disown the Obama policy of trying to unseat the Syrian regime. Trump’s people said: we’re more interested in unseating ISIS – that’s our priority. And you may think it’s significant that this attack comes days after that. Now if the jihadis wanted to complicate Trump’s task of making America’s policy more sensible, they wouldn’t have gone about it any other way than trying to mount a piece of fake news like this.”

Hassan Nasrallah : the Resistance Axis Triumphs, Israel panics

Speech by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah on March 18, 2017, on the occasion of the anniversary of the birth of Fatima al-Zahra (as), Women's Day

Extract of the Political Section of the Speech

Translation: http://sayed7asan.blogspot.fr

Transcript :

Today, or (rather) these days are actually a (special) opportunity, namely that the events in Syria and the war waged against Syria have entered their seventh year. That is to say, six years have passed, with all that they contain in terms of sufferings, wars, conspiracies, confrontations and sacrifices of human lives. With the end of the sixth year and the beginning of the seventh, we must stop briefly on this occasion, because it concerns us also in the first place.

All those who met in the first few months of the beginning of the events six years ago of state forces, great powers, regional countries, 140, 130 or 120 countries that have gathered under the name of “Friends Of Syria” and who plotted, doing everything they could (against Syria). They bet on their ability to seize Syria in 2 or 3 months in 2011. Today, with the end of the 6th year, they face a bloody and painful truth, namely rout and failure. After six years, these powerful and important countries of the world and the region have failed, a bitter failure, in achieving their goals.

For six years, tens of billions of dollars of Arab money - Turkey did not spend money, France and the United Kingdom did not spend money. All the money that financed the war in Syria is Arab money. This money could have eliminated the poverty of the Arab world. It could have brought Somalia out of famine and Yemen as well. It could have (re)built the houses of the Palestinians in Gaza. It could have strengthened the Palestinians at Bayt-al-Maqdis (Sanctuary House / Jerusalem). This money could have guaranteed hundreds of thousands of job opportunities for unemployed Arab youth. It could have ended the illiteracy of hundreds of millions, unfortunately, tens of millions of men and women in the Arab world who are illiterate. Not a single dollar has been spent on these problems, but tens of billions of dollars of Arab money have been spent on the war in Syria, against Syria, its regime, its state, its army and its people, and against the Resistance Axis within it.

And tens, hundreds of thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition (were sent there). And they came from all over the world with tens of thousands of fighters, white, black, brown, red, yellow, whatever you want. They have left no side, no color, no tongue, no race, they have brought fighters from every spot of the whole world. The Americans, their allies, the plotters funded and facilitated (sending fighters) and brought tens of thousands of fighters to fight in Syria to achieve a clear and precise goal: to bring down Syria, to get it out of the Resistance Axis and take control of it. To take control of its decisions, its sovereignty, its people and its choices on its territory, and its strategic position on the Mediterranean Sea (between Asia) and Europe, and its strategic position in the struggle against the Israeli enemy.

Today, the result is clear: failure, defeat and retreat.

Well, let me remind you a bit, at the beginning of the 7th year, about the beginning of the first year. We do not deny that some of the people really wanted reforms and changed some realities in Syria. But what came (on the scene) with force and changed all that are the takfiri forces that were brought from all over the world, and who refused political dialogue in the first weeks. They refused any political outcome, any discussion, and their choices were definitive: they went to the bloody, general and total military confrontation. They have formulated sectarian slogans and revived (religious) school quarrels, and have lifted the veil on their objectives and their hostility towards the Resistance in the first weeks.

Well, who brought the al-Qaeda organization? When they arrived in Syria, what was their name? The Islamic State in Iraq. They then added “and in the Levant” (Syria). Then they divided, the members of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant divided. There were two factions: Daesh and the Al-Nosra Front. But in truth, they all belong to al-Qaeda, which is listed by the Americans on the list of terrorist organizations, as well as by the UN Security Council, by Saudi Arabia and by Europe. They brought tens of thousands of fighters, whom they regarded as terrorists themselves, gave them money and weapons, opened borders and brought them to Syria. They recognize that they themselves created (these groups), that they created Daesh to fight the Resistance and the Resistance Axis.

Today, the situation is different. I do not want to dwell on this point, and I will just focus on the new elements.

I want to remind you first of all that in the first year, the question did not require much political understanding, and that there was no need to make predictions and wait (and see). Anyone who had studied contemporary experiences in Afghanistan and elsewhere could reach the following conclusion, as I told them in the first months, I addressed the Al-Qaeda organization and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Daesh and the Al-Nosra Front who separated from it, and I said to them: “All of you of all nationalities, you were brought to Syria to gather you there, you were brought to Syria - now, anyone can check this out from 6 years ago - you were brought to Syria to gather you there and use you as combatants to achieve the American-Israeli goals in the region and when you will be pressed to the end, whether you have won or lost, you will be liquidated. We collect you (en masse) in order to liquidate you after having used you. You have been used... - and that is why I called them initially to be careful and wake up, and not to turn into wood and fuel for the fire lit by America and Israel as well as some regional countries, against whom they also plot, and who will pay the price. But sectarianism, foolishness, ignorance and stupidity have given them no opportunity (of lucidity).

They thought they were very smart, they believed that they were instrumentalizing America, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the countries of the world and the West so that they’d allow them to implement their own project in Syria. And they wrote all that in their strategic projects. And that was the pinnacle of stupidity.

Today, what happens? After Daesh became an object of scandal for the American project here, Daesh sees its last days in Iraq - (it's a question of) weeks, months, (but) it's over. Daesh has no military or political future in Iraq. And similarly in Syria, Daesh no longer has any military or political future in Syria. At best, they will have dormant cells that will carry out suicide bombings because the suicide bombings targeting civilians in Baghdad, Tikrīt, Damascus, Homs and elsewhere reflect strategic and military failure. When someone sends suicide bombers to kill children, women, in restaurants, passers-by, schoolchildren and students, this reflects his strategic failure and military failure. These are acts of vengeance, not of fighting. This is the future of Daesh. The future of Al-Nosra is the same.

