In an interview with Al-Manar, the Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah Seyed Hassan Nasrallah stressed that today the resistance is stronger than ever and stressed that Israel is a temporary entity and is heading towards destruction.
According to Pak Sahafat News Agency International Group, The interview of Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Al-Manar Network began a few minutes ago.
He first recounted memories of the life of the martyr “Seyyed Abbas Mousavi”, the former secretary general of Hezbollah.
Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah stated that the body of Seyyed Abbas Mousavi was gone; but the spirit, the thought, the culture, the brothers and the friends and the disciples and the family and all who follow him are still there. I met Seyed Abbas Mousavi on December 16 or 17, 1976. Martyr Sheikh “Ali Karim”, with whom I was acquainted, introduced me to Seyyed Abbas Mousavi in ​​Najaf.
He added: I was 16 years old when I arrived in Najaf, and this was my first time traveling outside Lebanon. After we went to Mr. Abbas Mousavi’s house, I met with Mr. Mohammad Baqer Sadr.
Hezbollah Secretary General stated, Mr. Mohammad Baqir Sadr asked me a series of questions about Lebanon and my education, and asked Mr. Abbas Mousavi to arrange all my housing, life, and education, and he gave me some money. Seyyed Abbas Mousavi was very smart, present and serious in his work and education.
He stressed that at first I thought that Seyyed Abbas Mousavi was Iraqi because he had an Iraqi face, I tried to speak in an Iraqi accent but he said that I am Lebanese and you can talk to me as much as you can. At the first acquaintance, we walked two kilometers together to deliver the letters that had been given to me to the people in question. Our destiny was that we went to the house of Martyr Mohammad Baqir Sadr and when he did not accept the students in his presence. This showed the position of Seyyed Abbas Mousavi with Mohammad Baqir Sadr. Moments later we went to his office, which was a simple and humble office, and this was the first time I saw him, greeted him and sat down. I was really embarrassed, but he treated us very modestly and with a smile, and so the atmosphere became normal for me a few moments later. He asked me about Imam Musa Sadr and this meeting was not supposed to last more than 5 minutes, but we talked for half an hour. He looked at Seyyed Abbas and said that you are a lawyer on my behalf and arrange his academic work. Seyyed Mohammad Baqir Sadr was a jurist, thinker and the greatest teacher in the seminary. He asked me if I had money with me and I was not ashamed and said that my money was gone. He gave money to Seyyed Abbas and said that this money was his turban and robe and his education expenses.
Hezbollah Secretary General continued: Seyyed Abbas himself was young at the time, about 24 years old. He was known at the time. He studied in Najaf for five years and followed the activities of the students. Seyyed Abbas was a very serious student and did not waste his time. Seyyed Abbas’s method was not to study according to the usual routine of the seminary. He studies in a way that a student has studied for 8 years in one year. When Seyyed Abbas went to Iraq, he stayed there for three years and did not return to Lebanon, and he pursued his education very seriously.
Seyed Hassan Nasrallah added: Seyyed Abbas Mousavi had made his vision very clear and he knew exactly what he was doing. When I got there, he had his family with him and he took them with him. He could have chosen a few classrooms and continued his work, but he did not do so because he was very responsible. When Ayatollah Sadr entrusted me with his responsibility, he chose a place for me to live, which was between his house and his school, and this was very helpful to me. There were Lebanese people studying in Najaf at that time who were influenced by the Lebanese religious atmosphere and the presence of Imam Musa Sadr or Sayyid Sharaf al-Din.
Nasrallah continued: Seyyed Abbas not only taught, but the day after the lesson he had to find out if you understood the previous day’s lesson or not, and when he went to the next chapter you understood the previous lesson. He always took exams from us when the lessons and books were over. This procedure is still not common in Najaf. Of course, he did not blame us, but we were anxious about the exam because we did not want to upset him.
Nasrallah continued: I remember that in the first year we were there, several months had passed and we had lost the days of the week. One of the problems of seminaries is holidays; summer holidays and Muharram holidays and religious days and occasions. Thus, one third of the whole year was closed and sometimes some professors went to Hajj, but Seyyed Abbas was not like that and he continued to teach even during the holidays and the holy month of Ramadan. Therefore, one year of our course coincided with 3 years of normal course in the field. He himself chose a teacher for us and followed our educational activities and created diversity for us.
