[JPost] Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech on Tuesday threatening to kill anyone who tries to take away Hezbollah’s weapons. "To anyone who gives us the option of dying with our weapons or of starvation, I say that the weapons will remain in our hands and we will not go hungry, we will kill you. We will kill you." The harsh rhetoric exceeded the usual boasting by Hezbollah and was a direct threat to the US and internal Lebanese protesters that any pressure on Hezbollah will be met with violence. Hezbollah is angry that US sanctions on Syria are harming the economy in Lebanon and that there are voices who think Hezbollah should stop maintaining itself as an armed force within Lebanon.Cry me a river
The long speech was reprinted at Iran’s Fars News and was tweeted online in translation by expert David Daoud. The speech was wide ranging and touched on several key topics. He began by memorializing a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader named Ramadan Shallah who died on June 7. Islamic Jihad is supported by Iran and Hezbollah. It has been the source of attacks on Israel over the past years and Israel has targeted its members. Nasrallah said Palestinians are under threat of Israeli annexation and must unify. He spoke about unifying the Islamic "ummah" in the face of Israel and that Shi’ites and Sunnis should work together. Iran and Turkish leaders have also said this in recent weeks.
Because they've gotten along so well over the last 1300 years
Hezbollah wants to try to unite Shi’ites and Sunnis under its banner to fight the US and others. This was clear from the speech. Nasrallah fears sectarianism or a return to civil strife. Hezbollah, it must be remembered, emerged during the civil war in Lebanon and emerged stronger after it. Hezbollah took credit for Israel’s withdrawal in 2005 and then murdered the Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafic Hariri in 2005. In 2008 it clashed with protesters in Beirut and took over Beirut in a show of force. Since then it has held the presidency hostage, maneuvered its people into the presidency and Prime Minister’s office and sent forces to fight in Syria and to Iraq. Hezbollah now wants to be the arbiter of Lebanon’s future and it knows that sectarian strife can undermine that.