Today, Daesh is bombed by the international coalition led by the United States, Britain, Turkey, Jordan, as well as Russia and the forces fighting them in Syria. And the Al-Nosra Front, the Al-Nosra Front brought (and supported) by the Americans and their Turkish and Gulf allies, the Al-Nosra Front is now bombed in Idlib and at the West of Aleppo. Is not that what I told you six years ago? Now we hear voices rising from Idlib and West of Aleppo against America, its betrayals and hypocrisy. Did you sleep well? After destroying Syria, after destroying Iraq, after destroying Yemen, you finally wake up and you understand? (You realize the nature of) this treacherous and hypocritical America, who uses you then massacres you? That is the truth.

And with that, of course, Israel interferes every day, with various pretexts. The pretext of striking weapons intended for Hezbollah, as they claimed yesterday, for any pretext: on the pretext that a mortar shell hit the Golan (occupied), etc., Israel intervenes and strikes positions of the Syrian Army in order to provide support and assistance to Daesh and these (other) terrorist groups. Today, this arrogant and occupying project, the project of hegemony and control over Syria, I frankly declare to you that it has failed, and that Syria has won, but that it is still waiting for the great and decisive victory. As for the rest of the factions, Daesh will disappear. And the Al-Nosra Front will disappear. And the terrorist takfiri groups will disappear. It is only a matter of time.

Even the world that supported, funded, helped and assisted them has now abandoned them and is fighting them. For the spell has turned against the sorcerer. For the world has discovered that this serpent which he has raised in his bosom (and launched against Syria) has become a danger and a poison to him, in Paris, London, Germany, Belgium, inside Turkey, the United States, Saudi Arabia, etc.

The rest of the factions of the Syrian opposition, what is their current situation? They have no leader, no leadership, no united front, no national project, they don’t know what they want, they are divided, lost, and wander between (foreign) embassies and security services. Yes, there is still a bet on patriotic personalities or cadres of the opposition, that they can participate in the political solution and dialogue to rebuild Syria.

Today, for the commemoration of the birth of (Fatima al-Zahra), the daughter of the Prophet of God, who was sent to the worlds as a Mercy, allow me to renew my address to all those still fighting in Syria in the enemy front, and who believe that they are fighting in the front of Islam, the front of the (Islamic) Community or the front of the Fatherland, and who are 100% wrong. Allow me to appeal to them, to address them and tell them: this project has failed. Your struggle is in vain and leads to nothing but more deaths, battles and destruction, and bloodshed on both sides, which benefits America and Israel.

Look, Netanyahu went to Moscow imploring. Why? He went to intercede with President Putin because he is afraid of the defeat of Daesh in Syria. For the defeat of Daesh for Putin – excuse me, for Netanyahu, constitutes a victory for the Resistance and the Resistance Axis. Because for Netanyahu, Daesh's defeat in Syria is a failure of the project he has supported for 6 years. So he went to beg (Putin). Oh, what do you do with Daesh, calm down with Daesh! For if you finish Daesh, what are you going to do with Iran, Hezbollah, President Assad, and the rest of the Resistance Axis?

Do not believe, (you Daesh fighters), that you are on the Front of Islam, the Community or the Fatherland. Whether you realize it or not, you have fought for 6 years on the Front of America and Israel and the Front of those who plot against you to kill you, imprison you and massacre you. Will not all this blood poured in Syria and Iraq awaken you? Is not that enough to reconsider things? I call upon them to lay down their arms, to cease fighting, to a real ceasefire, to seek a genuine humanitarian and political solution, to leave the front of hypocrisy for the front of Islam, leave Israel and America for the front of the Community, and leave the front of the enemy for the front of the Resistance. And it is still possible. It is still possible. (I call them to) stop these destructions. Your project has no future.

The Resistance Axis, as we said in the first days and months, today, after six years, from the beginning, we declared that the Resistance Axis would not be defeated in Syria, neither in Iraq, nor in Yemen, and that it would not break. And now that six years have passed, the Resistance Axis triumphs in Syria, and it triumphs in Iraq, and it is steadfast in Yemen where it will also win, if God wills, a great decisive victory. But these people must be aware of what they do with their lives, their blood, their future and their afterlife, and they must reconsider all their bloody actions that persist in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.

Hassan Nasrallah on Israel, Hezbollah and the End of the Peace Process

Speech by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, on 16 February 2017, on the occasion of the annual commemoration of the martyr leaders (ENG SUB)

Translation: http://sayed7asan.blogspot.fr

Part one : Why Israel Fears a War against Hezbollah

Part two : The End of the Two-States Illusion Announces the Liberation of Palestine

Transcript :

 I

[...] Dear brothers and sisters, for this annual commemoration of Hezbollah's martyred leaders, we always make sure that the main theme of our speech is that which relates to the Israeli enemy. Let me address it in two aspects: first, the Lebanese aspect, and secondly, the Palestinian aspect.

In Lebanon, as regards the Israeli issue, during the last weeks and months, we have heard many Israeli statements, analyzes and assessments. Similarly, a number of conferences were organized, especially at the beginning of the new Gregorian year. We also heard new estimates, Israeli statements on the strategic situation of the region, and in these conferences, Presidents, ministers, generals, personalities, professors spoke. Much of what has been said before and after has been published.

In summary - I am talking about the essential point, not to dwell on the considerations that led to this conclusion - it is the continuous intimidation against Lebanon, the evocation of a third war on Lebanon, the scenarios of this war and what Israel will do in Lebanon during the Third Lebanon War. And everything you want in terms of statements, speeches, declarations, threats, intimidations, and so on. I want to dwell a bit on this.

