The Secretary-General of Hezbollah has said Shireen Abu Aqleh’s Christian faith sent the strongest message after the veteran al-Jazeera journalist’s murder at the hands of Israeli regime forces. 

In a speech during an electoral festival in the Beqaa, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, affirmed that "the strongest message in the testimony of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh is that she is a Christian."

“The crime committed by the Zionist occupation troops, which led to the martyrdom of journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh. On the one hand, Shireen Abu Aqleh was a witness to the crimes of the enemy for many many years, and she was also witness to the oppression of the Palestinian people and the crimes, massacres, attacks, and daily violations of people and their sanctities, and today she has become the oppressed martyr in one of those crimes.”

“On the other hand, this is the reality of the enemy, this reflects its brutality that has not changed and will not change, from the massacres of Deir Yassin to all the massacres in Palestine, to the massacres in Lebanon, in Qana, Suhmor and the rest of the towns, to the massacre of Egyptian soldiers captives in Sinai to.. to..to..to.., this is its reality, this is its essence, brutality, arrogance, and bloodshed.

The regime forces even attacked the funeral procession for the journalist in the occupied territories. Mourners carrying the body of Shireen Abu Aqleh who was shot dead by Israeli troops kicked and hit the mourners with batons; which left those carrying her coffin to lose balance and drop it to the ground.

The regime’s forces are said to have assaulted the mourners to prevent them from taking the coffin of Abu Aqleh to the Roman Catholic church in the Old City, before taking her to a cemetery, where she was laid to rest alongside her parents.

Sayyed Nasrallah also hit out at the supporters of the regime, including those in West Asia who advocated for the normalization of ties with Israel. 

“The first to feel shame… shame and humiliation are those who are accustomed to the enemy from regimes, governments, activists and individuals, who are trying to convince our peoples that ‘Israel’ is a natural existence, a natural choice, a civilized and civilized state, and it is possible to live with it in peace.”

“The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw on TV the martyr and her blood, it occurred to me that her blood is on the faces of the rulers, on the faces of the media, on their foreheads, on their words, and on their hands.”

Nasrallah added "the message from the testimony of Shireen Abu Aqleh is that the Israeli enemy is targeting Christians and Muslims as well as their sanctities.

“This incident, has very strong messages for the Palestinian people, for the Arab and Islamic peoples, and for the whole world.”

“Unfortunately, some quickly tried to move the discussion from a serious crime committed by enemy troops to discussing Shireen Abu Aqleh's religion and her religious affiliation.”

“I tell you: The strongest message in the testimony of this oppressed woman is that she is Christian. This message brings awareness to everyone that “Israel” the temporary usurping entity is attacking Muslims and Christians, the people of Palestine and the peoples of the region, and is killing, oppressing, displacing, arresting and demolishing the homes of Muslims and Christians.  

“Israel” this usurper, occupying entity attacked the sanctities of Muslims and the sanctities of Christians, and a few days ago, in the month of Ramadan, we witnessed the Zionist aggressive behavior towards worshipers on Fridays at the al-Aqsa Mosque and on Holy Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Their souls, their blood, their youth, their livelihood, their homes, their future, their destiny, and their Islamic and Christian sanctities.”

“The message says: This racist entity, which today is the only entity on the planet where a recognition has emerged that it is an apartheid regime is ‘Israel’, that this inhumane system, which is ‘superior’ to all human beings, did not change and does not change because this is its reality and essence, no matter what the media do and no matter how hypocritical they are.”

“We hope that the blood of Shireen Abu Aqleh and the blood of the young men and women, men, women, and children of Palestine, will awaken those dead and dull consciences, and will awaken all the goodness and honor that remains in this nation with its Muslims and Christians.”

Sayyed Nasrallah also offered his condolences to the families of the Popular Defense Forces in the Syrian army who were martyred on Friday at the hands of takfiri terrorist groups in the countryside of Aleppo.

Sayyed Nasrallah went on to address the people of Beqaa participating in the electoral festival, saying that "the Beqaa and its people have always been an essential part of the resistance, in terms of foundation, front, presence in the field, and support. It was on its land that the most important confrontation took place in 1982, which halted the advance of the Israeli enemy."

He added, "The battle of Sultan Ya'qub and the Battle of Al-Mudayrej gave a clear message to the occupation, that within a few days the resistance operations began so that it was surprised by the mobilization of the people of the Bekaa. Indeed, the frenzy stopped."

Sayyed Nasrallah recalled the early years of the resistance, since 1982 when operations were taking place in the occupied territories, while "the Israeli reaction was taking place in the Bekaa," noting that "the Israeli bombing was not only to avenge the resistance's operations, but It was an Israeli policy that was always followed in order to pressure the people, and its goal was to say to the people of the Beqaa: Get the resistance out of your towns.”

He added, “They want the people of Beqaa to abandon the resistance and its weapons, through bombing, politically, financially, and in the media."

And Sayyed Nasrallah added, "In the land of the south, the most precious and dearest men in the Beqaa were martyred, Mr. Abbas al-Moussawi and Mrs. Umm Yasser Al-Moussawi. And in the July war, you were present in this war, and your men participated in the fronts," noting that "there is a long list" among the martyrs who fell in Baalbek-Hermel and the western and central Bekaaan.

He addressed the people of the Beqaa, saying: "You are Hezbollah and you are the resistance, and it is not correct to say you aren’t with the resistance, because for 40 years you have spared blood, loved ones and the resistance was your choice, your determination, and your insight," stressing that "there are those who plot against your sacrifices and your victories."

With regard to the election developments in the Lebanese regions, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah said that "in every place in which we attended strongly, we were able to be more in the service of people," adding "If we assume the responsibility of a ministry, we do not take money from it, but spend money in it." 

Lebanese will head to the ballot boxes for their upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for Sunday and which will determine the formation of the country’s next government.