'We are invincible,' asserts a Hezbollah lawmaker rejecting any normalization with Israel

BEIRUT —The Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan stated on Friday, that his party “will not surrender, will not change and will not be defeated,” categorically rejecting any form of normalization with Israel.

He was speaking during a Council of Ashoura in the Basta al-Tahta neighborhood, in the heart of Beirut.

“The difference between us and many defeatists is that they run towards normalization and surrender, while we refuse to surrender, to normalize, and to be defeated,” he declared. “Even if we lose leaders, cadres, and fighters, we are invincible in our faith, our souls, our determination, and our will.”

Israel has nevertheless expressed its desire multiple times to normalize its relations with Lebanon. Last April, the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had stated during a meeting in Paris with the French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot that Israel wished to “normalize its relations with Lebanon,” even mentioning ongoing negotiations, even if it might seem “premature from the Lebanese point of view.”

Hassan’s statement comes in the context of the beginning of the month of Muharram in the Muslim calendar, an important period for the Shia community, notably marked by the commemoration of Ashoura, the 10th day of the month.

“We say to Imam Hussein, to Hassan Nasrallah and to our Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, that we will not change, we will not retreat, we will not give up, and we will not be defeated,” the lawmaker declared. He also praised “the defensive attack against the Zionist enemy” led by Iran.

Israel launched a war against Iran on June 13, officially to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies. A cease-fire came into effect on Tuesday between the two belligerents. The Israeli strikes notably killed important commanders of the armed forces, including members of the Revolutionary Guards, as well as a dozen scientists linked to the Iranian nuclear program.