Hezbollah Deputy Chief: Iran-Saudi Arabia Agreement Means Regional Shift to New Era/ Exclusive

In an exclusive interview with Tasnim News Agency, Sheikh Naim Qassem, discussed the historic significance of May 25th, marking the liberation of southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation. He highlighted the unique achievement of driving Israel out without conditions after 52 years of occupation.

Sheikh Qassem emphasized that the struggle with the Zionist regime extends beyond just Palestine and the Arab world, as al-Quds belongs to all Muslims. He praised the audacious decision by Imam Khomeini, which transformed the issue of Palestine into an Islamic cause, uniting the Arabic-Islamic Ummah in the resistance movement.

The interview also touched on Syria's success in the Arab League summit, with Sheikh Qassem attributing it to the solidarity of the resistance axis, including Iran and Hezbollah. He praised the role of the late Major General Qassem Soleimani in defending Syria.

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The following is the full text of Hezbollah Deputy Chief interview with Tasnim:

Tasnim: Hello dear viewers of Tasnim News Agency; Twenty three years have passed since south of Lebanon was liberated from the Israeli occupation. On this occasion, we are conducting an interview with Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem. Welcome!

Tasnim: Sheikh Naim Qassem, Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah

Sheikh Naim Qassem: Welcome!

Tasnim: May 25th marks the anniversary of liberation of southern Lebanon from the Israeli occupation. Considering the historic struggle against the Zionist regime, what achievements has this day had for Lebanon and the region?

Sheikh Naim Qassem: May 25th, 2000, was the day when the resistance liberated the Lebanese territories. On that day, Israel withdrew from Lebanon without any agreement or conditions. It was the first time that such thing happened since the outset of confrontation with the Israeli enemy, namely from the beginning of act of occupation of that regime in 1948 until 2000, meaning a period of 52 years.

The liberation was more worthy as it was achieved under the fire of battle. Israel was unable to continue the occupation. Instead of securing a political and geographical achievement for the regime and ensuring its future, occupation had become a factor behind the killing of Israelis, insecurity of the regime in the region, and attacks on the Zionist settlements. On the other hand, the people of Lebanon did not give in to occupation. All of these indicate that the liberation of 2000 is an exceptional achievement and a historical and significant milestone. After that incident, we saw a different culture in the region and witnessed the rise of the star and power of resistance and its promotion, both in Palestine and the entire region. It was an extraordinary happening. The history of Lebanon is divided into before and after May 25th, 2000. We have now entered a new era or age that could be named the “era of victories”.

Tasnim: Can one say that the struggle has turned into the “Arabic and Islamic” struggle with the Zionist regime?

Sheikh Naim Qassem: The conflict and struggle with the Zionist regime do not have a Palestinian or Arabic aspect alone and are beyond that, because al-Quds belongs to all Muslims in the world. Yes, the Arabs had made great efforts for long periods to hijack the issue of Palestine with the justification that it is an Arabic issue and relates to the Arabs. But such hijacking was indeed within the framework of a plot to force the Palestinians to become part of a solution that gave Israel the right to existence in the region and the right to conquer territories.

Meanwhile, since the involvement of the Islamic factor in confrontation with the enemy and the establishment of Hezbollah, the dimensions of the cause of Palestine have gone beyond Palestine and the Arab world and have included the whole Arabic-Islamic Ummah. Hezbollah was the symbol of the national Arabic-Islamic notion and has diverse aspects. Above all of these moves was the audacious, courageous and progressive decision made by Imam Khomeini. He advised Hezbollah, which follows the guardianship of the Islamic jurist, to bear in mind that Palestine is the pivotal issue of the Islamic Ummah and humanity. This caused the issue of Palestine to go beyond a Palestinian and Arabic issue and turn into an Islamic issue.

Tasnim: We recently saw a historic agreement between Lebanon and the Zionist regime on the demarcation of sea borders, following which Lebanon could embark on investment in the extraction of oil and gas resources from the sea. Recently, there has been discussions about the necessity for negotiations on demarcation of land borders and settlement of disputes over the Shebaa farms and the hills of Kefr Shuba. What do you think is the purpose of these topics in the current situation?

Sheikh Naim Qassem:I would like to provide an explanation of the real image of the land and sea borders, which is unknown to many people. We worked on the demarcation of sea borders, because these boundaries had not been defined and an agreement was made in this regard. But on the ground, there is nothing known as demarcation of land borders.

Tasnim: Why?

Sheikh Naim Qassem: That’s because since 1923, boundaries have been defined at the United Nations and in the old maps and it has been stipulated that Israel must leave the territories that it has occupied on the ground. As a result, there is nothing known as demarcation of land borders, but the issue is the withdrawal of the Zionist regime from the regions it has occupied, including the Shebaa farms and Kefr Shuba.

But the second point is that I do not believe the occupiers would withdraw from the Shebaa farms and Kefr Shuba. Because they deem those regions strategic and believe that the time has not yet come for a retreat. On the other hand, the Zionists are trying to connect those areas to Syria, not Lebanon. Moreover, I should make it clear that we don’t need any justification for our presence, because as long as the occupier regime exists and its acts of aggression are in place and continue –even if the regime reduces the area of its occupation- we are prepared and feel responsible to defend and support our country and remain as an indispensable part of the operation for the liberation of our land.

