Unpacking the media war w/Ghadi Francis, Lebanese journalist

Space Summary

The Twitter Space Unpacking the media war w/Ghadi Francis, Lebanese journalist hosted by ME_Observer_. Delve into the intricate world of media wars, Middle East analysis, politics, and memes with Lebanese journalist Ghadi Francis. Gain insights into the impact of historical events, the role of humor in storytelling, and the challenges of objectivity in reporting sensitive topics. Discover unique perspectives on journalism's blend of sarcasm and critical analysis, navigating political biases, and the power of memes in modern media. Explore the complexities of reporting on the Middle East while balancing humor and factual accuracy.

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Questions

Q: How do media wars influence narratives in the Middle East?
A: Media wars shape public perception, influence policies, and impact regional dynamics.

Q: What role do memes play in modern media reporting?
A: Memes offer a new form of communication, often encapsulating complex issues in a humorous or satirical manner.

Q: Why is objectivity crucial in journalism about the Middle East?
A: Objectivity enhances credibility, fosters trust, and provides a balanced perspective on sensitive topics.

Q: How can historical insights help understand current Middle East affairs?
A: Examining historical contexts provides valuable insights into longstanding conflicts and geopolitical shifts in the region.

Q: What challenges do journalists face when reporting on Middle Eastern politics?
A: Challenges include political biases, censorship, safety concerns, and navigating diverse narratives.

Q: What distinguishes Ghadi Francis' approach to journalism?
A: Ghadi's blend of objectivity and sarcasm offers a unique perspective, engaging audiences while maintaining critical analysis.

Q: How does humor influence the reception of serious news in the media?
A: Humor can make complex topics more digestible and resonate with audiences, but must be used judiciously to retain credibility.

Q: What insights can memes provide into societal issues in the Middle East?
A: Memes reflect contemporary culture, social commentary, and the public's response to political events in the region.

Q: Why is it important to critically analyze the narratives presented in the media about the Middle East?
A: Critical analysis helps audiences discern bias, misinformation, and propaganda, promoting informed perspectives.

Q: How does Ghadi Francis navigate the balance between sarcasm and objectivity in journalism?
A: Ghadi's approach involves injecting humor to engage audiences while maintaining factual accuracy and a balanced view of complex issues.

Highlights

Time: 00:15:23
Media Manipulation Strategies Exploring tactics used in media wars to manipulate narratives and influence public opinion.

Time: 00:28:46
Historical Parallels in Today's Politics Drawing parallels between past events and current political dynamics in the Middle East.

Time: 00:41:02
Memes as Modern-Day Satire Analyzing how memes serve as a form of satire and social commentary in the digital age.

Time: 00:51:18
Objective Reporting Challenges Discussing the difficulties of maintaining objectivity while reporting on emotionally charged topics.

Time: 01:02:35
Sarcasm in Journalism Examining the use of sarcasm as a tool for critical commentary within journalistic frameworks.

Time: 01:15:40
Navigating Political Bias Insights on addressing political bias in media reporting and the importance of diverse perspectives.

Time: 01:28:57
Humor in Serious Contexts The role of humor in communicating serious news while preserving the gravity of the subject matter.

Time: 01:35:20
Cultural Commentary through Memes Understanding how memes reflect cultural nuances and societal responses to political occurrences.

Time: 01:49:10
Critical Media Analysis Emphasizing the need for critical analysis of media narratives to discern truth from manipulation.

Time: 02:01:55
Balancing Objectivity and Sarcasm Ghadi Francis' approach to blending humor with factual reporting in journalistic endeavors.

Key Takeaways

• Insights into media conflicts and strategies in the Middle East.
• In-depth analysis of political scenarios in the region.
• Exploration of historical events shaping current narratives.
• The impact of memes in contemporary media and storytelling.
• Approaching journalism with a blend of objectivity and sarcasm.
• Understanding the complexity of reporting on the Middle East.

Behind the Mic

Introduction and Channel Promotion

Our channel. Subscribe it.

Opening Remarks

Good afternoon and good evening, everybody. Please, thumbs up if you guys can hear me. Okay, great. We are just waiting on Gaddy. If everybody can stand by. Thank you.

Breaking News Discussion

So in the meantime, there is some breaking news, as you guys all saw, the drone attack in Haifa. So maybe in the meantime, Hadi or Suppressed can tell us a little bit about that until we wait for Gaddy. Sure, I can go ahead and Hadi, we can work it out together. First off, no problem. You go ahead first.

Details of the Drone Attack

Okay, so basically, there was a drone attack on the Golani brigade base. This drone attack supposedly, according to the news from Hebrew media, that drone actually fired a missile before it landed and hit the dining area inside the base itself while the soldiers were actually in there. So according to previous intelligence that Hezbollah had, they knew the timing of the dining in the. Locate in the dinner, sorry, in the dining room. And they targeted it to ensure the maximum number of casualties, so far as being reported, that at least 40 Israeli soldiers are between dead and injured. That's at least. And the number is way higher than that because there are 50 ambulances over. Actually 50 ambulances that were sent to that area.

Hezbollah's Response and Warnings

And that's according to the reports that are confirmed so far. Also, Hezbollah sent out a statement renewing the evacuation orders and the warnings for the settlers that are present near any military bases or military locations or any civilian areas that are used as military bases by the Israeli occupation forces. And there are unconfirmed reports that the IDF chief of staff was actually present in the Golani brigade when the drone targeted the base. So that's what I have for now. Hadi, if you want to add anything, feel free.

Discussion on Hezbollah's Warnings and Targeting

Yeah. Just one quick thing before we go to Hadi. That hours before that, Hezbollah did warn the Israeli settlers to leave Haifa and leave the places where are near military. Positions, because they're basically embedded in so. Called civilian areas in Israel. And this is the difference between Hezbollah and Israel here. Israel does warn sometimes ten minutes before, at midnight, and then they target civilians regardless, and sometimes they don't, and they still target civilians. While Hezbollah did warn the Israeli settlers. To leave these areas before, they target military bases only. And that's something we should pound on. Every time that happens. I agree 100%.

Introduction of Ghadi

Thank you, Hadi. I can see that Radi is already in the space. I'll try to bring you up. Okay. While we're bringing her up, Hadith Francis is a very loved journalist. She's a political journalist. She's also Lebanese. So we invited her up to get her opinions on a lot of what's going on, you know, this week. So we're so happy to have you here. Gaddy, it's such a pleasure. And suppress is going to give us a little bit of an introduction about her and start us off with some questions rather.

Ghadi's Background and Experience

Yeah, thank you, Shadan. I'm just trying to bring Ghadi up. Once she's up, I'll start with introducing her to the audience and then we can go from there. I sent you the mic, Gaddy, if you can accept it, that would be great. Hello, Radhi. Thank you for joining us. Hello, everyone. Such good news to come with. Exactly. It's as if it's time. Well, yeah. Thank you all for having me. I'm sorry for being a few minutes late. It's such a pleasure to be back with you. Suppressed news in Middle East and Hadi Shaddon. Hello. And uncle and everybody around.

Diving into Questions

Hi, Daddy. Hi, everybody. Let's dive in. What questions do we have? I mean, I'm so excited. This, this operation just got everybody hyped. I will introduce you first to everyone, in case anyone's not aware, just to give them an idea this time. I know everything about you since we already spoke before. So, Ghadi, you have been our correspondent since 2011. You've covered the Syrian civil war. You went to different areas and you covered for different stations, whether they are local or regional. In 2011, you also went to Yemen. In 2012, you were invited to speak at the Arab League.

Further Background on Ghadi's Work

And the early 2013, you actually did spoken at the Arab League. You went to Gaza as well, if I recall correctly, that was around 2013. Is that correct? Yeah. And basically in the first few days of that year. Yeah. Perfect. And also you written about Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria. And you're an independent journalist that covers everything in both languages, English and Arabic. And you already published a book about the Syrian civil war. And if I recall correctly, the last time we spoke, you were in the process of publishing another book.

Details on the Upcoming Book

Would you like to tell us about it or when is it going to be published? I'm publishing, and we're in the last stage of the final touches on a book, on a biographical, photographical book of. It's a narration of the life of a thinker and a martyr, one of the early personalities in the region that started to enlighten people about Zionism even before they took Palestine, before the 48th Nakaba. His name is Antun Saadi and he's my idol and I think he's an idol for thousands, tens of thousands of people in Lebanon. Palestine, Syria, and also Iraq.

Challenges in the Publication Process

So we're working on this, but unfortunately, the graphics team that was doing the final touches, I think we're gonna be able to do that once people are settled again and they have their plan b. So the office needed to be evacuated, and we put everything on hold because obviously we are at war. I mean, it's too real. And the drones are actually above our heads. And the offices of many of our friends and colleagues have been either destroyed or damaged. So things have to stop or at least pause for now.

Background and Experience in Reporting

So that's the second book. And thank you for the introduction. Yeah, that's accurate. And, yeah, I've been reporting for more than ten years. I mean, I've been a journalist for 18 years now and started as writing in the newspaper. My first big coverage was the Syrian, the beginning, when it was still an early baby uprising. We were talking politics, and then it turned into a war. So it turned us into war correspondents or, like, war journalists.

