Hezbollah Says Ready for Prolonged War, No Real Ceasefire Proposals

By Al Mayadeen English

11 Nov 2024 18:34

Hezbollah's Media Relations Officer discusses the group's undying allegiance to its homeland, affirming its readiness to defend Lebanon and its people until victory is achieved.

The Resistance is prepared, on all levels, for the long war with the Israeli occupation, whether on the southern frontlines or internal front, Hezbollah's Media Relations Officer, Mohammad Afif, affirmed on Martyr's Day, denying all claims that Lebanon received proposals for a constructive ceasefire. 

Afif responded to Israeli claims regarding the reduction of Hezbollah's missile arsenal to about 20%, saying the reality is evident on the field, recalling the Resistance's rocket launches to Tel Aviv's suburbs and Haifa, as well as the targeting of several military bases in the occupied Golan and Haifa, which had been intact, until recently.

He further exemplified the introduction of the Fateh-110 missile, confirming that Hezbollah possesses a wider and larger variety, which will be deployed as per the adequate management of the group's leadership. 

On the occasion of Martyr's Day, Afif reiterated the Resistance's readiness, assuring that fighters on the frontlines possess more than enough weapons, equipment, and supplies to last the long war, for which preparations are ongoing on all levels. 

According to Afif, after 45 days of fatal fighting, five military units, two brigades, and 65,000 soldiers, the Israeli occupation has failed to occupy a single Lebanese village.

He highlighted that the "epic Battle of Khiam" is but a testament of the Resistance fighters' heroism, resilience, and unbreakable will to fight.

Hezbollah is ready for a prolonged war

Regarding the Israeli occupation forces' announcement of the expansion of the ground invasion of Lebanon, Afif said that the invasion has already expanded, pointing out that the occupation has not set any military objectives for its war to avoid the mistakes it made in 2006.

He further emphasized that "Israel" has not declared or set any final goals and thresholds for the war due to Hezbollah's strength and the challenges it would encounter in its fight against the Resistance.

"We are ready for a prolonged war with the occupation on all levels, whether on the [southern] frontlines or internal front," he asserted. 

Regarding media reports regarding international discussions for a ceasefire, Afif denied that Lebanon has received any specific proposals.

"Until now, Lebanon has received no updates, and we are still gauging the situation. What we hear is limited to the media and press," he confirmed.

He also noted that "there is an escalating political atmosphere and significant activity between Moscow, Washington, Tehran, and other capitals, especially with Trump's arrival to the presidency."

Time will sink the enemy's tanks 

The Media Relations Officer pointed to the decisive elements on the ground, represented by the Resistance fighters' will to die defending their homeland and people, the time needed before Israeli tanks sink in Lebanon's quagmire with the arrival of winter, "and the land that we know and that knows us, which gives us the freedom to maneuver and move; either we live on it with dignity, or we die for it as martyrs."

Addressing the Israeli entity, Afif said its aerial superiority will never win its war, nor will the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the massacring of women and children reap any gains.

As long as "Israel" remains unable to make any ground advancements or achieve actual control, it will never achieve its political goals, he reiterated, vowing that the settlers of the north will never return to the north.

"With further cracks in your internal front, the countdown will begin, and a major turning point will emerge. At that point, you will once again admit the truth of what our supreme leader said: that Israel is weaker than a spider's web," referring to one of martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's famous quotes.

'Hezbollah emerged from Lebanon's core'

Afif also directly addressed Hezbollah's brave Resistance fighters and hailed their resilience and efforts, saying, "The actual realities on the ground are in your hands, and they will have the final say in politics and decision-making."

"In light of your steadfastness, the fate of your resistance and your homeland will be determined, and perhaps even the fate of the entire Middle East," he told them.

He additionally tackled the doubts cast by some sides on the Resistance's essence, intentions, capabilities, and pure national allegiance to its country and people in order to undermine morale, "in perfect harmony with the Zionist propaganda machine."

This, he said, came after the Resistance had regained the initiative on the ground, and the enemy had failed to make any ground advances, as well as the stabilization of organizational matters, the election of His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem as Secretary-General, and the appointment of Hezbollah's new leadership following the martyrdom of its commanders.

He emphasized that the Resistance was born on and from Lebanese soil, which was occupied by "Israel", and said, "Our leadership is Lebanese, and our fighters are Lebanese."

"We are not a faction to anyone, we do not take orders from anyone, and we do not receive instructions from anyone to defend our country or support an oppressed people."

