Nasrallah: State, People Should Respond if Israel behind Blast, Hizbullah Won't Stay Silent
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday said the Lebanese state and people should have a say in any response should the investigation into the Beirut port blast prove that Israel was behind it.
“Hizbullah does not have an account of events about the Beirut port blast… Hizbullah is awaiting the results of the investigation,” said Nasrallah in a televised speech marking the 2006 war with Israel.
“Until now, nothing proves that there was an airstrike through a warplane or a drone,” Nasrallah added, while noting that an act of sabotage on the ground cannot be ruled out.
“The investigation should be continued and answers should be offered to the Lebanese people,” Nasrallah said.
“If the investigation determines that Israel is involved, the Lebanese state and people should have a say in the issue,” Hizbullah’s leader added.
“If the answer hinges on Hizbullah, it cannot remain silent over a crime of this magnitude and Israel will pay a price of the magnitude,” Nasrallah added.
Reiterating that Hizbullah does not trust any international investigation, Hizbullah’s leader commented on the U.S. announcement that an FBI team will take part in the probe by warning that “an FBI investigation would absolve Israel of any responsibility.
Separately, Nasrallah said Hizbullah’s decision to respond to an Israeli strike that killed one of its fighters in Syria has not changed.
“The issue is a matter of time,” he added.
He also noted that Israel's weeks-long mobilization on Lebanon’s border is part of Hizbullah’s “punishment.”
As for the domestic situation in the wake of the catastrophic port explosion Nasrallah said “Hizbullah is not confused nor in a crisis.”
“Along with our allies we are the strongest in the region,” he said.
“There was a state of anger among our supporters over the past days and we sought to control the situation, because clearly some were trying to incite strife. We tell our supporters to keep this anger, because we might need it one day to put an end to all the attempts to drag Lebanon into civil war,” Nasrallah added.
He lamented that there was “an attempt to topple the state in the very first hours after the blast,” alleging that “political forces and media outlets exploited people's pain to target not only Hizbullah but also President Michel Aoun.”
Nasrallah also charged that Lebanese political forces sought in the past days to “topple the state and put Lebanon on the brink of civil war to serve personal and foreign interests.”
“It was not those who toppled the government. The government was toppled by a host of circumstances and difficulties. In fact, a blast of such magnitude would have made it difficult for any government to continue,” Nasrallah pointed out.
He meanwhile called for the formation of “a strong, capable and politically protected cabinet,” stressing that “talk of a neutral government is a waste of time” and claiming that “there are no independents in Lebanon.”
"We are calling for attempts to form a national unity government, and if that is not possible, then a government that secures the widest representation possible for politicians and experts," Nasrallah said.
As for the verdicts that will be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Tuesday over the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri, Nasrallah reiterated that his party is “not concerned with the STL’s rulings.”
“We cling to the innocence of our brothers should unjust verdicts be issued against them,” he said.
Addressing Hizbullah’s supporters, Nasrallah said: “We should be aware that some will try to exploit the rulings and we should show awareness.”
Source: Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/274202 |