Of course, the Israeli position, even at the level of the assessment of the situation, is developing with regard to Lebanon and Hezbollah in particular: for example, they speak of the “strategic threat”, the “essential threat” , the “main threat”. This year, they raised us and put us in first position.

Of course, it is a matter of pride for Hezbollah, but it is a dangerous sign from the strategic point of view. When Israel considers that the Arab countries pose no threat, that the Arab armies are no longer a threat, that the only threat is the Syrian army, but that its rank has diminished due to its monopoly and exhaustion in the (Syrian) war. And in all this atmosphere, Hezbollah finds itself in the first position.

And Iran, which is several hundred kilometers away from occupied Palestine, is in second position and Palestinian resistance is in third place. This is as far as Lebanon is concerned.

These threats and intimidations are of course not new. It has always seemed that there is an Israeli objective of continuously pressuring the Lebanese people and the people of Lebanon and especially on the (popular) basis of the Resistance in Lebanon. Enormous and continuous pressure on the nerves, on morale, to keep us in a situation (of continuous pressure), with constant threats of war (Israeli) against Lebanon pronounced by this or that personality. And recently, after Trump's arrival in the US Presidency, these analyzes and assessments come back again and again.

Of course, I do not want to challenge or confirm the seriousness of these remarks, but I invite the Lebanese people, the inhabitants of Lebanon and all the residents of Lebanon, because all are concerned with this issue, whether they are permanent residents, refugees or displaced persons, Palestinians or Syrians, (I call) all the people who are on Lebanese territory to consider this question in this aspect, with this conscience:

First of all, we have been hearing this since the end of the July 2006 war. That is why many felt that in 2007 there would be the third Lebanon war. Others said 2008. 2008 has passed, and they have (predicted war for) 2009. 2009 has passed, they said 2010. 2010 ended, they said 2011, etc. Same thing for 2016.

Well, in the 11 years of the July (2006) war, and every day after the July war, we heard the (incessant) announcements of the Third Lebanon War, the coming revenge, the threats , The promises, the destruction, the doctrine of Dahiyeh, the destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure, and so on. Well, it's been 11 years already, and thank God, everything is fine and everything will be fine if God wills : we are safe, safe and at peace, the South (of Lebanon) is safe, like the Western Bekaa, Hasbaya, all Lebanon is safe. Now, there are certainly incidents that happen from time to time, but still. Well, here's the first point. Eleven years have passed. Who can say (with certainty) that (the war will be) 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020? Only God knows. That's the first point. 

Second, the political developments on which some declarations are based concern Trump. Trump could effectively allow Israel, the Israeli enemy, to launch a war against Lebanon to put an end to Hezbollah. Of course, there is a political debate on this issue, namely, what is the priority of the new American administration in the region, because until now we understand nothing, because of the persistent dispute within the region American administration between the individual leadership (Trump) and that of the organizations (Deep State), and as they say in Lebanese, it is total blurring, it is not known if Trump goes left, right, we do not understand anything about anything.

But in any case, this point does not scare us, even if this analysis was true. Even if the analysis that Trump will allow Netanyahu to launch a war against Lebanon, or even that he will encourage it, more than allow it (was true). Does the issue of the war against Lebanon stop only with US authorization or US encouragement? I'm saying no.

I will repeat one thing that I have already said in order to confirm it and to root the idea in the minds. See, O our brothers, our sisters, our people, the peoples of the region. For Israel, the political conditions for launching a war against Lebanon are permanently present. They are present at all times. US protection is present at all times. And unfortunately, Arab protection is present, and almost permanently. The Arab protection that allowed Israel to attack Lebanon in 2006 is even more present than in 2006, for many and varied reasons that I do not want to mention now.

For Israel, it is only a question ... - on the contrary, there are now Arab countries ready to finance the Israeli war and even to pay interest on the (war) costs incurred (by Israel). For they consider that, ultimately, Hezbollah is part of a front, an Axis that has hindered many of their harmful projects in the region. For Israel, the question is not one of US permission, US protection, Arab protection, or anything like that. For Israel, and especially after the July 2006 war, especially after the Gaza wars and the 2014 war on Gaza, is that if they want to launch a war against Lebanon, as they themselves say - it’s not an analysis of my own) -, will they win this war? Are they going to get a clear, decisive victory, achieving their goals with as few losses as possible regarding the (Israeli) enemy and the home front? That is the (real) question. The fundamental question for Israel is this.

And it has no relationship with either Trump, or with Obama, or with anyone, in any way. And this means in particular that what the Resistance (Hezbollah) represents in terms of force, and what the (popular) base of the Resistance actually represents in terms of endurance and strength, deep and massive support, the Lebanese Army and the position of the rest of the Lebanese, and I now add the firm and unshakable position of His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Aoun, such are the elements of strength.

Why do I say the (popular) base that sustains (the Resistance)? Because it endures patiently, and proved through the Syrian test that it is very strong, endures and massively supports (the Resistance) and believes in its path and choices, and is ready for the highest sacrifices. As long as this element of force is present, that is what will deter Israel from launching a war. This is what has deterred Israel in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. And that is what discourages them today and in the future.

Yes, if the enemy feels that the Resistance has eroded, weakened and retreated, that the (popular) base of the Resistance has been eroded and weakened, it will encourage this enemy to venture (to attack) and approach.

Thus, today, facing all threats and intimidations, our guarantee, after God the Most High and the Exalted, is in our hands, in us. In the wills of our martyrs, in the soul they breathed in us - Sayed Abbas [al-Musawi], Sheikh Ragheb [Harb], Hajj Imad [Moghniyeh], in our mujahideen (fighters), our elders, our youth, our children, our culture, our endurance, this is what protects the country and prevents the war, not the US veto or US authorization.

II

Among the signs that confirm this, I will briefly mention a few points, because I do not have time to make a full analysis on this issue.

