Iranian oil tanker on its way to Lebanon – Nasrallah: “When it sails, it is in our territory”
In his speech on the occasion of Ashura Day yesterday, Hezbollah’s secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah said that the first Iranian oil tanker is making its way to Lebanon.
A view to the Lebanese side of the border between Israel and Lebanon, near Metula in northern Israel, during IDF operation to destroy Hezbollah tunnels crossing over into Israeli territory. Metula, Dec 05, 2018. Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS
Nasrallah added that as far as he is concerned (read Hezbollah), from the moment it set sail the ship will be considered as if it were already in Lebanese territory, hinting that any attack on it will be the equivalent of an attack on Lebanon itself.
“I want to say that the ship, from the moment it sails, will be in Lebanese territory within hours and I tell the Americans and Israelis that this is Lebanese land. We do not want to enter into a confrontation with anyone. We want to help our people and not get involved with anyone, but let no one make a mistake and examine us in a challenge related to the pride of our people,” warned Nasrallah.
Threatening more terrorism, he added, “If they remove the sanctions on Lebanon and allow the Lebanese to live their normal lives, we will not have to choose this option. We want to help our people and not get involved with anyone, but let no one make a mistake and examine us in a challenge related to the pride of our people.”
Nasrallah said that more ships would follow, and he thanked the President of Iran, Ibrahim Raisi for his support. “I would like to announce that our first ship to leave Iran, laden with tons of fuel, has completed all the arrangements and will sail within hours and more ships will follow,” said the Hezbollah Secretary-General.
“We gave priority to oil with the departure of the first ship, to satisfy the needs of drivers and vehicles and the needs of hospitals, health centres, pharmaceuticals, food factories and bakeries,” he added.
Speaking about what he called America’s defeat in Afghanistan, Nasrallah said, “we are in a position of confrontation with American hegemony over our country, our people and our goods in our region [of the world] and in Lebanon. Now, after the American defeat in Afghanistan and after 20 years of occupation, the strategic and historical implications for our region are that the eyes of the world will now be directed to the American occupation of Iraq and Syria.”
He then stated that Israel is now afraid for its own future because of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Israel, he said, “is terrified and worried about developments in the region, in the face of the American defeat in Afghanistan, as evidenced by [the comments of] Israeli officials, commentators, researchers and media.
Nasrallah went on to say that this will have “serious consequences” and that this is an American “failure, a political and military fall.”
In his speech, Nasrallah stressed that “Palestine is the top priority of the axis of resistance and all governments must act against Israel. The top priority is to confront the Zionist entity in Palestine and other areas of the Arab lands in Lebanon and Syria.”
Nasrallah called for “solidarity with Gaza, the West Bank, Palestine in the 48 territories and Jerusalem, as well as with the prisoners, the wounded and the families of the victims.”
In Lebanon, there is growing concern that Iran will take advantage of the severe financial crisis and use Nasrallah to supply the Lebanese people with badly needed goods. This, in turn, will increase Hezbollah’s stranglehold on the country.
Reports in southern Lebanon claim that basic products and medicines can already be found in Shiite/Hezbollah controlled villages and that the black market for such goods is also developing in these areas. This is the result of the smuggling of goods from Iran and other places, which was initiated by Hezbollah. In large parts of the country, medicines, food products, fuels to power generators and more have run out, and clinics, pharmacies, and bakeries have closed.
