The Resilient People Expel the Occupation and Open the Way for the Army: 22 Martyrs and 124 Injured /  President of the Republic: The Triumph of Justice Berri: With You, We Prevail Raad: You Are Nasrallah’s Testament

 January 27, 2025

The political editor wrote

The resilient people rose, performed their abolition for dawn prayer, and marched southward. Fathers and mothers brought their children, many carrying the banner of resistance in one hand and a martyr’s photo in the other. They surged forward in waves toward the occupying forces, sometimes as individual martyrs advancing to point-blank range of a Merkava tank. By the end of this epic day, the equation in the south shifted from a state of helplessness in the face of occupation to an immediate liberation of 18 towns. The people opened roads and paved the way for the army’s entry.

The events left everyone in shock. The occupying entity was thrown into disarray, while Lebanon’s official and political circles were stunned. Those with good intentions saw an opportunity to press for the strict implementation of the ceasefire agreement, ensuring no manipulation of deadlines and the full withdrawal of occupation forces after the 60-day deadline, which had expired. Meanwhile, those with ill intentions attempted to flatter the people by separating their uprising from the resistance, despite the clear truth that the people proudly embraced their resistance identity.

The confusion within the occupying entity manifested on two levels. First, the defeat they had intended to inflict on the resistance, portraying it as weak and incapable, instead fell upon themselves. Thousands of Hezbollah flags fluttered along the border, and portraits of Sayyed Nasrallah adorned every direction. Second, the ongoing and escalating situation risked spiraling out of control, whether through the heavy toll of martyrs and injuries among a public undeterred by the Israeli killing machine, or through the potential infiltration of organised resistance structures among the daily crowds gathering at the border, as noted by Hebrew media analysts.

The continued uprising, reinvigorated today with the participation of tens of thousands of students, resulted in 22 martyrs yesterday, including a young girl and three soldiers, along with 124 injured.

President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, addressed the southerners, declaring their uprising a triumph of justice. He affirmed that the Lebanese army stands with them, wherever they are, and is maintaining high-level contacts to ensure the occupation’s withdrawal.

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri sent a message to the southerners, stating: “Your actions today confirm the measures of patriotism, identity, and belonging to Lebanon – land of freedom and liberation – are defined by your courage and your defense of this sacred ground with your most precious sacrifices. Blessed is the land that grows more dignified with your presence on its hills, orchards, and the rubble of homes destroyed by Israeli arrogance and terrorism. Your actions today affirm that a nation possessing determination like yours, a will as strong as yours, a love for its land like yours, loyalty beyond measure, and resilience like burning embers, is a nation that cannot but prevail”.

Head of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, Mohammad Raad, also addressed the southerners, saying:
“The people, the army, and the resistance are the only practical equation that defends and liberates the country. International law, though significant, is futile without the will and determination of the people. To our free people in Lebanon, we kiss the ground you tread upon and bow in pride before your sacrifices, wounds, and the suffering of your prisoners. We pledge to be a truthful voice for you across the country, alongside all honourable individuals in this nation, safeguarding your rights, expressing your choices, and standing as a strong arm to defend you and fulfill your hopes. You are our glory, honour, and pride; you embody the will of our Secretary-General, entrusted to us and by us. We are your extension, your action, and your resistance”.

The southern uprising received widespread praise, including statements from former President Émile Lahoud, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and former ministers Gebran Bassil and Suleiman Frangieh.

As’ad Hardan, head of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, condemned discussions of a U.S.-backed extension for the occupation’s withdrawal, describing it as a license for further aggression. He emphasised that the facts continually reaffirm the army-people-resistance equation as the sole framework for defending Lebanon and safeguarding its sovereignty, unity, and stability.