The Vice President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Allama Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, received today at the Council’s headquarters in Hazmieh, the head of the “Our Word and Deed” Association, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Qattan, where they discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region.
Following the meeting, Sheikh Al-Qattan stated: “I was honored to meet with the Vice President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, His Eminence Allama Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, and we discussed with him the latest regional and internal developments. I would like to emphasize after this meeting that His Eminence Allama Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib is a national guarantee in Lebanon because he is always keen on unifying the Lebanese ranks and on the national and Islamic unity of the Lebanese people. We, as Lebanese Muslims and Christians, Sunnis and Shiites in particular, are in dire need of being in one rank for the benefit of Lebanon and the strength of this country.”
He added: “We are certain that Lebanon’s strength does not lie in its weakness or surrender, but in confronting every enemy who wants to undermine our land and attack us. We see daily Israeli attacks on Lebanon, not only on the south but also on the Bekaa, and this enemy spares no civilians or Lebanese homes. We consider that any attack on any region or town in Lebanon is an attack on all Lebanese people, regardless of their sectarian and denominational affiliations.”
He continued: “The resistance in Lebanon is not exclusive to a sect or denomination, and we, as Muslims of the Sunni community, consider ourselves concerned with this resistance and this weapon. This weapon is what liberated in 2000 and triumphed in 2006. We consider it a guarantee for Lebanon to remain strong in the face of all challenges, because this enemy does not differentiate between one denomination and another or between one sect and another.”
Al-Qattan concluded his speech by calling on the Lebanese to national and Islamic unity, stressing that targeting any sect, party, or the attack on the resistance’s weapons will not weaken the Lebanese. He stressed the need to preserve Lebanon strong with its army, state, resistance, and people, in loyalty to the blood of the martyrs, leaders, and Mujahideen.
In another context, Allama Al-Khatib received the President of the Lebanese Medical Social Gathering and member of the Medical Syndicate Council, Professor Raef Rida, at the head of a delegation from the Medical Gathering that included doctors Muhammad Yaghi, Hussein Nasser El-Din, and Ali Khalil Samaha, to check on his health and congratulate him on his safety. This visit was an opportunity to exchange views on general conditions and health issues.
Professor Rida stated: “We were honored with my brothers to visit His Eminence Allama Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib to check on his health, and we discussed with him the developments on the national scene. We felt His Eminence’s keenness to strengthen national unity at various levels in the battle to defend Lebanon and support the resistance that protected and liberated the land.”
He continued: “We commend His Eminence’s national positions calling for national and Islamic unity in the face of Israeli attacks that affect the land and sovereignty. He is following in the footsteps of His Eminence Imam Musa al-Sadr, with administrative experience and courage through which he embodied Imam al-Sadr’s positions in bringing the sect together on one word. We also call on the state and its concerned ministries to make more efforts to reveal the fate of Captain Ahmed Shaker.”