First, with respect to ammonia, the ammonia reservoir located in Haifa. A few days ago, a decision was rendered: before 10 days, the Haifa ammonia reservoir must be removed. Why is that? These tanks were there for decades... It is because the Resistance [Hezbollah] talked about this tank and the fact that it represents an atomic bomb (if struck). And even more so, we have been told that there is a ship that brings the ammonia to the Haifa reservoir and others, and that if I can say that the ammonia reservoir of Haifa is equivalent to an atomic bomb, they themselves said that the ship that brings ammonia to occupied Palestine represents five atomic bombs. Well, how could this ship escape from us?

Consider that they emptied the reservoir of Haifa. First, wherever they are carrying this reservoir, we can reach it, God willing. Of course, in Haifa, it's easier, no doubt about it, it's closer and easier in Haifa. But wherever they move these reservoirs, we can reach them. Consider that you have hidden these tanks, where are you going to hide the ship? Under which wave do you think you can hide it?

Thus, this enemy is faced with a resistance that possesses capabilities and has the courage to use them in any real confrontation, and it will make a thousand calculations (before launching a war). And on this basis, if they want to empty the reservoir - of course, the people of Haifa should thank Hezbollah (through whom the reservoir has been moved), saying God bless you, for they have been 20 or 30 years asking that, but no one had answered them.

Today, the day of the commemoration of the victory leaders, I call on the Israeli enemy not only to empty the Haifa ammonia reservoir, but also to close the nuclear reactor in Dimona. To close the Dimona nuclear reactor. They have enough information about this reactor, it's worn, old, obsolete, outdated, and it does not take a great bombardment effort (to destroy it), and they also know that if our missiles strike it, they know what is going to happen to them and to their entity, they know the extent of the dangers that it represents for them.

As I said in the past for the ammonia reservoir, Israel has nuclear weapons, and it opposes Iran because of its peaceful nuclear program, but by the grace of God, and by the mentality and the courage of our mujahideen (fighters), and through our own capabilities, we can turn the threat into an opportunity. Israeli nuclear weapons pose a threat to the entire region, turning them into an opportunity, transforming them into a threat to Israel, its entity, its settlers, its colonialists, its invaders occupying occupied Palestine.

Some considered that the Israeli decision to close the Haifa ammonia reservoir was a sign that a war against Lebanon is approaching. It is possible, although I do not share this opinion, but I do not speak absolutely or with certainty, but I say to those who believe that this is rather an indication of the credibility of the Lebanese Resistance in the enemy's eyes, certainty as to the strength and capabilities of the Lebanese Resistance, and that when Hezbollah says something he is capable of carrying it out. Consider this reading (of events) before considering others.

Another sign I want to evoke in this brief overview is that... well, consider that [Israel] wants to launch a war. Everyone now knows that air force alone cannot win the battle or achieve a victory anywhere. Today, in Iraq, if there were no Iraqi army, popular mobilization and anti-terrorist forces and Iraqi clans fighting, even the world's most powerful air force would not be able to put an end to the battle against ISIS. At present, in Syria, if there were not the Syrian army, the popular forces and the various allies fighting on Syrian territory, and the Syrian people fighting on the ground in Syria, the most powerful air force would not succeed in winning a battle.

Of course, the air force has a certain influence and contributes to victory, but after the war in Lebanon, after the wars in Gaza, after the wars in the world, it became a known fact, and is today part of the military and strategic certainties (to win a war, the air force is not enough).

Well, consider that your planes took off and bombed Lebanon - not to mention what we will do to you (in return) - but will you not send (land) forces to Lebanon, to achieve a decisive, clear victory, and achieve your goals? What will happen to these forces that will enter Lebanon? Anyway, will Israel dare to send troops to Lebanon, in order to threaten us like that with war? I want to mention two proofs for this point.

The first proof is Gaza in 2014. The Golani Brigade, dear brothers and sisters, is one of the best, and is perhaps even the best of the elite troops of the enemy army. And I was even told that it is one of the best elite troops in the world. Among the best elite troops (commandos, special forces) in the world. During the 2014 war, it tried to enter the Chuja'iya neighborhood in Gaza. It was crushed and humiliated, it failed and was defeated in one neighbourhood of the besieged and uncovered Gaza Strip, which is like a desert completely exposed to the eyes and ears of the enemy. These elite troops of yours, if they come to the south of Lebanon, what is going to happen to them? Your officers, your soldiers, your tanks?

The elite troops of the Golani Brigade suffered a stinging defeat in the Gaza Strip, and after what? After 2006, after they learned the lessons, remedied, improved, trained, prepared and armed their elite troops, learned the lessons of all their setbacks and failures during the July (2006) war, and they went to Gaza to see the results of their training, 8 years of preparations and maneuvers after the war of July to undergo this defeat in the district of Chuja'iya. It was you who were stranded for days at the gates of the city of Bint Jbeil (southern Lebanon, 2006). Who are you threatening? Who do you think you are intimidating? Why (try to) scare people?

The other proof is what happens at the (Lebanese-Israeli) border. Maybe the media does not highlight this enough, and I hope that other media than Al-Manar will talk about it. The media, local and international, must come and see what the Israelis are doing at the border. The high concrete walls they build in several important or militarily sensitive areas. The Israelis are building walls. They flatten hills and block valleys. Well, they announced the construction of lines of defense for the settlements north of occupied Palestine, and they carried out maneuvers on these lines. Why?

Since 1948, what has existed between us and the Israeli entity, between us and occupied Palestine? There is barbed wire, nothing but wire. So that the Israeli, when he sees fit, cuts the iron and invades us. He was the one who invaded, he was the one who attacked, he was the strong man, he was the one with the upper hand.

(Today), for the first time since 1948, for the first time, by the grace of these martyred leaders, the craftsmen of victory, and the sacrifices of all the resistance fighters in Lebanon, not only ours, fortifications are built in Occupied Palestine (to protect themselves from an invasion by Hezbollah), as well as lines of defense around the settlements. It is not only us who have to erect defenses for our villages and towns, but they also have to build them in their hills, valleys and settlements in the north of occupied Palestine.

