Al-Mikdad: “Weakening the Resistance” Equals Weakening Lebanon, and Israel Plans to Swallow Lebanon

Lebanon Today

MP Ali al-Miqdad, a member of the “Loyalty to the Resistance” bloc, affirmed that “weakening the resistance means weakening Lebanon as a whole, because Israel will swallow Lebanon if the resistance and its weapons are absent,” stressing that “the resistance will not be drawn into any internal strife or clash.”

In a political meeting held in the town of Ain al-Sawda in western Baalbek, in the presence of social, elective, educational, and partisan figures, Miqdad explained that “the people of the resistance embrace the resistance today more than ever,” noting that “many of those who were neutral before the Israeli attacks are now closer to it and in their hearts there is love and reassurance for this weapon.”

Miqdad pointed out that “the recent Israeli raids on the Bekaa and southern regions, especially on the town of Shamshtar near schools, are a new crime added to the enemy’s record after they instilled fear in the hearts of students and resulted in the injury of a number of them and damage to schools,” considering that “these attacks prove Israel’s lack of all human values.”

Miqdad criticized the “lack of serious official attention” to the targeting and destruction of civilians, considering that “this negligence is very shameful towards the people returning to their destroyed homes.” He revealed that “some ministries are behaving inhumanely, as happened in the town of Houla when a security force raided a semi-destroyed house of a poor family with the aim of confiscating the wood they had collected for heating, while they are left without any support.”

He also pointed out that “what happened in Sahmar expresses a policy of deprivation, as the people are prevented from repairing their houses under the pretext of the absence of building permits, while the state refrains from any step to rebuild,” adding that “a state that does not stand with its people in times of war does not deserve to be called a state.”

Miqdad revealed “American, Israeli, and Gulf pressures exerted on the Lebanese government to obstruct any initiative for reconstruction, by linking aid to the surrender of the resistance’s weapons,” and said: “If the government is waiting for American permission to start reconstruction, it will wait a long time, but our decision is clear: we will rebuild with our own hands whenever we want.”

In another context, Miqdad criticized the position of Foreign Minister : Youssef Rajji, who “toured the border villages without mentioning in his statements the Israeli attacks or the crimes committed against civilians, nor even the thousands of martyrs who fell in defense of Lebanon,” considering that “many officials are not up to the national responsibility.”

Miqdad attacked the recent financial and administrative measures of the government, pointing out that “instead of issuing decisions to support those affected, we see the Governor of the Central Bank restricting transfers between citizens, and the Minister of Justice preventing notaries from conducting transactions for people affected by American sanctions, which is a clear attack on the resistance and its environment and a direct application of American law in Lebanon.”

He asked: “Where is sovereignty if we are the ones who apply American sanctions on ourselves? Are we an independent country or just an arena where foreign decisions are implemented?”

Miqdad reiterated his affirmation that “the resistance will not be drawn into any internal clash, and it is the one that calls for unity and prevents strife through patience and cooperation with its partners in the country,” stressing “confidence in the army, even though Washington prevents it from obtaining quality weapons, because it does not want it to fight Israel, but to use its weapons only at home.”

Miqdad concluded his speech by emphasizing that “the United States is a full partner in this war, because it covers up the Israeli aggression and prevents the issuance of any international position condemning the crimes against civilians, but we will remain steadfast, because we are right, and the resistance will remain the safety valve for Lebanon and its people, no matter how great the pressures.”