The head of Hezbollah's Juristic Council, Mohammad Yazbek, at a religious commemoration in Baalbeck on Aug. 24, 2024. (Credit: NNA)
Religious leaders affiliated with Hezbollah and Amal on Saturday reaffirmed their support for the people of Gaza and those fighting Israel in Lebanon after almost a year of war with Israel in Gaza and south Lebanon.
Speaking in Baalbeck, the head of the Hezbollah's Juristic Council, Mohammad Yazbek, stated that the resilience shown by the people of Gaza, despite the ongoing violence and hardship, will ultimately result in their victory. “No matter how much Netanyahu tries to portray himself as strong and supported by America, the West, and the countries complicit with him against their own people and their religion, none of that will help him,” Yazbek said. “The resilience displayed by our people in Gaza — women, men and children — and this patience despite all the killing, destruction, and starvation, must eventually lead to a moment of victory.”
During a commemoration of Imam Hussein’s martyrdom, Yazbek also emphasized the role of Hezbollah in supporting Gaza and protecting Lebanon. “The front in southern Lebanon is in support of our people in Gaza, to occupy the enemy, and also to protect Lebanon. The enemy boasted that it would return Lebanon to the Stone Age, but the Islamic Resistance took the initiative to support and confront this enemy. Victory will be ours, God willing, because we are on the side of truth, and the truth always prevails over falsehood.”
He added, “Israel, America, and their warships, aircraft carriers, and destroyers do not frighten us, because we are certain that we are on the side of truth. We seek only one of the two best outcomes: victory or martyrdom.”
Meanwhile, the Mufti of southern Lebanon and the Amal Movement’s central cultural official, Hassan Abdullah, reiterated the importance of the Palestinian cause as defined by the movement’s founder, Imam Musa al-Sadr. He stated that the Palestinian issue "remains the central issue for Arabs and Muslims, and it is the central issue on the human and global level. His strategy was, 'If you encounter the enemy, fight him, regardless of how modest the weapon may be.'"
Abdullah further affirmed the enduring identity of southern Lebanon, despite various ideological, political, and religious influences over the decades. “We say that this south, for many decades, has witnessed various ideological, political, and religious thoughts, but it has remained steadfast in preserving its identity. The fundamental identity is the resistance, and it has not changed under any circumstances. As the brother, Parliament Speaker [and Amal Movement leader] Nabih Berri, said, ‘The resistance will remain,’” he added.
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging attacks on a daily basis on the Lebanese-Israeli front since Oct. 8 following Hamas' al-Aqsa Flood operation on Oct. 7. Some 592 people have been killed in Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict, 108 of whom were civilians.