He stated: Seyyed Abbas had a special plan in Lebanon and was teaching theology and ethics at the time; Issues that were not common in the constituencies at that time and for this reason he was criticized by some. He taught books on economics and ideological thought, and believed that these books should be taught and not just read freely. Night study among the students was always followed by their pursuits.
The Secretary General of Hezbollah continued: The second issue was his upbringing. He was like our father and took care of the students. If someone had financial problems, he would take care of them and sympathize with them and take care of the students and their livelihood. Seyyed Abbas Mousavi, like a real parent, took care of the students. He even played the role of mother for us and that is why the students belonged to him. Many of the students were young and far from family, and many, like me, had their first foreign trip. But Seyyed Abbas was kind and sympathetic to them and for this reason the students belonged to him.
Nasrallah said: During the holy month of Ramadan, the students had to deliver a sermon in front of Sayyid, and he listened to them. In fact, he was preparing his students for various situations at that time. He walked two or three kilometers every day to go to the shrine of Imam Ali (AS). We went with them; because at that time we did not have the money for rent. Of course, we also considered its reward. In 1979, during the Arbaeen ceremony, we tried to visit the Arbaeen pilgrimage. The Iraqi regime’s troops were blocking it at the time, but we decided to make the trip.
Nasrallah added: It was late 1979 and Muharram. Seyyed Abbas had come to Lebanon to preach at the time, and his family remained in Najaf. But the atmosphere in Najaf was a critical one, and many students went missing and their fate was unknown. At that time, we agreed to act secretly if arrests and house raids started. There was no normal communication at the time – so we had coded that if we told her that your daughter Somayeh was ill and you should come back soon, but if we gave her that message she would know that she should not come back. When we showed him this message, he realized that he should not return. If they had captured him, they would have martyred him. He was one of the properties of Mohammad Baqir Sadr and he also sent a message that Seyyed Abbas would not return.
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The Secretary General of Hezbollah continued: When we returned to Lebanon, we went to Seyyed Abbas Mousavi and went to his father’s house and asked him what he was doing. There were religious schools in some parts of Lebanon, but there were no such schools in Bekaa. Coincidentally, our teacher was from Bekaa, and we were all students from the south, so we brought him to the south. One of the reasons was the security situation in Lebanon, which was calm in the south. The Hermel region had no other schools, and we decided to go there so that we could attract more students of religious sciences there, so the establishment of this seminary could revive the relics. So we went to the city of Nabi Shit and visited Nabi Shit. There were rooms where we decided to set up the elementary grounds before the building was built.
He clarified: We were few in number and could have been quiet there. But he insisted on going to Baalbek so that the plan would include all the shrines so that everyone could come there. The reason for going to Baalbek was well known from the point of view of Seyyed Abbas. In Baalbek the situation was even more difficult than in Najaf, we were 8 students living and cooking in two rooms and studying. Of course, there were other professors besides him, but we belonged to him. We rented the place from its owner. Seyyed Abbas attracted more students there and we transferred several times. In one of his schools, he walked 3 km alone so that he could come to school and return to walk after teaching. He enlisted the help of many scholars to establish this field. Imam Musa Sadr also provided assistance, but it was within his power. Seyyed Shamsuddin also helped for a few months, but Seyyed Mohammad Hussein Fazlullah accepted the expenses until 1982, after which the door was opened for the expenses of the seminary. In 1982, the whole area could buy a in the price of a car.
Hezbollah Secretary General said: The relationship between Mohammad Baqir Sadr and Seyyed Abbas was more than a student and a teacher. Seyyed Abbas was in love with the martyr Mohammad Baqir Sadr, and I had never seen such a relationship before. Our authority at that time was Ayatollah Sadr, but we also respected other authorities and bowed down to them. Seyyed Abbas taught us all the books of Martyr Mohammad Baqir Sadr, the small books that he had from us. During his stay in Lebanon, he was also in contact with Martyr Sadr and obtained his consent to spend money and teach.
Nasrallah stated: Martyr Sadr As he said to melt in Imam Khomeini, Seyyed Abbas had also melted in Martyr Sadr. Because of this, his martyrdom at the age of 40 shocked Seyyed Abbas and he became very angry. One of the reasons for Seyyed Abbas’s love for Imam Khomeini was the greatness and achievements of the Imam. Martyr Sadr said that Imam Khomeini had fulfilled the wish of the prophets.
