Interview of Hassan Nasrallah by Sheila Macvicar, CNN - March 16, 2003.
Aired March 16, 2003
Macvicar:I heard you in your speech on asura (ph) when you spoke to the people who were gathered there. And you said that the people, speaking to the Americans, the people of this region would receive, them meaning the Americans, with rifles, blood, arms, with martyrdom and martyrdom operations, suicide bombings. If that is what you believe, will Hezbollah take part in those operations? Would Hezbollah launch attacks against U.S. forces in the region?
Nasrallah:The occupiers could stay 10, 50, 100 years, but in the end they leave. I believe this occupation will be resisted. But with regards to Hezbollah, we are in a state of confrontation with Israeli occupiers and the battle is not over yet. It is still going on. As far as the region is concerned, it is subject to what happens. In the end, we are part of this region, and we are affected by its developments. What we may do or not do in the future depends on the nature of what happens here in the region.
Macvicar:You talked about how during the days when American forces were in Beirut, people in the southern suburbs screamed "Death to America." You went on to say, now with U.S. forces back in the region, "Death to America" was, is and shall remain our slogan, and not merely a slogan but a policy. How does Hezbollah intend to implement that policy?
Nasrallah:in that same speech, I said, we don't mean death to American people but death to the U.S. project in the region. We don't want to kill. We did not launch attacks on U.S. grounds. We don't want to kill Americans.
Macvicar:My point of clarification is to ask you whether or not that means that if U.S. forces come to this region and remain in this region that Hezbollah might then consider them a legitimate target?
Nasrallah:If they come to Iraq?
Macvicar:If they come to the region, if they come to Iraq, if they stay in Iraq.
Nasrallah:This will be up to the Iraqi people, and the way the Iraqi people will deal with these troops. Will they consider them friendly troops or occupying troops? Sooner or later, the Iraqis will consider them as occupiers. We have no presence in Iraq, but certainly if the American troops come and attack Lebanon, without question, we will fight them.
Macvicar:You know that one of the key questions here in the region that many want to know the answer to is how will Hezbollah act if there is a war? Would Hezbollah, for example, attack Israel if there is a war?
Nasrallah:Our policy is clear, we are fighting in an area that is still under occupation in Lebanon. And beyond that area, we are on the defensive. What is being talked about now is the probability of the Sharon government launching an attack against Lebanon to eliminate the resistance of Hezbollah by using the American war against Iraq. But, of course, in this case, we will certainly fight with all our strength.
Macvicar:You will have heard, of course, that the Israelis, Israeli intelligence, some American officials have been now saying for nearly two years that Hezbollah has come into possession of what they describe as thousands of missiles, missiles that they say have a longer range capability than Hezbollah has previously been known to be in possession of. Do you possess missiles which are capable of striking into the heart of Israel's urban centers?
Nasrallah:We believe that it is our right to possess any weapon we choose to defend our country. It is our right to have weapons. Lebanon is caught in a cycle of threats. And it is our duty to be strong and capable of defending our country. But we will not clarify or explain what we do or do not possess.
Macvicar:The United States administration calls Hezbollah the a-team of terrorism. They say that you owe the United States a blood debt. They say that there is a price to be paid for that and that you are on their list. And when the time is right, they are going to come after Hezbollah. What do you think the United States will do, and what will you do?
Nasrallah:Hezbollah's problem with the American administration is that we're fighting Israel. And I'm as certain as I can be that if we were to say we'd give up the fight against the Israelis, that we would not retaliate if Israel attacks our country, then there's a very great possibility that Hezbollah would be dropped from the American list of terrorist organizations. We did not start a fight with America, and we don't want a war with America. If someone launches an attack, though, we will respond. We will not take rejection or humiliation. We do not want to fight.
Source: CNN transcripts