Larijani to al-Ahed: Hizbullah will Be Victorious in the War against Takfiris

Mokhtar Haddad

Iran's Parliament [Majlis] Speaker Ali Larijani, while congratulating Muslims in general, and the Lebanese in particular, over Resistance and Liberation Day, and the great victory of Hizbullah in the year 2000, said in an interview with al-Ahed News website that:

"This victory is important, especially because it came after the "Israelis" inflicted defeat on the Arab states in a number of wars. After all those years the resistance came and brought shame onto the Zionists and expelled them from the region, which proves that whenever Muslims rely on themselves and stand united in jihad against "Israel", the enemy turns out to be nothing more than an empty bubble", pointing out that "the resistance possesses the spirit of jihad and steadfastness, which enables it to achieve dignity and pride for Muslims."

Larijani highlighted the consecutive defeats of Arab States in their wars with the Zionist entity, stressing that "the cause of these defeats is because these states relinquished the principle of jihad". He added that "Hizbullah had such a [high level of] awareness that its teachings and principles from the very beginning were based on jihad and steadfastness, and thanks be to God, it was able to achieve this great victory for the Lebanese people and all Muslims."

Larijani added that" the other achievement which Hizbullah achieved for all Muslims was to restore the lost dignity, that came in the form of a slap for Zionist entity and this led to the victory of the resistance during the 33 day war in July 2006, and if it were not for such a blow, then this entity would have continued its aggression towards - and harassment of - the region." He continued by saying that "the defeats suffered by the Zionist entity made it realize that it is not the biggest power in the region, deterring it from undertaking further adventures."

Larijani stressed that "these gains will serve as a support for all Muslims to put their hands together and unite in order to face the current camp of disbelief in today's world, represented by the Zionist entity."

Hizbullah will be Victorious in the War against Takfiris

In response to a question regarding the confrontation of Hizbullah with the Takfirists, Larijani said to al-Ahed: "Hizbullah has managed in the last period of the struggle against the Zionists [to fight] outside the borders [of Lebanon], and in this context we can say that Syria is a model. In this regard, in the Takfirist movement in Syria enjoys strong and substantial support from the arrogant [imperial] and Zionist forces.

Who doesn't know that the terrorists in Syria are aided with weapons and capabilities [e.g. funds, logistics] from the major powers and their agents", stressing that "some events occur in Syria with direct support from the Zionists, especially since the treating of wounded [Takfirists] takes place in Zionist hospitals, in addition to Zionist military and intelligence support, and training carried out by the Zionists for these extremist groups."

Larijani warned that Muslims are today facing a terrorist movement that carries the banner of ‘There is no God but Allah', but are in fact stabbing [Muslims] from behind", adding that "Hizbullah managed, through its skillfulness and intelligence, to engage in a real struggle against the terrorists, and the truth will emerge soon that this struggle is more difficult than the struggle against the Zionists because it is directly against the movement of hypocrisy, just as Imam Ali [a.s.] said in his war against the Kharijites, that this war is the most difficult, as the movement of disbelief during early Islam was well-known, yet the hypocrisy movement is not clear". Larijani expressed hope that Hizbullah will be victorious in this war as well.

Wars Involve Hit-and-Run, Syria Proved Very Well its Ability to Remain Steadfast

Regarding the recent advance of "Daesh" in some areas of Syria, Larijani said that "hit-and-run always occurs in wars, as sometimes one side progresses in some areas, we have seen that repeatedly throughout the eight-year war against Iran, despite the losses in some fronts, there has been progress and victories on other fronts."

He continued, "it is clear that in terms of the Syrian crisis, some states supported a particular terrorist group, but now these states have reached agreements, especially according to information we have received, [so] they are training these terrorists in some of these states under the pretext that they are moderates, but the truth is that there are a lot of massacres and bloodbaths being committed in Syria by these terrorists who they describe as moderates."

Larijani added that "At the moment there are states in the region in which training of terrorists is taking place, and they are providing them with the necessary equipment to enable their entry tactically [into Syria] - especially after the recent defeats suffered by the terrorist "Daesh" organisation in Iraq and Syria - and in order to save face, [these states] are trying through this strategy to get more political gains."

On the role of both Qatar and Turkey in the Syrian crisis, Larijani said that "the role is not limited to just these two states, there is a coordination between these countries about these things, but certainly the Syrian issue cannot be decided in this way, because Syria has proved very well its ability to remain steadfast over the past four years, and the recent events are tactical, and can occur in all wars, and of course we must not forget the contributing factors behind the scenes", adding that "the terrorist movements occupied any area that they had a chance to occupy, but the terrorists were not able to control the "volatile" regions, because citizens expelled the terrorists from them, and an example of this is what happened in Iraq, where hit-and-run also occurred, and this is the nature of war."

Larijani noted that "America and the "alliance" were unable to accomplish anything noteworthy, and this shows that these states prefer to keep the terrorist movement in the region because this movement works to deplete the energies of Muslims, and they think in their calculations that this new factor in the region can provoke conflicts among Muslims". He continued that "they kill through this new factor Shiites, Sunnis and Yazidis, and they entangle the Kurds in other ways, and foment strife in Yemen in order to create another big presence of terrorists in this country, and the gains of this would be in the interest of the great powers."

The Parliament Speaker noted that the "Western alliance has not carried out any important moves against terrorism in Syria and Iraq, with the exception of some of the raids," pointing out that "some states that fear "Daesh" try at the same time to benefit from this organisation tactically for their own interests, and when they achieve that, will work to suppress this organisation.