If you are so strong, capable, powerful and proud-to-arms, why do you build walls, and do all these earthworks in your hills, valleys, fields, this mining of land, etc.? Something has changed, evolved in the Israeli mentality, in the Israeli military conception, in the Israeli soul, the Israeli feeling. Resistance in Lebanon is not only a resistance that mobilizes only to defend its country and resists and fights only on its territory, no, (it can invade Israel).

That is why I will content myself with these points to say that the population of Lebanon must be tranquil and calm, and not allow itself to be preoccupied by all that is said and written. All these intimidations, threats and promises, we all place them in the sphere of psychological warfare. Of course, this does not mean that we say there is nothing (which one should be concerned about), no! Resistance, as is the duty of the State (if God wills it, when we have a real State), and as is the duty of the army, which has proved that it is trustworthy in all difficult conditions, the duty of the Resistance is to imagine the worst and prepare for it. The population must be quiet, but the Resistance must not be quiet. The Resistance must remain permanently on the alert, ready, organized, listening and watching, finger on the trigger. And the enemy understands this, for that is what deters the enemy.

Of course, apart from calling for the dismantling of the Dimona nuclear power plant, I wish to send a final message (to the enemy) and I will stop there with respect to Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, namely: I declare to the enemy leaders, for it seems that they are beginning to err in their understanding (of the situation). For the July War (2006), you built everything on the belief that you had sufficient information about the Resistance, and you attacked. And you were shaken by surprises, several surprises now known.

You led Operation “Specific Weight” (targeting Hezbollah's long-range missiles, July 13, 2006), which failed and changed the course of the war. I know, and we know, in Hezbollah and in the Resistance, that you are planning a new Operation “Specific Weights” in case a war happens one day or another. And you are mistaken (again) when you consider that your information is sufficient. We always keep capacities secret. This is part of our fighting doctrine and our military and security strategy. And you will still be surprised by what we hide and keep secret, which can change the course of any war that will be a stupid act if you head in that direction.

Dear Lebanese, dear and noble Lebanese people, dignified and generous, by the grace of these martyr leaders, their brothers, their pupils, their blood and their sacrifices, you can today have full confidence in your abilities and strength, and in your deterrence, and in the fact that in the eyes of the enemy you are something great and formidable. You must be sure and confident about this, and build your calculations on it.

***

Well, the second point is the Israeli question from the Palestinian point of view.

What is happening now? Israel is continuing the process of judaization to its fullest. The judaization of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the expulsion of its inhabitants, (the construction of) more residences and settlements to change its identity and separate it from the West Bank, until the prohibition of the adhan (call to prayer in mosques), project set by the government of Netanyahu and adopted by the Knesset, upto the law legalizing the theft of Palestinian land in the West Bank, with the ongoing construction of thousands of residences in the West Bank, the daily continuation of the killings, arrests and demolitions of homes, the destruction of the fields, and now, with Trump, the evocation of the displacement of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Al-Quds (Jerusalem). The importance of this point would be the confirmation of Al-Quds as the eternal capital of this usurping entity.

The American abandonment of the two-state solution has significance for us as a Resistance. But this solution represented the only hope for the path of negotiations and for those who believe in this path. The Americans, Trump said yesterday that they would not pressure Israel. Let the Palestinians negotiate directly and get along (with Israel). What does that mean ? “Fend for yourself and good luck.”

Israel, without American pressure, without international pressure, without Arab pressure, without any pressure, these Zionists, with their culture, their ambitions, their appetites, their contempt and their arrogance, (would they by themselves) give to the Palestinians be it only the crumbs through negotiations? That's what it means (“fend for yourself”).

Today, after what emerged from the meeting between Netanyahu and Trump, I really do not exaggerate by saying that yesterday was announced almost officially the death of the path of negotiations. It's an act of death. This question is now closed. For the Israelis, the Palestinian state does not exist (and can never exist). In the conferences (held in Israel) at the beginning of the year I have just spoken of, in which ministers, generals, personalities, etc., have spoken, in all their speeches, there is no mention of any Palestinian State, nonexistent and inconceivable for them.

A few years ago, we said (already), and I recall today what we were saying. The Israeli project for Palestine and for the Palestinians is: take Gaza - of course, this Gaza which must remain besieged, without port, without airport, without border - but take Gaza because it was an object of scandal for the Zionists. As for the rest of Palestine, it is for the Zionists. The maximum that can be ceded to the West Bank is a controlled, limited and discontinuous administrative autonomy that will now be cut by thousands of residences, and that is the end of the question. Palestinians from the diaspora (refugees) will have to be nationalized or emigrate. They will have to take citizenship in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, wherever they are, or emigrate wherever they can. And it is now widespread in the world, we propose nationalities to the Palestinians so that they leave. This is the maximum that Israel can concede. Limited and discontinuous administrative autonomy in the West Bank. Yesterday, too, the Israelis themselves, the Israeli analysts themselves talk about the final stages of the final settlement of the Palestinian cause. And there may be no exaggeration in the matter, unfortunately.

Well, today, now that the principle and basis of resolution of the Arab peace initiative of 2002, based on the idea of ​​two states, now that this base is finished, that it has been suppressed, rejected, what do the Arab leaders, the Arab regimes, the Arab governments, the Union of Arab countries say? The authors of the peace initiative who said (as a threat) that the proposal is on the table but will not stay there long? Why, then, is it still on the table? Does it still have any existence anyway? Who recognizes it?

