TEHRAN - A member of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Jihad Movement says that the Islamic resistance movement in Palestine and Lebanon succeeded to expel Israel from the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon thanks to supporting by Iran including by its top general Qassem Soleimani.

Dr. Yusuf al-Hasayna Qassem says Lt. Gen. Soleimani was not an ordinary military commander, saying he was inspired by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“Soleimani is not an ordinary person or commander. He was inspired by culture and behavior adopted by the Islamic Revolution from the first day of its victory,” al-Hasayna Qassem tells the Tehran Times.

“Thanks to this support, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon succeeded in defeating the Zionist forces from southern Lebanon in 2000 and foiling its aggression in 2006,” the top Islamic Jihad Movement official notes in an open reference to the 33-day war in which Hezbollah shattered the myth of the invincibility of the Zionist regime’s army and caused an earthquake in Israel.

The following is the text of the interview: 

Q: Given the geopolitical situation in West Asia and the dangers that have threatened the region in recent years, how do you evaluate Iran's role in combating terrorism?

A: When we talk about “terrorism”, any researcher and observer must shed light on the “terror” system in the region and the world in which the United States, the Zionist regime, and their allies are on the top of the list.

“Terrorism”, in its deep political meaning, is what America, the Zionist regime, and those states, entities, and groups following their policies do, as they all intend to fragment, divide, weaken, plunder the region’s resources and ensure the security of Israel.

The systematic use of “terror” through the U.S. weapons and the Zionist regime targets the people of the region, their states, their civilizations, and their sanctities. For this reason, the Islamic Republic and the leadership of the Islamic Revolution put countering America’s “terrorism” at top of their priorities as the Zionist regime is considered America’s front line and “hand” in the region as it is a cancerous tumor that must be uprooted.

Therefore, we have a special understanding and awareness among Iranian leaders who confronted “terrorism” in West Asia since the inception of the Islamic Republic and based on this understanding and awareness and after the victory of the Islamic revolution the leadership of the revolution declared its support for Palestine, the Palestinian and Arab resistance, and even demonstrated its sympathy towards all the suppressed people in the world.

The Islamic Republic is still fighting enemies and “terrorism” supported by the United States and the Zionist regime in various ways, and the forces of resistance in the region have left no stone unturned to support the Palestinians. Rather, it has used all its capabilities as a state and revolution to help, support, and back the Palestinian, Arab and Islamic resistance and confront a usurper regime.

And when the enemies felt that the axis of resistance was scoring victories in the region at the expense of the Westerners and Zionists, they started to release the brutal hand of terror in our Arab and Islamic regions, particularly in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and other places.

The Islamic Republic has taken upon itself to confront this massive wave of terrorism, which is armed and equipped with the latest weapons and modern technologies in communications, monitoring, and surveillance, which has enabled it to occupy vast areas of lands in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.

This great role, taken over by the Islamic Republic, pushed the sponsors of terrorism in America and the Zionist regime and their allies to tighten sanctions on the Islamic Republic and assassinate General Qassem Soleimani, the martyr of Islam and Palestine, and his companion Haji Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis because of their great role in foiling terrorist scheme in the region.

Q: How do you evaluate Iran's policies represented by General Soleimani to find a common ground between the regional countries and peoples to fight all types of terrorism?

A: Since the Islamic Revolution’s victory hostile forces to Iran have adopted “terrorism” as a means to undercut the Islamic Revolution, while dependent states, despotic regimes, sponsored terrorist groups in order to undermine stability in the Islamic Republic.

Nevertheless, the awareness of the revolutionary men and armed forces and the Muslim Iranian people who rallied around the revolution protecting it and provided it with the elements of power foiled the plots of these regimes and groups to do sabotage inside Iran.

The Islamic Republic, its apparatus, and its Revolutionary Guard succeeded in isolating the phenomenon of terrorism inside Iranian society as a treacherous behavior that was intended to break up the unity of the Iranian people.

This is in terms of combating terrorism at the domestic level. As for the regional level, there is no doubt that the Islamic Republic has a leading and main role in confronting terrorism in West Asia, and this is what I explained in part of the answers in the first question.

However, the most prominent feature of the Islamic Republic’s role in recent times represented by efforts of martyr General Qassem Soleimani was his contribution to awareness, unity, and boosting peoples’ abilities and will.

Soleimani could establish a kind of organized resistance to terrorist plans directed by the U.S. and Zionists, so he acted as a coordinator of resistance groups. He made resisting the U.S and Israel a top priority and strategy for Muslims, considering the Zionist regime and its allies in the region as a base for advanced terrorism against the Muslim world and the nations in West Asia.

General Soleimani also supported the resistance of the Palestinian, Lebanese and Yemeni people, and deservedly led heroic battles against brutal terrorism in Syria and Iraq.

Today, what is made by martyr Qassem Soleimani is like a bone in the throat of the malicious Americans and the Zionists which spread terrorism in the Arab and Islamic countries.

Frankly, the resistance demonstrated by Hezbollah, the Iraqi Hash al-Shaabi, and the Palestinian and Yemeni forces, is the one that stands in the face of terrorism, liquidates and defeats occupation.

There is no difference between the “terrorism” of these groups supported by the U.S., and (Persian) Gulf intelligence services, and the Zionist regime, as they are two sides of the same coin.