Documenting the Syrian War

But most of my work was about documenting the groups, the places, the ideologies about that war since the beginning. And, you know, it has a lot to do with Lebanon as well. So the implications and the ramifications of the Syrian war to the region one way or the other. And, yes, I've been to Gaza through the tunnels. I've been to Iran, to Iraq, to Yemen, of course, to many, multiple places in Syria, because now each place in Syria has a different circumstances.

The Complexity of the Conflict

And I. It's different when you've been to Damascus and Aleppo in these days and in the past decade. It's a very, let's call it diverse and changing ground. So that's my background in general, but my most important job is basically trying to documentous the beginnings of these things. I mean, it's. It's not only to say that the war is doing that here or there. It's more like who's working on it? Who's arming the people, what ideologies are trying to.

Investigation in Journalism

So it's more into an investigative journalism kind of work. That's perfect. Thank you so much. Radhi. I'll ask you a question then. I want to actually have your views about what just happened a few moments ago. Since it's breaking news, we should also speak about it at the meantime. And I already see reports from Hebrew media that the number of dead and wounded has risen to 70. 70 Israeli soldiers dead and wounded in the.

Israeli Soldier Casualties' Update

If they're saying, if they're allowing us to know about that number, then it must be way more because they have a trend of lying, you know, and making the numbers less. So this is what they're saying. It must be way more. Exactly 100% because they were reporting already that there were 50 ambulances heading to the area, helicopters as well, were having to evacuate. So it's definitely way more. So let's wait and see for the final toll.

Discussion on the Attack's Timing

So based on having dinner in that dining room, that means probably most of the soldiers were like hit or killed. If they. They all. Don't they all eat in one place? Yeah. And it was their dinner time. So supposedly they were all there. Look at how many soldiers would there be in the base? We have to do the math because the Israelis have like zero credibility. You know?

Contextualizing the Conflict

Exactly. We're actually going to go into more details about it. But first, I would like to ask the people. First of all, thank you for everyone who joined the space. If you can share it, that would definitely be great. If you don't know how to bottom right corner, you'll find the pill. Just press on it, hit the retweet button. Let's get more people in here to listen to this amazing space.

Engagement and Participatory Dialogue

And thank you, Middle East, for hosting it. Shading for hosting as well with me. And thank you for the people who joined the speaker panel and Radhi, for having you here. It's appreciated. I want to ask you something. I already know the answer of it, but just to clarify to the people that are from the west or from the western audience, because their perspective is not like the people that are living in the region.

Perceptions of Resistance Movements

So we already know that how the west likes to portray any indigenous liberation movement. So to clarify to the audience listening, especially the people in the west, since we also have an increase in the voices that are saying that the Christians are not supporting Hezbollah, they are anti-Hezbollah, etc., etc. So as a Lebanese Christian yourself, how do you view Hezbollah and what do you think of the voices that are loud right now saying that the Christians don't support Hezbollah and they are anti-Hezbollah?

War as a Psychological Battle

Well, first of all, we do. We cannot really look at the voices. I mean, we are and we must always acknowledge that this war is more than 50% psychological and information kind of war. So whatever information we're getting, it's part of the war itself. And in the war machine, the propaganda machine and the lie machine and the media machine is in the hands of the oppressor. It's more than obvious by that.

Filtering Information Sources

At that point, I mean, Meta X, we can start by that kind of censorship and then we can go to the mainstream media. So whatever story everyone who's listening to me today, please, whatever story you hear about that region, try to filter where it's coming from and try to follow as much as you can, people, real people with real stories, not actual organizations, because if you actually follow real people from Lebanon, you would understand that Hezbollah is the, it has the biggest bloc in the parliament.

Hezbollah's Political Significance

It's the most voted political party in Lebanon, and it has an alliance that brought the biggest Christian parliamentary bloc as well. So if you know what Hezbollah is an, as an organization, you would know that their greatest ally is another Christian movement. That's to start with if you want to regard them as a political party in the domestic politics of Lebanon, which they are.

Hezbollah's International Designation

And by the way, the political wing of Hezbollah hasn't been even designated as terrorism by the west. So they tagged the military department of Hezbollah as a terrorist, of course, because the Americans wanted so. But even Europe and the west cannot even designate an mp as a terrorist. So let's start by saying that Hezbollah is a political party in Lebanon.

Hezbollah's Role as a Resistance Group

It is represented and voted for by thousands of Lebanese. Today it is the sole and ultimate resistance group. But yesterday there were multiple resistance groups because as Hezbollah is the most voted party and maybe why Hezbollah is the most voted party in Lebanon because it emerged as the best enemy at our borders.

Historical Context of Resistance

Not even more than. Okay. Yeah, you're cutting, so I can barely hear you. I don't know if it's only me or if it's other. Yeah. Okay. Is it better right now? Yeah. Yeah, it's way better. Okay. I'm sorry. So other than the idea that Hezbollah is the greatest or the most voted party in the Lebanese politics today, why it emerged as that of, because they actually emerged as the best or the most recent and the most successful protector of the Lebanese soil.

Persistence of the Resistance

We have to take into consideration that the Nakba happened in 1948 and that since 1948 we have antagonizing, expansionist supremacist, like we have an ethno state at our back door in the southern borders trying to invade us. Every season they tried to invade us, and they actually did in the eighties. So because they've always been threatening, killing, oppressing and annexing land and annihilating Lebanese people in general.

The Sentiments of Lebanese People

The sentiment of Lebanese people in general is always pro the resistance, because any resistance group is emerging as the protector and the fighter for that land. And before Hezbollah, there were different resistance groups, secular, Christian, Durhi, Sunni, whatever sect they are. They didn't have a religious identity. I just needed to give that context in general to maybe if someone finds it really very weird that someone Christian is with Hezbollah.

Political Alliance Across Communities

Okay, well, Hezbollah is a political party. They have a lot of Christians in Lebanon that are their allies in the parliament, in the life. And most of the Lebanese do think of Israel as enemy. And all the people in Lebanon who think of Israel as the enemy also think of Hezbollah as the Lebanese protector from that enemy, because they have actually done that in front of our eyes.

Hezbollah's Historical Achievements

They did protect Lebanon in 2006, and they stopped the Israelis from taking any inch of land. They did liberate southern Lebanon in 2000, and they kicked the Israelis out, and they were able to free the prisoners. So these are things that are tangible in the Lebanese society. This is Hezbollah to the Lebanese society now jumping until 2024 today.

Christian Identity and Resistance

Why am I a Christian person who is supporting the idea of resistance? First of all, it depends on how you're designating me. As a Christian. I'm Christian by spirituality, not by politics. But even if I want to talk about the Christian spirituality or the Levantine Christianity, if I do like Jesus Christ, I must really want to free his people, his direct descendants, and the actual native people of the land where he was born and where he actually lived his 33 years of life that are the actual essence of Christianity.

Opposing Oppression

So as a Christian, I must want Palestine, and as a Christian, I must. I must oppose oppression. And as a Christian, I must want to see the birth of Christianity, which I'm denied to do so because it's taken by colonizers who came from I don't know where, somewhere else. Europe and the west. And so this is a part of being a Christian means pro-resistance.

The Historical Struggle of Christians

Another part of being Christian, Levantine Christian, is about, like, I really want to stay in my land. If I look at the past century or so, who has been fighting the Christian presence in the Levant, who has been killing them, who has been oppressing them, who has been facilitating their migration and turning the region into a different demographical shape.

Impacts of Western Intervention

It's always been these wars, these hegemony kind of wars, built and raised by the west. So basically, there's a Zionism Christianity, a fake Christianity that. That tells you it's fighting Islamic groups here or whatever, but the actual Christianity that is in Syria, in Palestine, in Lebanon, in Iraq, the oldest places where Christianity started, these are all places that were emptied from Christians by wars, raised and.

The Need for Resistance

And sought after by the west. So if I want to be Christian and I want to stay in my land, there's no other way other than resistance. And the first point was if I want to be Christian like Jesus Christ wanted me to be, I must be against the oppression. So these are two ways of being a Christian that would lead to being pro-resistance in general.

Political Considerations in Lebanon

And the third way, actually, as a Lebanese person, direct politics. You know, as a Lebanese voter, I'm not really a fan of any political party, even Hezbollah. I have a lot of. I have a lot of opposition to their stances inside the domestic politics. But even if I want to think about that, they are the only political party that wasn't even there in the civil war.

Evaluating Political History

So we have a. We have a bunch of warlords that are ruling Lebanon one side and Hezbollah on another. So if you want to really, like, think as a Lebanese cold, in a cold-headed manner, like, okay, that's the only political party that wasn't present in the civil war and has no blood, no Lebanese blood on their hands.

