Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Qassem sent a message to the fighters of the Islamic Resistance, in which he said that "Hezbollah and its Islamic Resistance are in a position of legitimate defense, in the battle of 'Assifa al-Ma'koul' (The Eaten Storm), and in defense to liberate the land, reject surrender, protect existence, and defend the independence of the homeland." He stressed that "the resistance continues in the field of honor no matter how great the sacrifices are, and the field is what decides the battle." He said: "We continue together in our allegiance to our leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei." The message stated: "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful To the sons of the Islamic Resistance, the honorable, dear, and struggling fighters Peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings Your message reached me from the field, after the outpouring of your jihad spread far and wide. I answer you with love and fragments of conscience. Your confrontation with the Israeli-American aggression is one of the most honorable deeds, and the highest in status before Almighty God, and before those who believe in the human right to live free, proud, and with dignity. You rise above the pettiness of begging for crumbs of fleeting worldly goods from tyrants and oppressors, holding fast to the blessing of faith and righteousness bestowed upon you by Almighty God, so that the world may come to you submissively. Your arenas of jihad bear witness that you are the heroes of battle and the brave men of the field. Your hearts are attached to Almighty God, drawing insight and boldness from Him. Your role model is the Master of Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad (PBUH), in his address to his uncle: 'O uncle, by God, if they were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that I abandon this matter until God makes it victorious or I perish in the process, I would not abandon it.' You face savage Zionist criminality, brutal American tyranny, and a West gasping for a role and a share upon the flow of pure blood, alongside cowardly or traitorous hesitation seeking a life of subservience and humiliation... You face the demons of the earth with the light of faith and jihad, and you stand firm, unshaken by earthquakes.. Your light guides you with the glad tidings of a proud future and a clear victory.. Hezbollah and its Islamic Resistance are in a position of legitimate defense, in the battle of 'Assifa al-Ma'koul', and in defense to liberate the land, reject surrender, protect existence, and defend the independence of the homeland. This banner of truth rises with you, and rises with the jihad of the people of the resistance and those who believe in it, along with their patience and great sacrifices. History will record, just as the present has recorded, that you are the torch of sacrifice and noble human giving, and that you resisted under the most difficult circumstances, with the highest degrees of confidence and certainty in victory, preventing the enemies from achieving their goals. With you, O lights of the resistance, our banner will never fall. With you, O pioneers of freedom, the tyrants will fall. With you, O protectors of the homeland, we guarantee the future of our generations. With you, O torch of giving, the sun of liberation and freedom shines. Our path is the path of Imam Hussein (PBUH), following in the footsteps of the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt) (PBUT) in confronting with dignity and refusing humiliating submission, content with one of the two best outcomes: victory or martyrdom, and one of the two paths: dignity versus humiliation. All the sacrifices we have offered—foremost among them the Master of the Nation's Martyrs, Sayyed Hassan, Sayyed Abbas, Sheikh Ragheb, Sayyed Hashem, the martyred leaders and fighters (may God's absolute pleasure be upon them), the wounded, the prisoners, and the immense contributions of our people—all of these are a purification of the path of our jihad, our resistance, and our loyalty, and they constitute a great asset for continuity, carrying the trust, and achieving the goals. Our enemies are confused; their criminal pressure tactics threaten death, and death is in the hands of Almighty God. They possess nothing that can bring you down, while you possess what brings them down and defeats them. You are the rightful owners of the land, you take your sustenance and support from Almighty God, and you charge into difficulties with confidence in the promise of Almighty God: 'Fight them; God will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people' (At-Tawbah 14). We continue together in our allegiance to our leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei (may his shadow endure), following in the footsteps of the leader of the nation, the martyred Imam Khamenei (may his secret be sanctified), upon the path of the reviver of religion, Imam Khomeini (may his secret be sanctified), along the path of the supreme martyr Sayyed Hassan (may God be pleased with him). Our choice in confronting the aggression after fifteen months of giving diplomacy a chance with patience and endurance has revealed several matters, including: The courage of the resistance and the people of the resistance in their patience and precise adherence to charters and covenants. The courage of the resistance in repelling the aggression at the appropriate timing. The level of meticulous preparation for the battle, with the ambiguity of capability, its limits, and its deployment, the lack of necessity to remain tied to geography, and the flexibility of fighters moving from anywhere in Lebanon to the front lines to engage directly with the enemy. Surprising the enemy by nullifying its surprise, our knowledge of its aggressive plan, and our preparation to confront it. The available solution is to halt the aggression, withdraw from the occupied territories, release the prisoners, and return the people of the villages and towns to their homes with the start of reconstruction, and we are capable of doing that. The resistance continues in the field of honor no matter how great the sacrifices are, and the field is what decides the battle. My beloved resisting fighters, I thank Almighty God with unceasing gratitude forever that I am with you, drawing light, alongside our honorable and sacrificing people, from your martyrdom-seeking spirit that does not fear death, so that we may taste together the sweetness of liberation and dignity."