US sanctions, pressure make us stronger: Senior Hezbollah official

A high-ranking member of the Hezbollah resistance movement has slammed the US Treasury Department over adding three Hezbollah officials to its list of sanctioned individuals, stressing that Washington’s restrictive measures and campaign of pressure against his group simply solidify its resolve.

“The targeting of our deputies (lawmakers) by economic sanctions is an assault against representatives of our people. They use economic sanctions against us, and this is a real act of aggression. They also use political aggression,” Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said at a ceremony in Lebanon’s southern town of Humin al-Tahta on Sunday.

He added, “Do you want to impose your opinions on us? If you add deputies, officials, political party or anything else to the sanctions list, this will increase our resolve and will make us think how to win this battle and this aggression. You are doing this in an attempt to pressure the resistance and the public.”

The Hezbollah official further slammed Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Iran as leader of the resistance axis.

“Today the entire world is preoccupied with repeated US bids and attempts to attack Iran. What has Iran done to be the target of such a campaign of great pressure? Iran has proved its ability to lead the axis of resistance, support the peoples of the region and the resistance. It has been able to score many achievements,” the top Hezbollah official underlined.

He concluded, “Without Iran and its support, resistance had not been able to emerge victorious in Lebanon and Syria, Iraq had not been liberated (from the grip of terror), and Yemen would not have resisted (the Saudi-led military aggression). All peoples of the region are indebted to the Islamic Republic (of Iran) founded by late Imam Khomeini, and now being led by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.”

SS