Hezbollah's Political Standing

All of the others do for one way, for one reason or the other. Some have justifications. Some say they were, like, protecting. But regardless, the only one that has no ties to that is Hezbollah. So that's an added value for them. And then they were forced into getting into politics after the new static was built in Lebanon in 2005. They haven't been in the regulations of Lebanon before.

Hezbollah's Focus on Resistance

They've always wanted to be the resistance group. So in general, you cannot find a file, for example, a corruption file that is linked to Hezbollah. We have corruption leaders that are allies maybe, of Hezbollah. Yeah, but in general, you don't find a Hezbollah minister that is like that has some corruption issue in any ministry, in any.

Hezbollah's Ideological Framework

Because in general, they are an organization that they have this ideology about God and they have their own rules and regulations. So I can countless reasons why, as Hadi today, when I think in politics in Lebanon, I do not find myself hating on Hezbollah. You know, as a political party, I can count them countlessly, but just put all of this context one side.

Connection to Ongoing War

Today there's a tent being bombed by an f 16, and there's an indigenous person protecting the baby in the tent. You tell me, would you be with a baby, with a child being slaughtered or with the f 16? You tell me where to stand? Well, I have a question if you're human enough. We're definitely pro-resistance because the resistance is fighting the oppressor.

The Wider Impact of Resistance

The resistance is protecting the shelterless, the stranded, the defenseless, the kids, the indigenous of all sorts. Because the resistance today is protecting my church, my child, my mother, my future, my country. It's not about a religion here. I hope that was enough, you guys. Thank you so much, Radhi, appreciate.

A Flow of Questions

Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Redi, for answering that question so phenomenally. You've given us a very informative background and we really appreciate you being here. My next question sparks from what's really been in the news in the last few weeks, which is the ground invasion. There have been several videos released in the Israeli media which claims that they had been inside areas and homes in southern Lebanon.

Inquiry About Israeli Claims

First of all, I want to ask you, is there any truth to these kinds of claims and videos? And to your knowledge, has Israel managed to infiltrate any areas on the Lebanese southern border and if so, how many kilometers approximately, to your knowledge? Okay, thank you. Sad. Since you like the way that I talk too much and give a lot of context, let's do that with every question and try to be as informative as can be.

Contextual Remarks on Safety

By the way, hello, Hela. You weren't here when I started. It's such a pleasant time. Whenever you're on any place in this space, I feel like I'm safe. Hela's here. She's got me. I insisted that she be here. She's one of the best speakers here. Really. She's so elegant and so informative. So I figured you guys would get along very well.

Acknowledging Collective Experiences

To everyone here, this is what Lebanon has to. Sorry, Hala. Sorry. I was speaking when you were speaking. I said not as eloquent as Radhi. So I do confess to that. So when she speaks, we listen. No, it's actually, we're all a continuation of each other. And this is also a chance to highlight on, I mean, this is what you get from Lebanon.

Portraying Lebanese Women

We've been really character assassinated as a community. I mean, this is what Lebanese women look like and do. Okay, we are that part of the Middle East. We are that empowered and that opinionated. So that's what Lebanon is like. I mean, we're just the average girl next door Lebanese kind of woman. So when you look at Hela, when you look at these ladies, this is what the Lebanese society is.

Continuing to the Question of Infiltration

And by the way, whether it's Muslim, Christianity, atheists, whatever, this is how a Lebanese woman thinks and acts. We're all like that. Because I get a lot of questions from English speakers like, wow, why don't you have a hijab on? Why don't you? I mean, you can work, you can travel. So it's a good chance that you can see two examples of Lebanese women here.

Israeli Infiltration Concerns

Going back to Shadow's question, which is very important, I really wanted to give some context to it. So Shadow was asking me about the videos and about the actual infiltration, the Israeli infiltration. And I want to tell you, in this war, you cannot look at things in a daily manner. We're going to see a lot of videos.

Expectation of Military Encounters

We're going to see a lot of news. And if we want to think military wise, and I hope anybody here who thinks otherwise can correct me, the experts here, like Hala, I think we must get to a point where we see many Israeli soldiers, lots of Israeli troops actually marching inside Lebanese territories because this is a war and we're still in the, in the first stage and the preliminary stages of fire testings.

Prospect of Ground Invasions

But when we, when you have like four army partitions, troops are being ready with the planes, with the boats, with the ships, with the shelling, with the Merkava's, they're fixing for a ground invasion most of the times. Many of the resistance groups, especially our resistance groups, because it has that past. Well, they might let them go inside and take a few villages and the war goes on, and then they would actually fight them back.

Context of Resistance Strategies

So in case we actually see actual videos of Israelis, not only at the end, at the small 10 meters inside the borders, no, even if you see them inside and taking one village and two village, the war is not over. Because right now we have an area, they call it like the burnt area, an area that is being prepared for the actual clashes, for the actual attacks. So we're still in the primary stages of an actual ground invasion.

The Nature of Military Engagement

It is not unlikely. And it doesn't really mean the war is over if we see such images going back to what we have been seeing. Well, in that short, I just like to invite everyone to look at all the videos that have been issued by the Israelis wherever they go. You see, like, there's a destroyed building, but their clothes are intact and clean.

Media Manipulation and Civilian Impact

So they come after the selling, after the exchange, for a few, like, minutes, they do this media tour and trying to sell some emotions to their frustrated viewers and army. But the most recent, I mean, they have been exposed by their rapper journalists who actually narrated how that tour happened and how they weren't really allowed to do anything.

Comparison to Previous Conflicts

So they really remind me of the Basque kind of media in the beginning of the Syrian uprising. I mean, you know, they just bring two journalists, they let them take two photos, and this is all you can see from that thing. So this is what they're doing. And this is how these videos are surfacing on media and the psychological warfare in general.

Perceptions of Information Integrity

The difference is when you see such videos, you see that the Lebanese don't really buy them. Even the Lebanese stations that are like totally anti-Hezbollah and aligned with Israel, they're like, okay, they call them the Israeli claims at that point because they've been debunked and they lied enough that nobody even believes anything that comes from them.

Lebanese Skepticism

Not even there are people by that psychological warfare. On the contrary, you see that our people, even when they see this video, they're like, oh, okay, what are the guys preparing? So now they prepare. So nobody is really stressed in Lebanon when they see a video of one house being taken because, you know, the whole south was taken for years and we liberated it.

Short-Term Israeli Control

It's okay if they come, take a house for ten minutes, make a round of shooting and then go back probably horizontally. We don't know how they return because they're not really telling us how they're returning after they're coming inside Lebanon. And more than that, even if, like they actually capture Hezbollah fighters, like the latest lie today that has been debunked even before it was born.

Narrative Control in Warfare

Today they, they said that they captured a Hezbollah fighter and they put a video of someone speaking to someone in a tunnel. So zero credibility as well. But even if this happens, I mean, in Harp Tamuz in 2006 where they did that, they took three soldiers, three Hezbollah militants, and they were later on free then the prisoner swap operation as well.

Natural Course of Conflict

So it's, these are all natural, normal things in the course of the war with the Israelis. This is, these are things that we have seen from the resistance as Lebanese. The resistance has seen in its experience in fighting the Israelis. And it's just a matter of how we shape them, how we narrate them and in what context we put them.

Information Warfare

Because once again, it's a war of information and it's a war of context. So we always need to filter where the things are coming from, where the ideas are coming from, where the news is coming from, and have double, triple, maybe more than six, seven times and sources to check your news because it's actually a part of the war. It's not something to be disregarded.

Future Predictions and Involvement

Okay. Thank you so much for that. My next question is, in the coming days, what can we expect or anticipate to happen on the border? Are there any predictions that you might have? Well, I am so happy that the resistance made all our predictions even small. I mean, I had predicted some things, but I didn't predict for them to, like, have that dinner party for tonight, I mean.

Resistance's Unexpected Responses

So this is why you can never know what to expect, really, with the resistance. You can expect surprises. You can expect bravery. You can expect new, ways and new missiles, new drones, new systems. But you don't know exactly how to read the war because the actual war is in the ground. It's actually there. Now what I expect is that this is going to be a very tricky war for the Israelis, if it's going to be long.

Resistance Leadership and Credibility

I don't know if they can take it. I mean, we have a leader. I know they killed him. I know they assassinated our father, the father of most of the Lebanese, Sayyid Nasrallah. But we do actually believe him because he's a man who's never lied to us. He's a man who's just like us. He knows us. We know him. He told us, look at the ground.

Endurance and Resilience

He told us, don't listen. Just wait and see.

The Impact of News on Hezbollah's Operations

Don't listen to the news. Just wait and see the videos. And I mean, after his death, we saw them. We saw videos of their helicopters coming to pick up their mar, their, like, injures, injured, and they're like masses of casualties in the Lebanese soil. And then we saw the drones, and then we saw the rockets on Tel Aviv, and now we saw the rockets that want to hit where, when, and where and how. So I think we have a lot of surprises yet to see from Hezbollah on the ground. And also, we shouldn't really take it for granted this, because the Americans and all that impunity and all that funding and all these tens of thousands of Israeli troops that have been brought to that, they call it the northern front. So all of this is not to be taken lightly. They have the planes. They have the impunity. They have white phosphorus. They're using all kinds of illegal and, like, internationally prohibited kinds of weapons they're using. They're actually carrying on the genocide they did in Ghazn, trying to do it in the south.

