Hezbollah chief urges Muslim unity against US, Israeli projects

Speaking on the occasion of the Prophet Muhammad's birth anniversary and Islamic Unity Week, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem emphasized the importance of Muslim unity, stating that it should lead to the empowerment of Muslims and foster integration and cooperation between governments and peoples. He said unity means liberating the Islamic nation from subjugation and overcoming sectarian, religious, and political differences.

Qassem stressed that the unity sought by Muslims entails confronting "the divisive projects of America and Israel aimed at fragmenting our region," and focusing on the true enemy while moving beyond internal disputes. He argued that such unity would produce two results: preventing division and achieving unity, and extending that unity to national and human unity.

"We will unite around the central issue of Palestine, which reflects the future of the whole region," he said, describing the Palestinian cause as not sectarian but an "Islamic, national, Arab and human cause." He called on Arab and Islamic countries not to stand idle while their brothers suffer and enemies enter the region. "The time has come for our region to be secured through understanding among its countries and for an end to arrogance," he added.

Qassem noted that the great sacrifices in Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and Iraq have halted the U.S.-Israeli project against the region. "We have made many sacrifices and we will not be defeated. Real defeat would only come if we surrender and hand everything over to the enemy," he asserted.

He also criticized the Lebanese government for abandoning the October 27 agreement and entering direct talks with the enemy. "These negotiations did not stop the war, they legitimised it. They are a humiliating surrender to the enemy without gaining anything," he said. Hezbollah opposes the "framework agreement" and calls for its cancellation, describing it as illegitimate, illegal, and humiliating, destroying Lebanon's sovereignty without recovering any rights.

According to Mehr News Agency, these remarks were made during Islamic Unity Week, an annual observance aimed at fostering unity among Muslims worldwide.