Tasnim: We saw recently that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran made an agreement. What is your view on the deal and how do you think will this affect the situation in Lebanon and the region?

Sheikh Naim Qassem: We expressed delight at the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, because there was no justification for the continuation of discord between the two countries, as we do not intend to hold any party accountable. We are facing an agreement that we want to be successful. So, the agreement marked a major upheaval in the region. Under this agreement, the cooperation and coordination between certain Arab countries and Israel and the US for Tasnimility towards Iran was replaced by enmity towards the Israeli regime. This is an important issue. The regional countries are entitled to live comfortably, enjoy sustainable security and have economic cooperation. There is no real dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia that would entail a great Tasnimility between them. Therefore, we welcome this agreement and believe that the agreement will be held, because it is in the interests of the both countries and they are well aware of this issue. On the impacts and results of the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it should be noted that it would naturally have positive effects on the whole regional countries because of the major role of those two countries in the region, including in Lebanon. However, time will determine the extent and nature of that impact. In this juncture, the impacts will be psychological and positive. Lebanon will not be a field of confrontation. If we suppose that disagreements usually resulted in chaos or Tasnimile calculations in some cases, there is currently a stable atmosphere, by God’s grace, and all of us should take advantage of it.

The practical impact of the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia on Lebanon needs time so that we will realize what subjects will be considered in line with the interests of Lebanon and how Lebanon will interact with these agreements. It will need some time. I would say yes, there is currently a psychological impact after the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, according to which other various Lebanese parties would not adopt a negative stance even against their rival parties or against another country. At present, we are witnessing complete silence in Lebanon, but nearly everybody has been convinced to welcome this agreement, although a series of others have not been convinced. Anyway, we are witnessing the creation of a positive atmosphere at this psychological level, while the practical level will need time.

Tasnim: Let’s talk about the complicated situation in Lebanon and the case of election of a president. Do you think that the regional breakthroughs will affect the election of a new president after a period of vacuum?

Sheikh Naim Qassem:I believe it is unlikely that the regional breakthroughs will have any impact on the advancement of the process of presidential election in Lebanon. The main reason is that the internal disagreements in Lebanon are deep and serious. There are six or seven fractions in the parliament that do not have sufficient aspects in common. There are not sufficient common points even among the rival fractions of the Hezbollah-led coalition in support of the presidency of Suleiman Frangieh. We need time to convince the other parties that the candidate with the highest number of votes will have a better chance of presidency. As of now, the efforts have been in progress and a number of fractions are looking for candidates to be able to compromise on. However, it appears that there are many obstacles. Nevertheless, they still want to wait, while it will delay the process of election of a president.

Tasnim: We saw that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement put Suleiman Frangieh forward as the candidate for president. May the opposition from a number of Christian parties to his candidacy force you to nominate another candidate?

Sheikh Naim Qassem: I’s like to correct this notion and make it clear that we did not put up Suleiman Frangieh, but supported his candidacy. There is difference between supporting and putting forward a candidate. This is our right, as the parliamentary fractions of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, to support a candidate who we think has the appropriate conditions. Because the president is elected by the parliament, and we have representatives in the parliament, so we openly expressed our support. At present, the Lebanese Forces party and the Free Patriotic Movement are trying to introduce themselves as the biggest Christian fractions of the parliament. It is still too early to talk about them wanting to agree on a candidate. Hezbollah and the Amal Movement maintain that their candidate for president is Suleiman Frangieh and that we have no other plan. We have no alternative to this candidate. This is our plan and we should wait to see what will happen in future.

The recent war game gave a message to the enemy that we are prepared and strong, are confident about ourselves, and are not afraid of anything in carrying out our plans.

Tasnim: And the last question; You are a major and strong ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. How do you evaluate Assad’s participation in the most recent meeting of the Arab League and Syria’s return to the league? How would this affect specifically the relations between Hezbollah and Syria?

Sheikh Naim Qassem: Syrian Presdient Bashar al-Assad took part in the summit of Arab leaders in Jeddah as a hero, as if the conference awarded Bashar al-Assad the medal of victory for confrontation with all conferences that have been held against Syria for the past 13 years.

We believe that this success is the result of solidarity of the axis of resistance, particularly the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah and all parties that helped this process. We will never forget the leading role of the great martyr Major General ‘Qassem Soleimani’ who commanded the axis of resistance in the operation to defend Syria and the Styrian resistance base. We now express the name of Martyr Soleimani to declare that the plot against Syria has failed and now we are facing a new stage. In this stage, Syria should be reconstructed, its occupoied territories must be liberated, and the problems with Turkey should be resolved. Moreover, the displaced Syrians should also return to their country.

But concerning Hezbollah and the relations with Syria, I should say, our presence in Syria depends on the degree of needs. We have received no request in this regard and emphasize on the Syrian territorial integrity and sovereignty. We consider ourselves as an auxiliary factor to help Syria enjoy improved conditions, sovereignty over its lands, dignity, and its position. We will be present in Syria as long as it is necessary, but we cannot define a time and figure in this regard at present. This will depend on the degree of need for our presence in Syria, which is always agreed upon with Mr. Bashar al-Assad, as the coordination is in progress at the highest levels.

Tasnim: Honorable Sheikh Naim Qassem, Thank you very much for your interview with Tasnim. Once again, I’d congratulate you on the anniversary of liberation of south of Lebanon.