Hashd Al-Shaabi to Punish Those behind Attack on Its Fighters: Nasrallah
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The secretary general of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement said the Iraqi voluntary forces would give a befitting response to those responsible for a deadly air raid on their fellow fighters in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor earlier this month.
Addressing his supporters via a televised speech broadcast from the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on Friday evening, Seyed Hassan Nasrallah said the forces – better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobalization Units (PMU) – will get revenge for the late June 17 strike against the border town of al-Hari near the frontier with Iraq.
Nasrallah stressed that Hashd al-Shaabi fighters played an effective role in defeating the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) Takfiri terrorist group in Iraq.
The Hezbollah chief further stressed that his movement seeks “the speedy formation of a new cabinet in Lebanon,” saying, “Clear and unified criteria must be set for this objective.”
“If the new cabinet fails to represent all parliamentary blocs, it would not then foster national unity,” Nasrallah pointed out, Press TV reported.
He added that the voluntary repatriation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon must be facilitated, and that no reason should complicate such a process.
“Creating hurdles on the path to the return of Syrian refugees will harm the displaced population, Lebanon and Syria. We must join forces to help more Syrian refugees return to their homeland,” Nasrallah said.
He also brushed aside allegations that Hezbollah is in charge of the Lebanese government, and controls all affairs in the Arab country.
Nasrallah also dismissed some reports alleging that Lebanese citizenship is being offered on the basis of monetary incentives, demanding an explanation for President Michel Aoun’s decision to sign a naturalization decree and grant Lebanese citizenship to over 400 foreign nationals.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Hezbollah secretary general said Washington and the Tel Aviv regime are colluding to ensure the success of US President Donald Trump’s much-touted “deal of the century” for Palestine.
Nasrallah said Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran is in line with the impending deal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He also rejected Saudi media reports regarding the presence of Hezbollah and Iranian fighters inside Yemen, stressing that no Lebanese resistance fighter has been killed in the conflict-ridden Arab country.
Nasrallah then stated that Saudi and Emirati military forces, together with their regional and Western allies, have suffered serious losses in Yemen’s western port city of Hudaydah.
The Hezbollah leader also extended his gratitude to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to pull troops out of the Saudi-led military coalition, which has been relentlessly pounding impoverished Yemen in an imposed war for more than three years.
“Saudi forces and their allies must know the fact that they are fighting a nation that will never capitulate,” Nasrallah concluded.
