Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah addressed the economic crisis in Lebanon on Friday in a televised speech, assuring that his party is not standing against help from financial institutions.
He stated that it includes the International Monetary Fund, as long as it does not violate the Lebanese Constitution and go against Lebanese interests.
Nassrallah also spoke at length about the spread of the new Coronavirus in the world and in Lebanon.
He assured the public that his party has not hidden any cases internally, and called on the Lebanese public to take on precautions “as in wartime.”
While his party had opposed the IMF intervention in Lebanon a few weeks ago, the party is recently changing its tune.
Nasrallah said in his speech that he was not against “any help” from financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank and that he did not have a problem with Lebanon resorting to consultations.
He did insist, however, that this assistance doesn’t violate Lebanon’s interest or sovereignty.
On the judiciary, Nasrallah stated his party does not reject an independent judiciary, as long as its conditions are reasonable and are not incompatible with the national interest.
On the issue of Coronavirus, and speculations that his party had witnessed some positive cases, he assured that his party adheres to complete transparency and honestly – and encouraged every citizen to do the same.
He went on to insist that the Ministry of Health has been transparent from day one, and has been announcing cases immediately as they are discovered.
On the rumors that the Ministry and Hezbollah were being dishonest in reporting, he said: “Everything that has been said about the hiding of Coronavirus cases by the Ministry of Health or Hezbollah is a lie.”
In this context, he called for “mutual aid and solidarity.” He insisted that now is not the time to settle scores, take revenge, or score points, but rather the time to behave in a “positive and responsible manner.”
“The biggest liar on earth is Trump,” he said, denouncing the U.S. President’s management of the pandemic.
On the offer of the United States to help Iran, one of the countries most affected by the virus, Hassan Nasrallah said, addressing Trump in his speech: “You want to help Iran, lift the economic sanctions!”
The Hezbollah chief also called for “full respect for the measures taken by the government”, calling for an end to the rallies, probably referring to the politicians accusing the government of mismanaging the crisis.
He also said that his party was ready to put all of its “capabilities, medical personnel, and institutions at the disposal of the government and the Ministry of Health to help them fight the virus.”