It is natural that the Israelis come to the stage where they say they are witnessing the final moments of the Palestinian cause they are about to liquidate. For Israel, despite all that Obama has done for them, now says that Trump is even better. Well, as to the Arabs, the Arab countries, where is the Arab pressure? On the contrary, we see a precipitation towards relations with Israel under the table and over the table, without hesitation, an Arab and Gulf countries normalization of their relations with Israel, with the exception of a few Arab countries, normalization, (Israeli) delegations in Bahrain and some Arab countries, and they dance, sing, raise swords, and in Bahrain they do not even hesitate to declare, those Zionists, that “We will destroy the mosque (Al-Aqsa) and (re)build the temple”, and all those Arabs who are sitting beside them and dancing with them, these Bahrainis who are of course close to power, these ignorant imbeciles do not even understand what they say. And in my opinion, even if they had understood, it would not change anything, for there is nothing of value left to these (Arab) regimes and their supporters.

Yesterday, a strange voice rose, and many probably wondered “Oh, he's coming out of where, this guy comes from which planet?” When, for example, His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Aoun, went to the summit of the Arab countries, I think he really upset them when he told them about Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Islamic and Christian holy places. And he upset them when he reminded them of their responsibility as Arab countries and as Arabs vis-à-vis Palestine and the holy places. And he upset them when he spoke to them of the Resistance before his departure and after his departure. And he upset them when he told them that Zionist thought had managed to transform the war from an Arab-Israeli confrontation into an Arab-Arab confrontation, and that they had to solve this problem. “To whom do you recite your psalms, O David?” (Quote about the indifferent)

In these deplorable Arab circumstances, yes, the Israelis are right to speak of an excellent and reassuring strategic situation, and Netanyahu is right to say yesterday that never before in his life had he felt that the Arab countries do not consider Israel as an enemy but as an ally. This testimony of Netanyahu is a trademark of infamy engraved on the forehead of the majority of these leaders, those Arab kings, emirs and Presidents. Most of them, of course with exceptions for some leaders and Presidents who have a different position and pay the price. Is not this a mark of infamy? What does the Palestinian people say about it? What do all the factions of the Palestinian Resistance say, all those who believe in resistance and those who believe in negotiations? What do the millions of Palestinians in the diaspora say? What do the Arabs say about them, who still have in them a remnant of honor, dignity, arabity and nobility? Where is the Arab position, where is the Arab answer? Of course, there is no answer.

The answer (of the Arab regimes) is on another ground: more killings in Yemen and Bahrain, more conspiracies against Syria and Iraq, more seeking alliances to wage war on the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is where the Arabs are today, the Arab leaders.

Well... What choices remain for the Palestinians? All this does not incite to despair, in any way.

I want to say to the Palestinian people in this commemoration of these leaders (martyrs of Hezbollah) who deeply loved and cherished Palestine. Such was Sayed Abbas (al-Musawi), such was Sheikh Ragheb (Harb), such was Hajj Imad (Mughnieh). They were more Palestinian than Lebanese. Sayed Abbas was more Palestinian than Lebanese, and the Palestinians know it. Hajj Imad was like that, Sheikh Ragheb was like that. On this day of commemoration of the leaders of the Resistance, for whom Palestine was the beloved, darling, coveted, cause (par excellence) and hope, I say to the Palestinian people: this must not incite to despair.

The fact that masks fall is very important (positive). “If they had gone out (to fight) with you, they would only have added to your trouble [and sowed discord in your ranks by their maneuvers].” (Quran, 9, 47). The fact that the masks are falling, the hypocrites reveal themselves after lying to you for decades claiming they supported Palestine, the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, what is its importance? This clarifies things, and purifies and consolidates the ranks. Only serious people stay. Cowards, traitors, agents of the enemy, spies and opportunists are dismissed.

And that says to the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region: those who remain (by your side) are the quintessence of all these trials and difficulties, and they are the ones who will liberate Palestine and shape the victory.

On the contrary, it must be a source of hope and not a cause of despair, the fact that these ranks purify themselves. Let them go! Enough of you! Oh, they only lied to the Arab peoples, their peoples and the Palestinian people. They declare that they have accepted Israel, that they normalize their relations with Israel, that they are the allies of Israel, that Israel is not an enemy. Oh my brother, let one of them answer Netanyahu! If they had an ounce of honor, pride, and dignity! Let these Arab kings, emirs and Presidents say to Netanyahu “No, you lie, you are always our enemy, you have not become an ally.” But they do not dare.

Do not blame me, I let myself speak in dialect (Lebanese), and use the (colloquial) language that is used when we speak between us, at home. This should not lead to despair but to hope.

Then, the Palestinian people must not surrender, never! The refusal of surrender, the pursuit of resistance, faith in resistance, persisting in resistance, confidence in the choice of resistance, in the fact that it shapes victories. The resistance liberated Lebanon, it liberated Gaza, and the experiences of history for popular resistance during our time and through the centuries (prove it). It is only a matter of time, perseverance, endurance and firmness. The experience of the Palestinian people in this matter is very great.

Among the most important forms of resistance currently taking place in Palestine is the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Intifada, which should continue. These individual operations are one of the most important forms of resistance. One of the most important and largest forms. For it is a single individual, who does not belong to any group, no organization... Whatever the case, when the individual decides his own action, his operation, his plan, he sets the objective and accomplishes it, he accomplishes the operation, who could prevent it? Any (Israeli) prevention operation is impossible. When this extends to everyone - young man, young woman, farmer, student, teacher, etc., from different social backgrounds - that is what terrifies the enemy and shakes all its entity like an earthquake.

You (Palestinians) possess the faith, the spirit of resistance, the tremendous enthusiasm that the young men and women of Palestine have shown in the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Intifada.

And lastly, I also want to assure our Palestinian people that the region will not remain as it is now. And the world will not remain as it is today. Trump’s America is no longer the America of George Bush, and the American army is no longer the one that came to invade us decades ago, and this whole region has changed. Projects evaporate and collapse, and from the heart of trials, seditions and plots are born generations, generations and generations of mujahideen (fighters), resistants and believers, who will shape the decisive victory, as they shape it every day, and they will change the face of the region.