This is the wrong strategy, because the terrorist groups have shown that they also take advantage of the major powers for their tactical advantage, whereby it was found that terrorist groups are self-reliant movements, in other words, they act on their own and do not fit into the environment where they are present. The states of the region cannot manage the terrorist movements and establish control over them, as we have seen in the days of the former Soviet Union, when the terrorist movements were formed in Afghanistan. They did not cease, but rather remained as [military] cells despite resentment from America and the West, and a lot of states in the region."

The Major Powers Established Terrorist Movements but are Unable to Eliminate Them

Larijani said "in one of my meetings, when I asked one of the leaders of a regional state on the establishment of terrorist movements, he admitted by saying that we made a mistake. It is clear that the Americans were not able to eliminate the terrorist movements in Afghanistan, and therefore the establishment of these groups was done by the hands of the major powers, but the elimination of these groups is not in their hands. The perception of regional states that they could help these groups from behind the scenes and then eliminate them is a fundamentally wrong way of thinking."

Larijani explained that there are two new phenomena in the region, the first is the terrorist movements, and the second is some rebellious states that give rise to problems in the region, describing the aggression on Yemen by another Muslim country as no simple matter. He added that "they [i.e. the states that are participating in the aggression against Yemen] claim that the blood of Muslims is important for them.

Even during the 33-day war in Lebanon and the latest Gaza war, some states maintained a certain outward appearance, despite not providing assistance, but during the war on Yemen, they did not even care to maintain a certain outward appearance, carrying out massacres against the Yemeni people, and this represents a rebellion. It must be pointed out that these two phenomena, although they cause problems for Muslims, they will not achieve any results."

Terrorists will Leave Iraq Dragging their Tails in Disappointment and Shame

With regards to Iraq, Larijani expressed optimism about its future, expressing his belief that "developments in this country will move its officials to find out areas where deficiencies exist, including problems relating to the military and intelligence, and they will also realize the damage caused by internal differences, and this will thus enhance the power of the country".

He elaborated that "the "Daesh" organisation was weak during its attack on Iraq, but the reason behind the strengthening of the forces of this terrorist organisation in Iraq was due to the existence of some weaknesses in the armed forces and intelligence, political differences, and sectarian divisions between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds in the media, which enabled the enemies to exploit this fact, in general I feel today that the various Iraqi movements reached a kind of unity and solidarity, and became convinced of the need to enhance the capacity of the armed forces, and that they avoid becoming deceived by this phenomena, and therefore this will bring stability to the future of Iraq and its government."

Larijani continued by saying that "Of course there are states in the region that would not feel relieved if an important country like Iraq reaches sustainable stability and prosperity, but when the country becomes strong, it will be able to overcome all the problems afflicting it". He held that "there is no place for terrorists in the future of Iraq", asserting that "the terrorists will leave Iraq dragging the tails in disappointment and shame, and likewise in Syria, whom with a strong army, will spell an end to the terrorists similar to the ending [of terrorists] in Iraq".

Lebanese Crisis can only be Solved at Home

In terms of the situation in Lebanon and the Presidential elections, Larijani said that "the Lebanese crisis can only be resolved at home. Of course there are other states that can provide assistance in this area. All movements and internal forces within Lebanon, such as Hizbullah and the Amal Movement, Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, and those who have great and influential political figures, should meet and hold a national dialogue to reach a constructive agreement, and if they make that decision then they will succeed, and I witnessed the required will in many of the political figures whom I met, and for [a solution to be found] more dialogue should be carried out."

Aggression on Yemen a Strategic Mistake

As for affairs in Yemen, Larijani said in his interview with al-Ahed that "these events were very painful, noting that they have harmed the reputation of Saudi Arabia" adding that "No matter what, Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country, and these events represent a throwback [reversal] in the whole Muslim world, because a Muslim country is attacking another Muslim country that is economically weaker than it, however, the Yemeni people are courageous and civilized, and the bitterness of these horrible events cannot be easily removed from the minds of Muslims, especially since the Saudis used various kinds of weapons against the Yemeni people. The Saudi aggression against Yemen represents a major strategic error for the region and, unfortunately, this has occurred."

Regarding Iran's efforts to stop the aggression and help the Yemeni people, the Parliament Speaker said that "Iran's attempts were intended to stop the war as soon as possible, and to reach an understanding between Yemenis. Tehran believes that the solution to issues in any country must be made at home, and it supports the internal dialogue in Iraq or Syria, and Yemen as well. In today's world, the complying obedience on another country cannot be done by waging war against it. And if Saudi Arabia continues its current approach in Yemen, then it will sacrifice its reputation. "

Outlook for Nuclear Talks must be Positive, Talks are Progressing

On the nuclear negotiations, Larijani pointed out that "the process of nuclear talks, despite the various bumps, are advancing forward, and the talks in Lausanne led to an agreement on the general framework, but there are still details that must be resolved in upcoming meetings, and of course there are some problems and differences, but in general there should be a positive outlook towards the nuclear talks, especially since they are progressing."

When asked about the alliance with Russia and China, and the formation of a new alliance, Larijani stressed that he "cannot provide an answer at the moment because this is linked to various issues, but said that there is a long relationship with these two countries in all fields. This is especially the case after the imposition of sanctions on Iran, after which these relations became more robust, and can be further strengthened in the future. Nevertheless, an alliance with them depends on several factors that cannot be addressed now."

Source: al-Ahed News, Translated and Edited by website team