Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah declared Thursday that he had visited Damascus and asked President Bashar Assad to evacuate the Islamic State fighters in order to reveal the fate of the Lebanese abducted soldiers, adding that Assad stressed that “this would be embarrassing for Syria, but he agreed.”
“The takfiri groups on the eastern borders have carried out terror acts in Lebanon, and this situation hasn’t ended until the last liberation operation,” he stated, noting that some prominent political forces have supported the choice to confront the terrorist groups.
In a speech he delivered during a ceremony marking the “Second Liberation” held by the party, Nasrallah revealed that “they had no problem with the Lebanese state wanting to liberate the mountainous regions of Arsal,” adding that he knows that the army command is ready in this regard but the issue was with the political decision, which was hesitant.
He pointed out that he told the officials that the Lebanese army must conclude the liberation, stressing that the eastern border are now under the control of the army.
“During the previous stage and due to the political division, the state failed in taking a clear decision to confront the takfiri groups along the border, but the Lebanese army and the security apparatuses made many achievements in unveiling many terrorist cells,” he said.
Nasrallah also called on the Lebanese state to take a sovereign decision to liberate the Shebaa farms and Kfarshouba, hoping that this achievement occurs during President Aoun’s era.
Hezbollah’s chief warned against possible revenge operation by the gunmen after their defeat in several regions.
Commenting on the assistance received by the Lebanese army, Nasrallah revealed that the US authorities threatened to cut off this assistance if the army moves forward with the liberation operation, explaining that when they realized that there is insistence on the matter, they demanded a delay.
Regarding the sanctions that could affect Hezbollah and its people, he emphasized that said measures would reflect on the Lebanese economy, stressing that any pressures imposed on Lebanon must be met with the spirit of coordination.
On the issue of the UNIFIL, Nasrallah noted that the Foreign Ministry exerted strong efforts to prevent the US and Britain from amending the resolution 1701 and the missions of the UNIFIL to become in favor of Israel.
At the beginning of the speech, Nasrallah had expressed gratitude to Speaker Nabih Berri on his national and bold positions, noting that he represents a guarantee for national unity.