The horizon is radiant, the future is bright. And all that is going on around us is absolutely not the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, never! This is the liquidation of the hypocrites, who lied to the Palestinian people. As for the Palestinian cause, no one can liquidate it, and no one can put an end to it.

May your confidence in God be strong, and your confidence in you, your young men and women, be great, and let this resistance, these operations, this endurance, this perseverance be sincerely fulfilled for God, in the way of God, under His eyes. And God, Most High and Exalted, does not fail His promises. He promised victory to all sincere, patient and enduring, and He always keeps His promises. [...]

Iran and Hezbollah respond to Donald Trump

Since his election campaign, Donald Trump has not hidden his fierce hostility to the international deal on Iran's nuclear program, calling it the worst of the agreements in history and promising to dismantle it. On February 2, 2017, following a conventional ballistic missile test by Iran that did not contravene the agreement, Trump said in a Tweet that Iran, as a dissipated student, had been “formally warned” and should be “grateful” for the “horrible” deal with Tehran by the Obama administration. On February 3, new US sanctions were announced by the US Treasury Department. And on February 6, in an interview, Trump declared Iran the “number one terrorist state”.

Sayed Ali Khamenei never concealed the fact that he considered the diplomatic efforts of the Rouhani administration vain, convinced that the United States were not sincere in their approach and would renounce their commitments. Iran had already denounced several times violations of the letter and spirit of the agreement by the United States under Obama, and is now threatened with new sanctions and even aggression, which can only strengthen a nation that has been submitted to 38 years of international and unsuccessful wars aimed at destroying the Islamic Republic, and is now a regional power that cannot be ignored. Tehran, which in addition to its traditional allies, Syria and Hezbollah, now has two major strategic allies, Russia and China, has responded with its own sanctions against the United States, and by a message of the Supreme Leader.

As for Hezbollah, which also became a first-class armed force after its victories against Israel and against the Daech nebula in Syria, it certainly constituted, with Iran, the main subject of discussion of the meeting between Trump and Netanyahu on February 15. Sayed Hassan Nasrallah also wanted to send a small message to Donald Trump before its holding.

Sayed Hasan

About the nuclear deal, see also The Triumph of the Islamic Republic and The Islamic Republic sticks to its guns

Speech by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with commanders and personnel of the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, on February 7, 2017 

The meeting was held on the occasion of the historic pledge of allegiance of Air Force officers to Imam Khomeini on the eve of the triumph of the Islamic Revolution.

Source : http://english.khamenei.ir/news/4625/The-New-US-President-Reveals-the-True-Nature-of-America

Transcript : 

[...] A Quranic ayah in holy Sura Noor says, “Their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which [the man parched with thirst] mistakes for water.” Like a mirage, a thirsty individual mistakes a piece of dry land for water. Later on when he gets closer, he sees that there is nothing: “Until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds God ever with him” [The Holy Quran, 24: 39]. He sees that there is nothing. Pinning one’s hope on shaitans is like this. Pinning one’s hope on materialistic and satanic powers is like this.

Employing reason and adopting a reasonable approach on different matters – matters related to diplomacy, management of domestic affairs in the country, resource provision, knowledge, industry and other such areas – is a necessary task, but trusting shaitans and trusting those individuals who are opposed to the essence of your existence is a grave mistake.  A power that cannot endure and accept the essence of the Islamic Republic’s existence and the essence of Islamic power cannot be trusted and relied on: “Like a mirage in sandy deserts, which [the man parched with thirst] mistakes for water.”

This is a statement that each and every one of us should keep in mind forever. Each and every person among the people of Iran should keep this in mind. You should try and work hard, you should show innovation, you should bring your real and God-given power to the arena and you should move forward with reliance on God and on His assistance and then God will help. However, if you sit and wait for Shaitan – the Great Shaitan – to come and help, then the ayah “Like a mirage in sandy deserts, which [the man parched with thirst] mistakes for water” will come true because no good comes from Shaitan.

Now, the gentleman that has recently taken office in the United States says that we should be grateful to America and to Obama administration. Why should we be grateful? We are not grateful at all. He was part of the same system that imposed those heavy sanctions on the people of Iran with the purpose of paralyzing the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation. They hoped to paralyze us. Of course, their hope was not fulfilled and it will never be fulfilled because no enemy can paralyze Iran. He says that we should be grateful, but this is not the case and we are not grateful at all. Why should we be grateful? Because of sanctions? Because of creating DAESH? Because of setting fire to the region? They set Syria on fire. They set Iraq on fire. Why should we be grateful? Should we be grateful because of supporting the fitna that they created during the elections of the year 1388 [2009]?

On the one hand, he wrote a letter to me expressing his respect, kindness and cooperation and on the other hand, he supported the seditionists openly saying to them that they had stood behind them, thus revealing their intention to provoke fitna in the country. This is the true face of hypocrisy. He was wearing that velvet glove to cover his iron fist. I have spoken about this many times.

We do not thank them at all. We know what they have done. We know what they were doing. He says that we should thank Obama and that we should be afraid of him [Donald Trump]! We are not afraid of you either! On the 22nd of Bahman [February 11th], the people will respond to these threats and statements on the streets. They will show what position the people of Iran adopt in the face of threats. We are not afraid of anyone’s threats either.

Yes, we thank to the mister who has taken office recently. We thank him because he saved us the trouble of revealing the true nature of America. What we having been saying repeatedly in the past 30-plus years – about political corruption, economic corruption, moral corruption and social corruption in the ruling apparatus of America – was fully displayed and manifested by that mister as he revealed the naked truth about America during and after the elections. In the present time too, he is showing the truth about America with the things that he is doing. He is showing what American human rights means- they put handcuffs on a five-year-old kid- this is their human rights!