Hezbollah Secretary General added: Seyyed Abbas Mousavi’s goal was to make the constituency bigger and better known. This was indeed the case, and a large number of students from many areas registered. He was very happy that different people from different cities came to the school of religious sciences and registered. He believed that we should have a religious world in every city and region. So he had a special road map for himself and this was not an accident. Therefore, our priority was in Bekaa. He made great efforts to build staff so that the first people could teach other students. He insisted on asking great scholars to teach. For example, Sheikh Mohammad Yazbak was one of these people and there were many other names. He formed a group of professors and gave a driving force to the seminary.
His religious activities in Bekaa were in the same school of Baalbek seminary. Nationalist parties were also present in Bekaa and at that time did not allow religious activities to be pursued. Of course, they are still our allies, but at that time they did not have good relations with religious movements.
He clarified: Seyyed Abbas’s relationship with these brothers and the trust that was between them opened these doors for the seminary. This was a very important factor. Some days of the week, including Thursdays and Fridays, were closed, and we would go to different villages and districts and preach there. It did not matter to us how many people attended our congregational prayers. We held some meetings and parties and held meetings for children and teenagers.
Nasrallah emphasized: Seyyed Abbas was a man of the field and was always present in the field. The best way to propagate Seyyed Abbas was to spend the night with the people. He would attend these nightclubs with the people and have tea or coffee with them and socialize with them. He was trying to get people’s attention, and people were asking questions at these dinners, and this diversity made no one get bored. He had a special method of propaganda that had to be developed. His experience was based on social awakening.
His second step was to form the scholars of Bekaa, who played a major role in the formation of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah Secretary General said: This was the beginning of a new phase in which we are still. Many of us, including Sheikh Ragheb Harb, went to Tehran with Seyyed Abbas and me and Emad Mughniyeh. We all returned when the Israeli invasion of Lebanon began. The decision of all of us was that we should fight Israel to get Israel out of Lebanon. The positions of the great authorities were also quite clear and Imam Khomeini issued a clear statement in this regard. So the brothers returned to Lebanon and this is how the work began.
Asked why Hezbollah’s name was chosen for the movement, Hezbollah’s secretary general said: This was a divine success, because there were other names in this regard. Therefore, all the resistance automatically went to this name and this name did not come from the top of the pyramid in an orderly manner. Hezbollah’s first military base in Baalbek was at the same seminary, and the Iranian brothers began their military training there when they entered Lebanon. Even later, the same school became known as the same activities. Someone had something to do with Hezbollah or wanted to join Hezbollah forces. Seyed Abbas made a serious decision from day one. Therefore, he wore military clothes and even prayed in military clothes. He started mobilizing the people with fiery speeches and speeches.
In response to the question whether Seyyed Abbas returned to Iran to meet with Imam Khomeini after this stage, Nasrallah said: This happened a long time later. I think it was the last year of the imposed war that he went to Iran and took a number of brothers with him. Imam Khamenei was the president at that time. Seyyed Abbas was a member of the Hezbollah council or his secretary general for the elections. Of course, at that time we did not have a complex structure. But Seyyed Abbas had many responsibilities at that time. From the very beginning, he took over the media and cultural affairs, but later focused on the military sector. He went to the front after 1985 and was active in the military. He oversaw all the details operationally.
Hezbollah Secretary General further emphasized: Today, the resistance is stronger than ever, and it has never had such military and material power, as well as this amount of equipment and supporters, in Lebanon. The Zionist regime is temporary and is on the verge of collapse, and if Israel imposes a war on Lebanon, it will see all our power at that time.
Hezbollah Secretary General said: When we are asked to be silent, look at all those who are silent and have given up their weapons and get their answer. What do you say to the enemies when you are silent and surrender your weapon? You say I am weak and humiliated and the enemy is arrogant. So you will be weaker. Let them bring us an example of people who resisted and then surrendered their weapons and remained silent.
Hezbollah Secretary General stated: We are moving towards our goal of removing Israel from the existence and space of the nations of the region and the axis of resistance, and the internal situation of Israel as well as the international developments are all moving towards the destruction of the existence of Israel.