His words ring in response to those who accuse Hezbollah of being an Iranian proxy, reaffirming that the Islamic Resistance's relationship with the Islamic Republic and its support for the resistance is purer than to be tarnished by "malicious tongues."

He then reviewed "Israel's" history of animosity and hostility toward Lebanon, long before Hezbollah existed, recalling the Israeli massacre of Houla in 1936, the aggressions that followed in 1947 and 1948, to 1974 and 1978, up until 1982 when Israeli tanks made their way to the heart of Lebanon, its capital Beirut, reaffirming that aggression, occupation, and expansionist intentions are at the core of the Israeli military doctrine. 

"The emergence of Hezbollah in 1982 as a resistance movement was, in essence, a natural reaction to the occupation. So why distort the facts, deceive the people, and attack the collective memory, shifting the responsibility onto the victims? And why treat the course of history as if it were fragmented, selecting only what serves your political agenda and justifies your campaigns?"

The battlefield dictates ceasefire talks 

He addressed the current discourse in Lebanon about phrases like "Lebanon's strength lies in its weakness," among other slogans that carry the notion of psychological defeatism in the face of occupation, which prevailed in 1982 when Israeli tanks reached Beirut.

Responding to the parley, Afif said the concept of victory and defeat is determined by the developments on the battlefield, where Resistance fighters have proven their heroism and thwarted Israeli attempts to occupy or control one single southern Lebanese village. 

These developments, he explained, are demonstrated in the Resistance's bombing of Tel Aviv and actions that change political equations and the rules of engagement, and that dictate talks of a ceasefire.

"If you ever hear about political negotiations for a ceasefire, know that the only reason behind them is the battlefield and the steadfastness of the resistance fighters on the ground," the Hezbollah official indicated.

Afif also spoke to Hezbollah's political adversaries, saying that respect and understanding are present despite the hurled accusations at the Resistance, blaming it for the start of the war.

He wondered, however, why they fail to condemn the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, the killing of civilians, the destruction of villages, the genocide, the bombardment of municipalities, mayors, the historic Nabatieh market, and the old markets in Tyre.

Further highlighting the community's double standards, Afif asked them to send a formal request to the international community and the United Nations based on the international law that they dare not doubt, blasting, "But you don't dare, you'll upset Awkar [where the US embassy is located]." 

Victory: Thwarting the enemy's plots

Afif, throughout his speech, expanded on the concepts of victory and defeat at this phase, noting that "Hezbollah’s concept of victory and defeat is the same as that of any resistance movement in history—preventing the enemy from achieving its political and military objectives. As for not resisting, that is complete defeat and humiliating surrender, and this is something that has not happened and will never happen."

He acknowledged the high cost and steep prices of this stance, asserting that the Resistance does not deny this reality, but is aware of the patience, resilience, determination, and prayers within the hearts of its people for those on the frontlines, reaffirming that "victory is but an hour of patience."

The Resistance and the Army are intertwined

Regarding Hezbollah's relationship with the Lebanese Army, Afif emphasized that it is a strong and solid relationship, saying Hezbollah believed in the golden equation: Army, People, and Resistance.

He extended the Resistance's appreciation of the role the army plays in protecting national soil and security.

The Hezbollah official also paid tribute to martyr Major Mohammad Farhat, who was killed by the Israeli occupation forces in Aitaroun.

He also criticized those who try to trigger the prejudice of the Lebanese Army against the Resistance, the same ones who fought and slaughtered the army during the civil war, underlining they will "never be able to sever the connection between the Army and the Resistance. Both are, in their own way and with their own capabilities, at the heart of the battle to defend Lebanon and the Lebanese people."

Afif also praised the protests condemning the occupation in Amsterdam, in response to Zionist provocations. Lambasting the international governmental movement that seeks to silence and suppress the freedom of expression to protect Zionism, Afif said the Amsterdam protests, as well as the global popular movement protesting the Israeli aggression, serve as proof that "Israel" is isolated.

Martyr Sayyed Nasrallah lives on for eternity

Commemorating Martyr's Day, Afif emphasized that the true celebration of this occasion "lies in achieving victory on the battlefields of combat and Jihad."

He noted that this marks the first time Hezbollah staged an event in the Sayyed al-Shuhada Complex without martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the first time the group commemorates Martyr's Day in a conference devoid of his presence.

He added, "Though his body was forcibly and painfully taken in a battle he still leads and symbolizes, he [Sayyed Nasrallah] lives on in the martyrs he eulogized, mourned, and consoled their families with all his compassion and warmth."

"Sayyed [Nasrallah] was a nation embodied in a single man, unique and unmatched," Afif concluded.