The people of Iran have found their path. The people of Iran are pushing their movement forward and taking this path with logic, reason and reliance on God and they are doing so at great speed and in a self-confident manner. Today, the people of Iran trust themselves. Our youth are working with self-confidence. Our academic organizations and institutes are filled with new thoughts in the area of science. The same is true of the area of infrastructure and various other areas. Today, rationality is the first important issue in the country. However, it is accompanied by reliance on and trust in Allah the Exalted. We know that the people of Iran will surely achieve victory on this path and that they will attain their ideal results and desires.

God’s mercy be upon our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) who clarified the truths about these matters for the people of Iran during the 10 years of his blessed life in the beginning of the Revolution. You should look at Imam’s (r.a.) speeches. He identified the friends and the enemies. He knew who the people of Iran were and he identified the goals. The reason why Imam (r.a.) said over and over again that we should not trust Shaitan and the enemy and the reason why he said that we should beware of trusting the enemy was that he knew the enemy. Of course, we used to make these statements, but today they are on the screen and everyone is watching it. The behavior of that gentleman reveals what the true nature of America is and of the comments that they make about human rights, philanthropy and other such matters. This is what we can obtain from this situation and from deliberating on Imam’s (r.a.) statements.

I hope that the Lord of the worlds bestows success on you. I hope that by Allah’s favor, you youth will be prepared so that you can carry out the great task that befalls you. Your generation should carry out a great task. The generation before you accomplished great tasks, but there are other important tasks that you should accomplish. I hope that you will prepare yourselves with reliance on Allah the Exalted and that you will deliver this duty – which you have held in trust – to future generations.

Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

Speech of Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, on February 12, 2017, during the funeral of Cheikh Hussein 'Obaid

Source :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfOIOSg59Is

Translation :  http://sayed7asan.blogspot.fr

Lastly – on Thursday [February 16], if God keeps us alive, we will speak specifically about the regional situation, but allow me only to say a word to all those who have declared and written in the last weeks… (I have seen many statements) that Hezbollah is worried, that Hezbollah is intimidated, that Hezbollah is frightened. What is it about, friends? Trump took power. Yes, Trump is here. So what? What's new?

The new, as said His Eminence the Guide Sayed Khamenei, may God prolong his noble life. What changes is that before, there was someone who had put on his face a veil of hypocrisy [Obama]. A veil of hypocrisy. He speaks to you in a convivial way, he sends you his greetings for your holidays, but what does he do? He imposes sanctions on you, he wages an international war against you, he makes thousands strikes that have killed thousands of civilians, he supports and becomes involved in wars like the one against Yemen where hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, wounded, starved and besieged. He supports despotic regimes such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. He does all (evil) and creates Daech for you, so that it may sully your religion, your Prophet, your Qur'an, that it may shed your blood, take your women captive, demolish your society and your countries. But he's jovial, and your heart is supposed to burn for him because his skin is black.

The new positive thing is that now there is someone who has put hypocrisy aside, and who says – and that is why His Eminence the Imam Leader [Khamenei] said, we should thank Trump because he revealed again the true face of the racist, cruel, criminal, murderous American government, which spills blood, represses liberties, seizes the wealth of others, plots unceasingly against the oppressed peoples.

Thank you! We are not sorry, we are grateful to Trump. Because since he took power, the real face of the American administration has been revealed, and the peoples whose discernment has been obscured and misled can finally understand it.

As for fear, it is something long gone (for Hezbollah). To all those who write, discourse, think, analyze, I say [in the name] of the white hair of Sheikh Hussein 'Obaid, one of the great founders of Hezbollah in 1982 : We were here in 1982, and we are now in 2017. In 1982, we were only a handful of oppressed believers, fearing at any time to be captured by our opponents [Cf. Quran, VIII, 26]. The invincible Israeli army occupied half of Lebanon. 100,000 Israeli officers and soldiers were in Lebanon. 25,000 US, French, British and Italian officers and soldiers were in Lebanon [along with Israel]. There were the internal problems in Lebanon, the battleship New Jersey and others in the sea... And we were only a handful, we and the other members of the factions and resistant parties. And we were not afraid. We were not worried. We did not hesitate. Our cause was clear and certain. And after, after, after, George Bush came, with the armies again, with the battleships, aggressing countries, pushing Israel to war against us, but we were not worried nor frightened nor hesitant. We had the certainty that God would grant us victory.

This victory that God promised us in His Book, and which Imam Khomeini promised us, to Sheikh Hussein 'Obaid, to Sayed Abbas, to the House of the brothers [founders of Hezbollah], when they went to see the Imam at the beginning of the creation of the movement, and he confirmed to them that the choice of the Resistance was the only one, and told them not to count on anyone, to expect nothing from whoever in the world, nor from us [Iran], but to rely on God and on yourselves, carry out the tasks that are incumbent on you.

And on that day, as the documents testify, on that day, when many in the Arab and Islamic world considered Lebanon to have entered the Israeli era, Imam Khomeini told the 9 [Hezbollah] people, including Sayed Abbas al-Musawi (former Secretary General of Hezbollah) and Sheikh Hussein 'Obaid: “If you resist, I see victory engraved on your foreheads.”

This victory was achieved in 1985 (Israeli withdrawal in southern Lebanon), in 2000, in 2006, and is being realized today in Syria, in Iraq, and it will be realized in Yemen, God willing. Neither Trump nor his father nor his grandfather, neither George Bush, nor his father, nor his grandfather, or any of these racists, can infringe upon the courage, will, determination or faith of any of our children, so what about our men (adults) and our elders ?

That is why we are not at all worried but very optimistic, because when the White House is inhabited by a fool who (openly) displays his stupidity, this is the beginning of liberation for the oppressed in the world.

May God have mercy on our great and dear Sheikh, whose sad loss we regret, and may He make him dwell in His vast paradise, and raise him up with the martyrs, and let the peace of God be upon you all, His Mercy and His Blessings.