Resilience of the Lebanese People Against Occupation

Now, the difference is, I think Hezbollah are ideological, and the Lebanese people have been tested and tried long enough. And unlike Gaza, we are not an open air prison and we are not occupied from all sides. We are, we have some sort of a statehood, more or less, and it's not going to be easy to carry on a genocide in Lebanon. I think they're trying to, like they're getting to that sooner rather than later. The more deaths if Hezbollah continues in the same manner, serving them more than ten dead Israeli soldiers per day, and then serving them on the weekends, a special bonus of like 40 dead soldiers in one hit. I don't think that Benjamin Netanyahu or the Israelis or the Israeli army or the Israeli government can take that. This is why we cannot predict what's going to happen in the war because we're actually in the war.

The Uncertainty of Warfare

I could tell you, like, drones were really above us yesterday and the day before today there were no drones in Beirut. Is it because our guys are really keeping them on their toes? No. Is it because today they will not strike Beirut? Maybe tomorrow? No. We don't know what to expect. We're dealing with a war criminal that has no limits. We're dealing with a war criminal that could use American-made war planes to bomb a bustling street in the middle of the day, in the middle of the capital with 80 tons of bombs, CPU and bunker buster bombs just because they want to assassinate the leader of the, like, the most voted political party in Lebanon. So what can we expect with them? This is why we cannot, like, I cannot tell you this would happen. This wouldn't happen.

Trusting in Leadership and Ideology

But what I would tell you is that I trust very well that, and I quote, unquote, the late Sayyid Nasrallah. It is Lebanon, you fools. It's going to be their end. Thank you so much. That was answered so beautifully. I'm going to ask you one more question and then I'm going to open up the floor to some of our speakers. I know Neo had a question, and then we'll open up the floor to some other questions. So my last question is, critics are saying that Hezbollah has fallen apart after the assassination of numerous administrative commanders and leaders. What do you say to these critics? I'm sorry, can you repeat the sentence? It just, like, broke because of my internet. Sorry. Okay, I'll ask it again.

Misconceptions about Hezbollah's Strength

So critics are saying that Hezbollah has fallen apart after the assassination of numerous administrative commanders and leaders. What do you say to these critics? I say, I, one of the most lucky points Hezbollah has is that all of these critics are such people. I mean, Hezbollah is really lucky if people who criticize them do not know enough that men in their forties and in their fifties are really waiting for so long to fill these command centers and these commander places, and that the martyrdom of one generation only means the masterhood of a new generation. And if we know anything about the new generation, they're crazier. Their vengeance is higher, they're more impulsive, obviously. And I mean, if Hezbollah fell apart, I mean, what did just happen 1 hour ago. If they fell apart, why are their rockets increasing and their operations becoming more lethal?

Public Sentiment and the Future of Resistance

So if you really need to tell yourself a lie so bad because you paid so much for that, you paid a lot of money for that. So you need to tell it to yourself to be able to sleep at night. Yeah, we won over Hezbollah. We killed them all. And it's okay. Well, tell it to yourself. But on the ground, you know the reality. And even if everybody, even if all their fighters die, not only the commanders, the 65, the 70 year old commanders, I mean, you look it up. How old was? How old was Ibrahim Aqeed? How old was Karaki? Look at these people. How old are they, do you think, in their decades of leadership and mastery, like, they didn't really consider the option that they might die and someone might need to lead and that the other person might die? I mean, ideologically and as an organization.

Hezbollah's Persistence in Leadership Structure

And Hala could speak about, she has a book about Hezbollah, they have pick and choose. They have to pick and choose their deputies even before they are in their positions. Not one deputy, not two, but two for everyone that might be killed and so on and so on. So we are talking about an organization that could never end by killing a bunch of leaders or commanders. On the contrary, one might look at it as a very, very reviving force to that group because I tell you why. For the past decade, they haven't fought Israel, fighting other side problems in the region, stabilizing Iraq and Syria, stabilizing Lebanon, protecting us from Daesh, ISIS, protecting us from this, here, this, that. But they haven't been fighting Israel. And this is what they were born for, and this is what they breed for, and this is what they live for.

Hezbollah's Resurgence Following Attacks

So after all that, wait, you give them that fight and you kill their most seniors? I mean, you're just reviving everything about their vengeance, everything they exist to do. And even more, this is an ideology of blood. You just killed their Hussein, their neo Hussein. You just killed their Hassan Nasrallah. So you just revived the whole ideology, the whole martyrdom, the whole heartbreak that makes this like a crazy, relentless fighter kind of vibe. So you just gave them another booster shot, let's say, ideologically, to fight you till death. So if you kill all the commanders, this community would breed a new Hezbollah that is even angrier, more unpredictable, more uncontrollable.

Continued Support for Hezbollah

And guess what? I mean, it is obvious from what's happening on the political arena that the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq and Yemen and Syria, they have been decided, and they chose to always aid and arm and fund and fuel these crazy, vengeance, indigenous people. So whatever you do, if you kill their commanders, if you kill them all, they're gonna be angry. More angry people. And you, they always gonna have all this access to fund and raise and to breed more and more resistance fighters. So really, for all these critics that think Hezbollah is done by assassinating ten or 20 or 30 or 1000 of its leaders or soldiers, I would tell you this is exactly the reason why Hezbollah grew from a bunch of men in Beirut in 82 to 100,000 fighters with ballistic missiles in the Middle East.

Historical Context of Hezbollah's Resilience

Because their critics are as stupid as you. That's it. Thank you for that. Let's go to Halae. Yeah, I wanted to add something very important, given what Ghadi just said. It's like, follow up on her. You see, the issue is people assume that Hezbollah, that the cause is Nasrallah. Hezbollah, the cause is Nasrallah, or the cause in Hezbollah is Nasrallah, whichever way you want to play with these three words. So let's be very clear. Masrallah was not the cause. The cause are the people. The cause is the south. Is the south. The cause is the occupation. Okay? Masrallah, as a leader was amazingly great. To be able, right to embrace the cause and act upon it for the sake of his own people and because of his characteristic strength, wisdom, charisma, you name it, he had it. They adored him.

Endurance Beyond Leadership Figures

Eliminating Hezbollah, sorry. Nasrallah does not end. Does not bring the cause to an end. The cause continues. It hasn't ended. The leader was never the cause. He just led the cause. The cause was always the people and will continue to be the people. So it's very important to clarify this. And Shadin, despite what critics say, but especially tonight, after the events of tonight in the drone attacks, I mean, there is. This is not an organization that is being. That. That is dismembered or over or finished or eliminated. The attack in particular, there is very, some. Something very important. The attack in particular takes. It means they have intelligence sources deep in Israel for them to know exactly that this group of soldiers, whether in this dining hall or base or whatever.

Military Intelligence Capabilities

So this is. This is. And if they were able to send the drone and hit that base again, I've always stressed this, and I will continue to stress this. That means they have the ability to send the same drone and hit civilians, but they haven't to this day. Look at what they've done, what they're doing. They still continue to attack military, not civilian, despite what the other side is doing. But today is proof that they are capable of reaching anywhere and hitting randomly at civilians. But they don't. They've put out warnings and they've repeated the same warning today that they put out two nights ago, which was basically using the tactic of Israel, reversing it and saying some people are close to military areas and targets. These are to be targeted. So in effect, two days ago they were warning, we didn't see it, that they were planning on something and they were warning people to move away.

Political Dynamics Affecting Military Actions

So these are the few things I want to add. I think today also it's important that we look at the events and what they mean. And by the way, Haider, I think that report that you and I were discussing earlier has been denied. He was there last night, apparently, but maybe they're hiding today. You know, there's a report flying around, by the way, about the, what's his name? Haidar Sadni. Yes. That Halifi was the target tonight, maybe. But some reports coming out now saying that he was actually there yesterday but was not there tonight. Again, this Israel. We never take the word for it. For all we know, they're hiding it.

Understanding Military Engagement and Casualty Reports

Take over, please. Wait, before he takes over. No, no, it's important that he gives us some of the military context of it. Yes, yes, I'll go to him. I'll go to him. But 1 second. They are saying right now that since the morning there has been more than 110 injured Israeli soldiers, only in the north. That's not accounting for Gaza. And the hospitals are requesting the settlers to go donate blood. Anyways. Go ahead, Haider. Yes. Well, well, in the morning we had, sorry, in the morning there were in total about 50, I think, or 25, over 25. And then late this evening there's about 70. So in total, there's about 100 today alone.

War is Fluid and Dynamic

So this is not an organization that has been dismembered and broken and finished. So we need to be careful also how we word things and how we look at things. And yes, sometimes we're going to have hard days when things are looking bad. And we said this some days ago or last week. In wars, it's like a flow, it's ripped. It's like tides. You know, one day the tide is high, the next day the tide is low. One day, you know, it's. One day it's against us, one day it's for us. And. Yeah, and wars are fluid and they're never stable and they're never just one way.

