Assad: Future generations will find a way to defeat
IDF
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and Agencies
Syrian President Bashar Assad congratulated Hezbollah yesterday for
what he described as their success in "defeating Israel." Assad
said that the members of the resistance used their "will,
determination and faith" to counter Israeli arms, enabling them to
defeat Israel.
"The resistance is necessary as much as it is natural and
legitimate," he said. Assad said this war revealed the limitations
of Israel's military power.
The Syrian leader also railed against the United States and
moderates in Lebanon, declaring that the way to victory is via
resistance to occupation, and "support for the resistance creates
deterrence against aggression."
Assad spoke at a conference of the Syrian Press Association, and
his statements were often interrupted with enthusiastic
applause.
The event, which was broadcast live on all Arab satellite stations,
aimed at capitalizing on Syrian support for Hezbollah. During the
speech, a Lebanese woman stood up and praised Hezbollah's Hassan
Nasrallah, an act that was accompanied by loud applause and the
waving of Hezbollah's yellow flags.
Assad said that the United States' plan for a "new Middle East" has
collapsed after what he described as Hezbollah's success in
fighting against Israel, and warned Israel to seek peace or risk
defeat in the future.
"They should know that they are before a historic crossroads.
Either they move toward peace and the return of [Arab] rights, or
they move in the direction of continued instability until one
generation decides the matter," he said. Assad defended Hezbollah,
and criticized a UN cease-fire resolution for holding the
Syrian-backed militant group responsible for the violence. "Israel
is the one who is responsible," he said. He added that Israel's
supporters in Lebanon - an allusion to the anti-Syrian
parliamentary majority in Beirut - also bear responsibility.
During the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces surrounded
Beirut within seven days of invading, he said. "After five weeks,
it [Israel] was still struggling to gain several hundred meters of
ground."
Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier canceled a trip
to Syria in protest of Assad's vociferous attack and statements,
calling the speech a "negative contribution that is not in any way
justified in view of the current challenges and opportunities in
the Middle East."