We affirm that the region will not be stabilized or secure as long as the Zionist regime and these groups exist.

 That is why Martyr Soleimani’s efforts to unify the groups fighting terrorism in all its forms and types is necessary and important in this tough battle between the resistance forces and the terrorist forces led by the Zionist regime and terrorist groups associated with the West.

Q: Do you think that the martyrdom of great commanders such as General Qassem Soleimani will impede combat against terrorism and occupation?

A: The assassination of martyr Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis by the United States of America shed light on the systematic terrorist nature of the American administrations that demonstrates the terrorist behavior in the world without any hesitation in order to achieve malign goals.

The U.S. supports the terrorism symbolized by the Zionist regime and terrorist groups that spread chaos and devastate countries and nations just in favor of Israel’s security.

The assassination of such a great leader was a painful blow to the resistance forces in the region. The martyrdom of a great leader in terms of his weight, his attitudes, and his role is undoubtedly a great loss. 

Qassem Soleimani was not an ordinary person or commander. He was inspired by culture and behavior adopted by the Islamic Revolution from the first day of its victory, namely the principle of defending the oppressed people everywhere and resisting arrogance and colonialism.

Since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Iran has sided with Palestine and the Palestinian cause and still supports the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance in their movement in confronting the usurping Zionist regime.

Thanks to this support, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon succeeded in defeating the Zionist forces from southern Lebanon in 2000 and foiling its aggression in 2006.

The Palestinian resistance also succeeded in forcing the occupying Zionist forces to withdraw from the Gaza Strip under the blows of the Palestinian resistance, which despite being under siege, managed to deter the Zionist enemy in three successive wars (2008, 2012, 2014), and the Zionist enemy could not achieve any of its goals in those wars, on top of which was liquidating the resistance and destroy its power.

Thanks to the unlimited Iranian support, the Palestinian resistance has accumulated the elements of strength, and by this, it has impeded the enemy and its increasing power over the past years.

Now the Zionist enemy is a vulnerable entity despite its advanced modern weapons, brutal power, and its relationship with its agents in the region.

“The martyrdom of this great leader in terms of his weight, his attitudes, and his role is undoubtedly a great loss.” 

Q: Why do we find a sharp difference between the scourge of "terrorism" between the Western world powers and the axis of resistance?

A: The Western narrative, and also Zionism, is based on the link between resistance and "terrorism" and extremism, which is a malicious attempt that seeks to criminalize legitimate resistance and portray it as "terrorism" targeting civilians and public facilities in countries.

This linkage achieves a set of objectives for the Western powers and the Zionist regime and tries to isolate the legitimate national resistance whether locally, regionally, or internationally.

It also makes attempts to link resistance with terrorism in order to criminalize and punish resistance and include it on the lists of "terrorism".

This makes it easier to strike and target resistance; and on the third side, this malicious attempt gives the Zionist regime an excuse to target the resistance and wage wars against Arab and Muslim peoples, as happened in the aggression against Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.

Therefore, the concept of terrorism in the Western context is targeting the vital features and forces in the region in order to liquidate them and then facilitate Israel’s control over Palestine and the region.

The race towards normalization of ties with Israel comes in this context and unfortunately many Arab and Islamic countries undermine resistance in international conferences. This means being in harmony with the Western Zionist narrative.

In view of resistance, the definition of "terrorism" is based on the premise that resistance is a right guaranteed to all states and peoples, and it is a basic right that derives its strength and legitimacy from the principle of self-defense and from religious, humanitarian and moral values.

Even international laws and treaties stipulate the right of people to resist colonialism, occupation, and racism.

In fact, some United Nations resolutions required the assistance of peoples seeking to liberate themselves from the yoke of colonialism and occupation, and this is exactly what the axis of resistance does where they exercise their legitimate right to defend themselves and their homelands.

Rather, the resistance forces monitor the Zionists’ moves to be prepared and confront the terrorist forces supported by the West and the Zionist regime when they allow these forces to strike civilians and expand their occupation, as happened in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

So we are facing two different readings of "terrorism". The first is blameworthy and rejected "terrorism" supported by the United States, the Zionist regime, and the West because it targets civilians and the infrastructure of countries. 

The other concept is what the people of the region call "resistance", which is branded as "terrorism" by Israel.

Meanwhile, the resistance axis exercises its legitimate right to defend itself and its homelands and fight the occupying forces and colonialism. 

Q: In recent years, under the pretext of fighting terrorism, alliances have been formed with the inclusion of extra-regional powers to exploit the current crises in West Asia. What is your comment?

A: The title of suppressing terrorism in these alliances, which came at the request of the United States and the Zionist regime, does not aim to confront terrorism and extremism that afflict the countries of the region. Rather, it is intended to discredit legitimate resistance to occupation and colonialism.

These alliances seek to achieve the goals of Israel and the United States in linking terrorism with legitimate resistance, while the tyrannical regimes in the region have accepted to be agents for the Zionist and American plans.

These Arab regimes and entities are eager to normalize relations with Israel in order to gain legitimacy for themselves at the expense of Arab, Palestinian, and Islamic causes.

They seek to form a military intelligence security alliance to confront the Islamic Republic and resistance forces in the region.