Anticipating Future Engagements

One way, one way streak, basically. So today, perhaps the resistance will look at it as a good day for them. A few days ago, the Israelis may be looking at it as a few days as a good thing. And this is how it's going to happen. And Gadi was right. Yes, Gadi was right. Eventually they would come in and actually this is something that the resistance would want. It's not just about keeping them at the border. If there are fights to happen, if there are battles to be engaged with, that means they need to come into some villages further than what they've been doing so far.

Conclusion of Insights on Hezbollah and War Impacts

Anyway, I won't go into all this. I'll leave others to take over. So I'm not talking too much. Thank you. Go ahead, Haida. Thank you. Suppressed and Middle East, and Shaddon, everyone else. Gadi, it's always nice to see you. And Hadi and of course, big sister Hada, first blood, everyone else. So just a couple of things on what Ghadi was saying regarding the people and the awareness of the people. Former Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyid Abbas al Musawi once famously said, if you kill us, you will only make our people more aware of you. And this is from the late eighties, early nineties and still very apparent today.

Lebanese Politics and Loss

I thought of how petty the Lebanese politics and politicians are, how petty these whole domestic fights were, how meaningless and how great that man is. And then you feel so sad for losing such a great man, and you think, what if this happened? What if we could do that? So it was a big heartbreak, but it took me, it literally took me. If you can go back. And I had a discussion with Iyad Khleif on bin Mubashar. It was hours after that. It just took me a few hours to understand. Now, okay, this has happened. Now what shall we do? Because our people are at war. And whatever made us love Sayyid Nasrallah is his oneness with us. It's because he looked like us. So this is the Lebanese spirit here. And the Lebanese spirit has just been given and served one glorious, great, grand sacrifice. He passed as a, as one with his people. He's a man who was empowered enough to be wherever he wanted in the planet.

The Power of Sacrifice

We all know that. But he chose to be with his people and thinking about them and what the meeting looked like. I mean, he passed in the most glorious way he could have wished for. And you just, you look at the Maidan, you look at the ground at the south, you look at the people and you look at the solidarity and you look at how this has really given and served a great blood. I mean, it's like giving a, a big revival force to the whole idea, to the whole resistance, to the whole ideology. I don't know if it was with you last time we spoke, I was talking about paying condolences, maybe was suppressed. Yeah, it was after the pager attack. Yeah. Yes, exactly. So I remember the words of the mother of Mahdi Ammar, the wife of the MP Ali Ammar, when I was paying condolences for the passing of her son, the terrorist pager attack. She told me, no, no, the land needed that blood. You know, our people were getting tired. They were getting bored.

Reviving the Struggle

They're sick of the fight, that martyrdom, that blood was needed to revive the struggle and the fight, and I'm quoting a mother that had lost the apple of her eye, you know? So imagine what that blood of Sayyidina Nasrallah will give this land. This is the only way to think about it, to pass over the sad part of it. But I will tell you, there will not be one day in Lebanon, in the history of Lebanon and in the future of Lebanon, where Hasan Abdel Kareem Nasrallah will not be thought of, talked about, revered. He has passed into something else. He stopped being a political leader. He stopped being. He has passed into something else. And I tell you later on, when we see why there was no actual commemorative, like, why there's no funeral and there's no big parade for his people, why isn't there a big festival, a population actually walking and mourning Nasrallah? Because that day will come, and that will happen only when the Nasrallah grave will be a shrine of victory in Lebanon, a very big shrine in the heart of Lebanon that people would come and visit and pray and say thank you for the victory.

The Spirit of Resistance

So I think we have just. They think they ended the man. It's very naive to think like that. They have just started a legend for Lebanon, for the peoples of the Levant, for anybody who stands against oppression. They have just turned him into a legend that would never die. Thank you so much for speaking so beautifully. Yeah, we all mourned him like little babies. I remember I cried three days. It was. It was really tough on everybody. Anyway, so we know you have only a few minutes left, so we're gonna take Middle east. He actually has a question for you. And then after that, we'll go to Joseph. And then. And then, yeah, we'll end the discussion with you and we'll make it an open. Actually, I can be after 1030. I can be with you, but I cannot speak. I can listen only.

Current Emotional Landscape

That's okay. We'll engage probably with Hadi Hala and Middle east during that time. Thank you for your time. Go ahead. Middle east first. Thank you so much, Radhi, for joining the space. So it's going to be a follow up question. So we know that the spirit of the fighters right now is very high. Their morale is high. But I want to know, how are the people feeling around you like the civilians? Are they scared? Are they confident in the resistance? So what's the general mood in Lebanon right now? Well, if I want to be honest, the general mood is not okay. We are at war. Everybody has a different level of anxiety, but we're all anxious. I mean, one quarter of Lebanon is displaced, is outside their homes, is losing their loved ones.

Displacement and Instability

One fourth, you know, like. Like a quarter, 25%, one in every four Lebanese people has been displaced, more or less. So, no, that's the general sentiment. People are trying to. I don't know, people who left very. What happened in the south is so brutal. It's so genocidal. It's so like Israel. They started out of the blue bombing everywhere in the same second. So everybody had to leave right now without even thinking about it. So nobody had the time to lift their clothes, to get their stuff, to get what they need. They have nothing. And then they just fled. So people are now thinking how to maintain and for how long to maintain themselves wherever they were, whether they're displaced in a public place or in someone's home or they rented or they still have their jobs or they don't. So people do not have.

Civilians in War

Most of the people I'm seeing, the civilians. You're saying civilians? We're all civilians, man. Even. Even our militants are civilians that are defending their land. We are all civilians. We are just indigenous people. Some men are defending the lands of their grandfathers anyways, so. So. But in general, the people I see in my everyday life, everybody's busy trying to relocate or reestablish some kind of routine in the status quo, and everybody is afraid and everybody feels less safe, less guided, less wise, less enlightened in the absence of. Say it. Everybody feels whatever was happening. If Sayyid was here, it would be different. So this is also a sentiment that is out there and we cannot disregard. People feel heartbroken.

Coping with Heartbreak and Loss

But it's going to take a few more dinners, like tonight's dinner, for everyone to feel the presence of what Sayyid meant for them. Sayyid is an idea. I mean, I really tried today with my. Because I have a. I have a kind of way of, like, decoding the emotions or like, breaking them down. So I was, today I was, like, about to cry, and then I was saying, like, why am I crying about someone? I have no idea. I've never met, I don't know. I see on the tv why? And I was thinking, it's the idea that you had that someone, and I think the idea or the void or the loss of Nasrallah will be filled by his men. So every time you see such a dinner like tonight or what happened in the south like today, or you see, yesterday when you see this great spirit and the Lebanese men and in our countrymen, really in the southern and in Becha and in everywhere, and even in the way we're dealing with all that.

Strength in the Face of Adversity

So this is Sayyid. So you feel, no, no. I'm back to that sentiment of protected, of strong, of capable, of sure, of confident of that. The lust will be later on, like, we will bring everything back to how it was. We will rebuild everything because we did it once. The more you feel, because you know, it's all in your brain, the more you feel secure as a people, the less anxious, the better. So the Lebanese now are afraid. We are dealing with a genocidal rogue regime that can kill us all. Any time I'm talking to you now, I look at my phone sometimes and I look like it's a matter of time. They can make our phone like a bomb and nobody would ask or like this drone above me. It's not personal, but there is a time that.

Fear and Reality

Where it can be personal. I mean, these are people who kill journalists for a sport. Every day in Palestine, they have killed more than 170 journalists in Gaza. Alone. Alone. Ya Allah. Not to talk like on a day like today. Last year, they killed Abdullah, the Reuters cameraman, our fellow, the Reuters journalists, and they killed Farah, Hamar and Rabia from Mayadin. They killed three journalists. And they're trying. They're on a spree, on a killing spree of journalists. So. So, yes, we are taking into consideration that any moment we might die. The only immunity we have is that our parents were like that and their parents were like that. And we are coming from ancestral war experience.

Historical Perspective

The Israelis have been trying to annihilate us since they came here. So it's not new. We know how to deal with it, but we're not okay. Everybody's having PTSD in all sorts and shapes. There's no such thing as normal when you are at war, of course. But the main point was, what I meant, maybe, is that, you know, the goal of assassinating said Hassan is to make people scared and, like, feel that maybe Israel is gonna win. So I wanted to see if there's still this confidence that. No, we trust the fighters. We trust that the resistance is still okay. It was shaken. Yeah, if. I don't want to say, I don't want to lie. It was shaken.

Building Back Confidence

It's being rebuilt operation by operation, day by day. The problem here is that the political media speaking arena hasn't been filled. And the political psychological warfare is very big in the media, so the people need some time to get the vibe of the ground, to get the vibe of what the fighters are doing on the ground. I think such operations like today, toothless. Sudura. Komin Moonin. Khaluba. Khomein. Moonin. So these operations will make people feel more confident, like today's dinner, when they see Israeli soldiers paying the price for their. Their displacement, their suffering, etcetera. No, they were. They. The belief would be more and more.

