Hassan Nasrallah: "I told them that we must resolve the issue of the
prisoners, and that the only way to resolve it is by abducting Israeli
soldiers."
Interviewer: "Did you say this clearly?"
Hassan Nasrallah: "Yes, and nobody said to me: 'No, you are not allowed to
abduct Israeli soldiers.' Even if they had told me not to... I'm not
defending myself here. I said that we would abduct Israeli soldiers, in
meetings with some of the main political leaders in the country. I don't
want to mention names now, but when the time comes to settle accounts, I
will. They asked: 'If this happens, will the issue of the prisoners be over
and done with?' I said that it was logical that it would. And I'm telling
you, our estimation was not mistaken. I'm not exaggerating. Anywhere in the
world - show me a country, show me an army, show me a war, in which two
soldiers, or even civilian hostages, were abducted, and a war was waged
against a country - and all for two soldiers. This has never happened
throughout history, and even Israel has never done such a thing."
[...]
"If 60-70 people know all the details of an abduction operation, can it
possibly be successful? No, it cannot. All the more so if I inform a
government, which has 24 ministers, the heads of the three government
branches, political forces, and coalitions. When we held the national
dialogue, we talked and discussed things, and an hour later, the protocols
of the meetings reached the embassies. Do you want me to tell the entire
world that I am about to carry out an abduction operation? It's not
logical."
[...]
"It is true that I did not inform the Lebanese government, but I did not
inform my closest allies either. Syria and Iran did not know. No Syrian or
Iranian knew. They did not know, and I did not consult any of them."
[...]
How Can the War Affect the Iranian Nuclear Dossier?
Hassan Nasrallah: "On the Iranian issue... Now there is a war in Lebanon. In
one, two, or three months it will end. How long can it possibly last? Once
the war is over, in what way will it affect the Iranian nuclear dossier?
What effect will it have on it? On the contrary, if this is in any way
connected to the Iranian nuclear dossier, the war being waged against
Lebanon does not serve its interest. The Americans and the Israelis have
always taken into account that if a confrontation breaks out with Iran,
Hizbullah might intervene in Iran's favor. So striking Hizbullah now would
weaken, rather than strengthen, Iran on the nuclear issue."
[...]
"Hizbullah has Always Placed Lebanese National Interests Above any Other
Interest"
Hassan Nasrallah: "Hizbullah has always placed Lebanese national interests
above any other interest. During the national dialogue, I said to them: You
have known us for 23-24 years. I am ready to tell each and every one of them
which battles he has fought - some of them, not all of them... I am ready to
tell some of them which battles they have fought for the sake of foreign,
rather than Lebanese, interests. Tell me when we, Hizbullah, did anything to
Lebanon, or led it into war, for the sake of foreign, rather than Lebanese,
interests. They could not give me a single example."
[...]
"Victory in this case does not mean that I will enter and conquer the north
of Palestine, and liberate Nahariya, Haifa, and Tiberias. This is not one of
our slogans. This is a long process, which pertains to the Palestinians and
to the nation. This is another issue. The victory that we are talking
about - If the resistance survives, this will be a victory. If its
determination is not broken, this will be a victory. If Lebanon is not
humiliated, if its honor and dignity remain intact, if Lebanon continues to
face all alone the strongest military force in the region, and if it
perseveres and refuses to accept any humiliating terms in the settlement of
this issue - this will be a victory. If we are not militarily defeated, this
will be a victory. As long as a single missile is launched from Lebanon to
target the Zionists, as long as a single fighter fires his gun, as long as
someone plants an explosive device for the Israelis, this means that the
resistance still exists."
[...]
"Today, we Shi'ites are fighting Israel. Our fighting and perseverance
ultimately serve our brothers in Palestine, who are Sunni, not Shi'ite. In
other words, we, Shi'ites and Sunnis, fight side by side against Israel,
which is supported and strengthened by America. I'm telling you that if
[Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert reaches a point at which he says to the
Americans, 'I cannot complete this,' Bush will say to him, 'You go on, and
if you encounter a problem, I will resolve it for you.' This is what I meant
when I talked about 'a battle of the nation,' and I saw [on TV] that you
commented on this. I am not fighting on behalf of the nation. But I say that
the outcome of the battle that Hizbullah is fighting in Lebanon, for better
or worse, is an outcome for the nation. Defeat in Lebanon is defeat for the
nation, and victory in Lebanon is victory for the nation, just like in
2000."
[...]
"For 23 years, we have been talking to our people, motivating them, talking
about martyrdom, the honor of martyrdom, and the place of the martyrs. Do
the Zionists, or those who encourage them, believe that I, or anyone in the
Hizbullah leadership, fears martyrdom? We love martyrdom. We take
precautions in order to prevent Israel from making any gains. But on the
personal level, and as a personal aspiration, each and every one of us hopes
to be destined to martyrdom at the hands of those people, the killers of the
prophets and the messengers, and most hostile to the believers, as it says
in the Koran."
Nasrallah: I Told Lebanese Political Leaders We Would Abduct Israeli Soldiers