Peoples' Reactions

And there's something, you know, I'm trying to be realistic. I know you want me to tell you people are believing, like, we're gonna crush them. We're gonna win. But no, this is what I see. I mean, people always are asking me for Manawiyyat. Wherever I'm at any place, I run into anyone, they sing, tell us that we're gonna win. Please tell us that we're gonna win. So I'm, like, telling us, telling them that we're gonna win and giving them facts and quoting Israeli media and numbers and here. And the soldiers don't want to fight. Mirkavas are burning. Look at that. Look at this. It takes time. Yes, we might lose a battle, but we didn't lose the war.

Resilience and Realistic Expectations

And you start giving them different tools in looking at this and decoding this. There is no resistance that would lose. And in the end, you know, but the morale wasn't so great. I think now the morale will. Will start getting better, to be realistic. And the problem is Middle east. The problem is the politics inside the political people, the political figures, and the politics inside Lebanon. Many people are like, okay, Hezbollah is done. Let's build on that. Let's change the system. Let's go ahead.

Division and Domestic Politics

So that is also reviving or, like, making people scared, like, okay, are we done? Now is like this. Three, four Lebanese politicians, are they really dealing with Lebanon as if there's no Hezbollah and Sayyidina Nasrallah is not here? So, no, people are not stable because of the domestic politics that is being shared about that as well. I think after today's operation, just like Hala said, it changes a lot. We're going to start seeing everything changing. After that dinner party that Hezbollah hosted for the Israeli soldiers in their dinner hall in their military base.

Rebuilding Trust and Confidence

A little. Bit of breaking news. It's important to remember that Sayyid was, if you want the medium between him and those on the ground, the resistance, he was the anchor in the medium, so people were used to him telling them how things are going now that voice has gone. Yes, there will be others that will take over a choi Shuai. So this was the first test for the people who had to turn not to Sayyid, to get the brief, had to turn to the ground, to the battlefield itself. And now the battlefield is beginning to feed them and now it will rebuild their confidence. So they're going now straight to the source.

New Leadership and Confidence

Is a bad dick. I think this is my two cents on how to sort of look at it sometimes. Exactly. I was thinking. I was thinking if we live to see a figure like a Lebanese Abu Ubaidah, like a militant that is speaking to the people, that would be something else. What breaking news. Now I am anxious. What happened? So during an Israeli infiltration into Merkaba, the Lebanese army is fighting side by side with Hezbollah against the Israeli occupying forces that are trying to enter the border. And the equation has officially been completed of people, resistance, and army in south Lebanon.

Collaboration in Defense

Wow, wow. If we did have a militant, probably be Abu Ali. So. Thank you for that. I know you don't have much time ready. So we're just going to take Joseph right before you go. Joseph, if you want to go ahead. He's been waiting patiently. Joseph. Okay, Joseph. Joseph, whose hand is raised? Yeah, I think he's awake. Can I jump in? Yes, go ahead. First blood in the meantime. Thank you, suppress. Thank you, Madrid, for hosting the space, and thank you for everything you said.

Expressions of Solidarity

Yanni, I never talk about, you know, my religion or whatever, but I'm a fellow Christian like you, and your voice makes me proud in the west, because we don't get to hear it often. We only get to hear those who gave up, those who want to normalize with the Zionists and those who are like, literally Zionists. Right. But they masquerade themselves as Lebanese and they spread this, you know, spoke about the psychological war and this propaganda war, which is a huge part after such a hit. Right. Assassinating our leader and father figure, like you said.

Resilience in the Face of Adversity

And they thought of crushing Hezbollah. But Hezbollah now, according to a lot of military analyses all around the world, are surprised by the resistance that they are put on because they estimate that any military structure in the world that would get hit in the same way by assassinating their leadership, they would crumble, but Hezbollah did not crumble and they only escalated their attacks. Today we've seen a video released of the Khaybar operations, which are very significant. And the Israeli media are describing today as one of the toughest days since the beginning of this war. So the war is in early stage, but my question to you is your steadfastness that you showcase throughout your videos and all of your interventions.

Psychological Warfare

And I follow them, this, that fastness. What can you tell? Because now today, the Israelis are betting, I believe, on the internal divisions of the country. Right. They're allowing, I mean, we have, unfortunately, some media inside and outside that are spreading Zionist propaganda. How important is your role as an independent journalist in this psychological war going on? And what are your thoughts about it? Well, to tell you, first of all, thank you for your appreciation. And it really is way empowering when someone says, like, you're voicing me, ready?

Importance of Independent Journalism

Because the amount of war that they carry on us, anyone who's actually active, is not easy. And right now, I'm, like, in the process of one of these psychological warfare's, you're asking me how important it is what we do. I didn't really know until the Israelis actually spared me some time on an electronic character assassination warfare in the past week. So, so it looks like, yes, we're really hurting them by existing and by voicing anti-narrative and just maybe the voice of a woman without avail, whose last name is just like the pope's name.

Speaking Truth to Power

And speaking pro-resistance is not great for the narrative, especially that I voice it in English, and that people, like, they can break that taboo or that stigma or like, that stereotype of what people look like if they are pro-resistant. It's, what we're doing is we're talking to other people, and we are, we believe in our cause and we believe in humanity, and we believe in the good of humanity, and we are just, we're not the people carrying the war. I mean, we are the people on the ground. Other people are coming in the tanks and the planes.

Networking for Awareness

So it is not very hard to bridge and communicate and network with other people, with other activists from all around the world and to talk about your issue. And people are being more and more aware, especially using these platforms. What we're doing is important because we're talking to each other. We're reminding each other that we're together no matter what happens. Yes, there is a big fear, Joseph, about the internal stability. Yes, it is a fear that is growing in my brain and my heart every day, because I worry about my people.

Concern for Unity

I worry about everyone. I worry about the Christians and the Shia and the Sunnah and the dirzi and sectarian and the secular equally and the people that I agree with and that I disagree with equally. And this is actually the drive that makes you work in this field. There's nothing worthy enough of you putting your life danger if it didn't really cost more than your life. What I do, I look at it as more important than my own self because it's for my people or my country or. So it's not easy. It is dangerous and the stability is in danger.

Historical Context of Struggle

But my bet is that in the eighties and also here, hala would add, after I stop, there was even more divisions and they were even more empowered internally. And there was like they were in the civil war, you know, and still they didn't manage to turn it into a bloodshed. Alhamdulillah, this time we are aware, the resistance is aware, the people are standing in anti that narrative. So we hopefully can resist any sectarian division or internal civil unrest.

Resilience Against Threats

They would definitely try to induce. Hopefully. And you know, when you said that you should verify the information seven times before you talk about it, I would suggest to follow the people of the land suppressed Middle east observer, obviously, the people of the land that love their country and view the Israeli as the enemy, because no matter what political differences we might have on the ground, when it comes to war, we're all on the same side.

Closing Thoughts

Radi, can I say something? Thank you so much, first blood. Can I say something directly to Gadi? I think she has to go. Do you have any more time or do you have to drop off? Well, I'm listening to you guys, actually. I have to be somewhere on Zoom, and I cannot really talk, but I can be listening, so I can talk for like, few more minutes while I prepare everything. There's a set up. I'm here. I try to make it quick because I know Joseph wanted to say something.

Ending on a Positive Note

He's been very patient, so go ahead. Yeah, there's no response needed. Radibus, I just wanted to tell you I've seen a, yeah. Okay, so I wanted to first he's talking. Joseph, can you hear Haidar? Yes, I can. Thank you. I wanted to first ask because the Haifa isn't the only place. Can you hear us, Joseph? I can hear you. Yeah, 1 second. Hyder was speaking, and then we'll go straight to you.

Confirmation and Acknowledgment

Go ahead. So, ghadi, I was just going to say to you there's no response that's needed, but I've caught you on a couple of interviews lately on Arab TV and Arab media, and you're always smiling, you always are laughing, even when the other, typically when it's males also that are kind of look tense and awkward. Right. And I think the other day they came to you and they said, why are you laughing? Because it's the confidence that you had both in yourself as well as in the resistance, as well as in the people.

Recognizing Resilience

So, yes, we may not as a resistance, have a spokesperson, per se, but the people are the spokespeople of the resistance. I know there's no resistance without its people. So continue to do what you do. We appreciate what you do. We appreciate the confidence that you bring to everybody from different ethnicities and sex. And at the end of the day, this is all our fight together. So thank you, Annie. I just wanted to relay that message to you. Thank you, Hyderab.

Final Farewell

Thank you, Haida. That's so sweet, actually. Yeah, they, we laugh because I can only see how uninformed they are when they start to attack. When someone comes from the beginning, I mean, we are at war. Give us the benefit of the round. Yakay. We are in the beginning of the beginning of the war when someone comes and tells me you are defeated, without even looking at the ground or the facts, I could tell directly that he's a lazy person sitting all day in front of al Arabiya al Hadith Arabia and listening to three, four Facebook videos and coming to tell me what's happening in my country and that I'm being defeated.

Concluding Insights

I get triggered, you know, but when I look at them, I feel like they're too lame to be triggered, you know? And then I love, I mean, what am I gonna tell this man? He's telling me I'm defeated. And there's 300 rockets that day, there were 300 rockets on separate targets in Israel. I mean, give us the benefit of let the rockets end. Yecha. Let us say we have no rockets and then tell me I'm defeated. Subic and they're very hasty and they're rushing themselves and they're looking caricaturists, you know?

What Lies Ahead

So that was why they were funny. Haidar, actually. I mean. So hopefully we can listen to you and we love. Hi. First blood sugar. Thank you, guys. That was a great space. And it's always great to talk with all of you suppressed. Great to have you here and Middle east observer. Thank you. I really follow everything you do on telegram and everywhere. Thank you. Keep doing everything you're doing. All of us collectively, we are all together filling the void. And this is why all of us collectively, we are telling them that no matter who you assassinate, the spirit of these people is like, oh, my God, you've assassinated all our leaders.

Continuing the Legacy

If you look back, and we've only grew stronger, more persistent, more eloquent in advocating for our cause. We used to have one Hassan Kanafani. One, one only, was speaking to everyone. Look at the Palestinians today in every language, in every place, in every arena, and look at Beirut. They came in the 82 to Beirut, to Hamra. They reached here, and we had 1111 Khald. One man, one boy. It was 20 year old something, angry university student. One man, one gun, only for a city. It started and sparked a whole resistance scene that ended up by the Israeli tanks and hopper and the speaker saying, o people of Beirut, stop shooting.

Unyielding Spirit

We are going out. O people of Beirut, stop shooting. We are going out. This is in the eighties, and we had a gun. So look at us with Fadi. One, two, three, Aymad 1234. You know, and so don't believe anyone who tells you're defeated. No way.

Concluding Remarks

It was such a pleasure having you. We know you have to go, so if you want to listen, you know, we're going to be talking a little bit more. I had a question for Middle east observer. Are you there, Middle east? Yes. Thank you, by the way. Ghadi. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. Yes, I will stay with you on the stage for a while and then disappear. It's it's great. Let's all keep working together because I think we're showing them how Surya Wal, Iraq later on. See you again next time. Thank you, everyone. See you. See you. Thank you. And thank you, Middle Eastern, for allowing us to have such a platform where the voices of the land are being promoted.

Questions for Middle East Observer

So I appreciate the space a lot. You're welcome. Thank you. Yes, thank you. Middle east. Okay, I'm going to ask you two questions. Middle east. Number one, what outcome is Israel trying to achieve by waging a propaganda war on Hezbollah? Okay, it's a good question. So, if you want to think about it, like the old, ancient times, let's say in the medieval times, when there's a battle, they used to send spies into the castle to try to divide people, make people doubt their king. So it's the same idea that they're doing now. So if you remember, at the beginning of the war in October, they were saying that Hezbollah and Lebanon abandoned Hamas, and they're doing a fake war like that. They were shooting towers and doing nothing. So the goal was to divide the ranks between the Palestinians and Lebanese and to make them doubt each other.

Media Wars and Psychological Warfare

Now, they were doing this just the same thing between Lebanon and Iran, to make the Lebanese people think that Iran abandoned them. So that's the goal of their media wars. And they do it, they're funny. They do it like they talk on our behalf. So they say Iranian sources or Iranian officials told routers, but they don't. Or Hezbollah officials told routers, but none of these actually talk to these western outlets. They make their own statements in their own platforms. But the point is to make people doubt their leadership and their alliances. So that's the goal of the media, one part of the goal of the media war. And right now, al Arabiya, the Saudi channel, like out of nowhere right now, they want to release a documentary on who killed the Hariri in Lebanon. Like, it's obvious that the goal is to incite people against the resistance in the middle of the war. So that's how they work.

Personal Insights and Predictions

They work all together with some of the Arab media channels that are pro-American and with Israel. Yeah, just who basically threatened us last week. Sorry, I'm just going to quickly chime in. He basically said, either you kill each other or we'll kill you. So it's very obvious what agenda they have planned. Go ahead, first blood. No, I mean, just to add up to what Middle east was saying, I mean, it's very clear that they are like, the psychological warfare that has been going on is unprecedented. This is the first time that the Netanyahu came out and made a video pretty much addressing the Lebanese. Right? And he was saying, you know, pretty much what he said to whenever he invaded Gaza, like, oh, I'm not coming to for everybody. I'm coming only for Hamas. And he's doing the same thing with Hezbollah, just like if Hezbollah was like a foreign entity, Hezbollah is from the womb of the people of the land. So is like, the thing is, like these things are unprecedented.

Current Situation and Insights

And we had a guy that was apparently an Iranian guy addressing the Iranian people, not even in Farsi, but in English, to advise them to pretty much rise up against the Islamic Republic. Right. So it seems like Netanyahu is aiming at pretty much disturbing the acts of the resistance from within rather than going into full confrontation. Does that mean that on the ground for now, it's not looking very good for them? How do you read the situation? If you can add up to that, Middle East, I would appreciate it. I think no matter what, they're going to do these things, whether it's going good or not, that they will do it regardless the propaganda and to divide people. So it's not really related to what's happening on the ground, in my opinion. Like, they've been doing it since the beginning. Okay, thank you.

War and Resistance

Can you guys hear me? I don't know if it just cut out or if you're done answering the question. Okay. Okay. Middle east, one more question for you. You know, you've made a lot of predictions, and so far, they have been very accurate. A lot of us are impressed. So, at this point, what is the next phase we should expect to go into at this point of the war? I think, like Radi said, at some point, they will enter deeper into Lebanon, but, so this war is not a war that can end with, like, a decapitation strike and end suddenly with one event. So it's an attrition warfare, and it's the. The side that can sustain the longer than the other that will win in the end. So our side, obviously, we will have more civilian casualties because of their airplanes, but in the end, we are the natives of the land, and the resistance fighters are going, you know, all in.

Future Predictions

They're not going to surrender. So in my opinion, it's, in the end, the Israeli army will have to stop their operations, but it will take time. Like, they need more, like Gadi said, more dinners, like. Like tonight. But eventually, the. The more. The more time passes, the more, like, the more Israelis have casualties over time on all sides, like, in their economy, in the. In the social life, and militarily. So in all these sides together, all this attrition, at some point, Israel is gonna have to stop the war. That's what I. What I think on our side, what we're going, like, we're going all in. Like, if they want to end us, they have to kill everyone in the end. So, like, Gaza, after one year, they're not gonna surrender. Now, after losing all these, like, after all the destruction, after everything, they're not gonna surrender.

Community and Solidarity

So either they kill every one of us, or they. Or Israel itself has to stop. And this is what's going to happen. But it's going to take time. Okay. Thank you for that. Okay. Do we have any questions? Yes, I have a question, actually, I actually need to go, but I wanted to thank you both, Middle east and Sheldon for hosting the space. It's appreciated, and hopefully I can catch up with you guys soon. Thank you. So press for being here. I want to take Ali Musa. He's been waiting quite some time, so go ahead, Ali. I have 1 hour listening and that I want to send a message for Radi. I don't know if she is listening. Yes, she said she was. Please, Rada, if you're listening, only. Only said yes. It's okay. Go on, mate. Go on. It's ready.

Dialogue and Communication

She can't speak, but you can. Go ahead. She can hear you. No, it's okay. It's Okay. I wanna. Let me wait, because I wanna let. Let me be sure that she's listening to me because I'm talking from here. From Venezuela then, as well. Okay, no problem. It's okay. No problem. We'll wait a little bit. We're gonna take Azim next for taking me. I'm from Pakistan and I've been following Qadhi for a long time, for many years now. And it's great seeing how she reports. I'm not sure if she can speak, but. Like, Shias against the war, which. Was one social media Shia group which is against Iran and Hezbollah.

Social Dynamics in Lebanon

And then there is others, like peace groups and save Lebanon. Basically, groups that say that Hezbollah should. Not enter the war. I mean, they started one year ago. But one important thing he outlined is that the trust now in Lebanon for some time has been to use Christians mainly, like, Lebanese forces, to direct it against the Shiites. And this is something that is becoming very concerning. It might also cause something like a small civil war. So can anybody shed light into it? Azim, you're following western propaganda. You're citing a western source that is pro-Zionist, that is literally helping design psychological warfare. The Lebanese force you're talking about are significant in Lebanon.

Propaganda and Lies

Literally insignificant. If you look at the 2018 votes that happened, they barely got anything. Some of the peoples on this space have more followers than the votes that they got. So don't fall in this like, there's a massive. Like I said, it's. I mean, Middle east thinks that it's. They would have done this regardless of the outcome of the. The war. And I agree it's still in the early stages, but don't fall for any western narrative propaganda, because that's what it is. Okay, we're gonna take Nana. Sorry, we only have ten more minutes. Sorry if I'm interrupting, but we're going to wrap this up in ten minutes.

Closing Thoughts

We want to take Nana. Go ahead, Nana. Thank you so much. It's not a question for anyone that understands Arabic. You know, the audience I'm speaking to, and I am so proud that you. Guys are representing us, Lebanese, Arab, Shia. Senna, Muslim, Christians, atheist, whatever it is, all of you, especially Rada, listening to you today, it is absolutely inspiring as a young Lebanese American woman who sits here and cries, looking at home and looking at my family and looking at. All of it, I swear. So thank you all so much. Ali, Ahmikon, and I'm so happy we have you guys to represent us. Thank you so much. You're so sweet. Okay, did anybody else have a question? Hi there.

Continuing the Dialogue

Please, go ahead. You had your hand up. Thank you. It wasn't a question. It's just more so a conversation with Middle East. I just. Don't you find it ironic that in the beginning of this war, they criticized Hezbollah for taking out the ISR's along the border? And they said it. They were hitting towers. They said that, you know, these were show automobile towers that they had and there's no insignificant damage. And then once they moved past this stage, they said, well, the Katyushas aren't doing anything. And then once they moved past the stage of Haifa, they said, well, look, there's now damage. And to me, look, the critics are going to remain critics, even if there's a flag planted inside of Jerusalem.

Reflections on the Conflict

So any eye for me personally, I stopped listening to them because channels like al Hadas or Arabiyyah, it's known since 2015, they have spoken ill against a certain segment of the Lebanese people, and in fact, certain governments in that fondom in 2015 and 2016, even offered the Israelis money to start a war in Lebanon and offered to pay for the rebuilding of Israel before Lebanon. So these are the entities that are collaborating in all of this. So regardless of what they say or how they say it's, it's. It's the same narrative I am. For me, I'm just curious to know if certain places and certain Arabs are going to be passing out sweets tonight like they passed out sweets when said Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated.

Recent Developments

The other thing that I am, you know, I want to know or not know that, but I just want to highlight and point out that the 35th operation of the day was officially announced by the resistance in Lebanon, a new record for them. The same day that in the morning, Galant came out and said that Hezbollah's capabilities have been reduced to only 20 and 30% and that they are nearly defeated and that they have no capacity to continue. And it's only a matter of time. They're no longer an organization. And there's still about an hour left in the day, so you never know.

The Bigger Picture

The number could go up. But that's just me wanting to, from a dialogue standpoint, to put that out there. Don't listen to the Arab media don't listen to the western media. Listen to the people from the region and the voices that haven't lied to you, which is the resistance voices. That's all. Thank you. Thank you so much. Ali, this is going to be recorded so red, you will be able to hear it after if you want to say anything. Yes, I have a. Yes. Okay. It's okay. I have 1 hour waiting, but it's okay. I want to send a message first.

Unity in Resistance

Thank you for Middle east and all. Of you that give me space to give my opinion. Yes, we have to resist and we. Have Christian Muslims, drew people. We have to stay unit. You have. We have to don't listen to any kind of media because they are making. A lot of disturb and we have. To help each other in this war. And this message, I want to send it to Rada. Rada, listen, I am from Venezuela and I Anaktir Haibal Arabi badi ula fakur mishbasana Umabi and katabashi kilimtal habadat and al likyari tik walla isabel al bulik lafi man daemon.

Global Perspective

Daemon into sadao matipit karamibas inti amra zo shaksiya kawiya walem awam alha damanwa abadan anafakurin fiki obikul bent bitmasil lubnan mitlik inti b saksayeta obihabal watan uma ilahi allah I love you from. Thank you very much. Thank you. Ali Nadeem, do you want to go ahead? We have six minutes. I mean, how do you top that? You know, he said what we are all thinking. He really summed it up. But just know, you know, we are all with you, inshallah.

Solidarity and Support

And don't let this, you know, the bot comments get into your head. It doesn't seem like they do anyway. And just know that, you know, we're playing the long game, you know, and this is for everybody. We are in the long game here, right? No matter how much b's they do, they've done it in the past year in Gaza and we saw they hit Tel Aviv just a few days ago and they. They just haven't accomplished anything. And they won't accomplish anything. No matter how many fake videos they put, no matter how many UNIFIL forces they attack, no matter how many children they hit.

Final Reflections

It's just not going to accomplish anything. And at the end of the day, they're going to go back to the table crying and that's just the simple fact of it. And bots don't win wars. It's as simple as that. Thank you, Radha, for all the work that you do. Thank you Middle east observer, Shad and everybody. You know, you. You guys are the independent media. You guys are the independent journalists that are not only putting your life on the line, you're putting your name on the line and everything. And we all appreciate you so much. We love you so much. We support you all the way. Thank you for all the work that you do.

Conclusion

Thank you so much for your kind words. We have. If anybody wants to see. Hadi heard everything. She's sending hearts for Ali and Nadeem. Okay, if anybody else wants to go ahead, we have HK who hasn't spoken yet. And Joseph, we have four minutes. Please go ahead. I wanted. I wanted to ask about. Oh, sorry. I wanted to ask about. Please raise your voice because your voice is very loud. You can please speak up.

Security and Military Operations

I wanted to ask about the second security brief in Tel Aviv, too. There are two. And there are reports of an assassination of their chief of army staff. So. What do you think about it? I wanted to ask Middle east about this. Did anybody get that? To be honest, I'm not reading the news right now because I'm in the space. So I'm not sure exactly what's been happening the past hour. There has. There has been a second breach in Tel Aviv, I think. Two in Haifa, one in Tel Aviv. So I wanted to ask about Jaffa. She's asking about the security incident earlier in Tel Aviv.

Continuing Updates

To be honest, I'm not. I'm not sure. I didn't, like, follow this one up. Okay. We will discuss it in the next space. HK, can you please go ahead? We will have a space probably in three or four days, inshallah. Go ahead, HK. So thanks for the space, Middle east and shared and I saw suppressed before. I just wanted to quickly reiterate what Radi said before about the psychological warfare and these videos that they post that can be so demoralizing.

Hezbollah's Resilience

I saw a statement from some Zionist media claiming that Hezbollah has lost 60% to 70% of its firepower, that Hezbollah's leadership has all been eliminated, and yet just this morning's attack completely dismantled. That psychological. That propaganda. I mean, it highlights Hezbollah's advanced intelligence capabilities and the sophisticated weaponry it has preserved. It signals to Israel that it. You know, it really. It faces two options that is likely the ground invasion will fail. And so I just think that, yes, it can be really frustrating already.

Fighting Spirit and Future Prospects

It's hard, trust me. Like, I force myself to stop trolling them on a daily basis. But that operation alone this morning, I'm sure that it's going to increase the steadfastness of the resistance and their supporters and I boost the morale that this so-called resistance group that has lost its 60% to 70% of its firepower can do something so significant as what they did this morning. So, yeah, I just wanted to make that statement, really not a question, just more of a, just stay positive because, yes, it is. Like Nadim said, it's a long war. It's going to be. We're going to see some ups and downs.

Hope for the Future

You know, humbly, I think that we, the resistance, we have the hearts and minds and we will. We will win. We will. I don't know. I just wanted to stay positive. Do you want to chime in Middle East? I feel that's something good for you to chime in on. Well, yes, definitely. So, like I've said before, the capabilities, clearly they're still there. And the difference between Lebanon and Gaza is that the cost of maintaining the operations in Lebanon is maybe ten times higher than Gaza because of what Hezbollah has.

Understanding the Conflict

So it's just a question of how long they can stay inside Lebanon and how long they can thank all these losses. Well, what we know already is based on the objectives they set. Right. And the objectives they set is they want to bring the settlers back up and they want to push the resistance north of the litany river. Right. That wouldn't really accomplish anything because I could tell you in good confidence right now that all the long-range missile capabilities that the resistance in Lebanon has are nowhere near south Lebanon.

Examining Israeli Strategies

So even if you were to push them to Beirut, right, you really wouldn't accomplish anything because those missiles would still be able to be fired from Lebanon. So they have already failed by setting those specific objectives, just like they failed in Gaza, by setting the objectives as we want to eliminate Hamas. Right. And here we are a year later and more. And they haven't been able to accomplish that. All they do is just slaughter innocent civilians, as we all know. But the objectives are not there.

Economic Consequences of the Conflict

The economic power is weakening. Over this past year, they have lost billions of dollars and their partners, their benefactors have lost billions of dollars. And this is becoming an extremely expensive investment for their partners. And that's really where you're going to see things begin to change, where it becomes less beneficial to continue this conflict. And that's. That's where you're going to see the tides change. Sorry. Thank you.

Gratitude and Closing

Thank you so much, everybody. Yeah, go ahead. Last question, but we have to go, mate. Please make it quick. Just about what Nadeem said. So basically, Israel is like a western military base, okay? It's like a business for the west. And then now the cost of maintaining this business is a lot bigger than the benefits. So at some point, like, you will have a lot of western countries, like, for example, France, Spain and other countries that are saying, like, we have to do an arms embargo on Israel because it's beginning to be too costly for us to maintain them and to support them.