August 26, 2024
By Nasser Kandil
- In a speech before the Syrian People’s Assembly marking the start of its duties, President Dr. Bashar al-Assad paid tribute to the resistance fighters in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, calling them “role models and examples to follow in the pursuit of liberation, dignity, honour, and independence”. He also saluted the people of the occupied Golan, emphasizing that “the absence of sovereignty over their land does not equate to the loss of patriotism in their hearts”. He stressed that true patriotism is not merely a display or claim, but a deeply rooted loyalty and commitment. President Assad highlighted how the perseverance, faith, and determination of the Palestinian people have shaken the Israeli entity’s confidence in its future existence. “Gaza has set an example, reawakening generations to see and understand reality in a way the West has long sought to obscure,” he said. “In just hours of heroism and months of resilience, centuries of illusion were overturned”.
- This marks the second time President Assad has declared a cultural war against the spirit of defeat, renewing his call for the Syrian people to rise to the challenge, inspired by the examples set by Gaza and Yemen – places where the pressures of destruction and siege are even greater than what Syria has faced. Yet, these regions have emerged as significant regional and international powers. During an expanded meeting of the Ba’ath Party’s central committee, President Assad emphasised that the true challenge lies in confronting the spirit of defeat.
- Bashar al-Assad, the resistor-leader who has withstood the fiercest global war against Syria, has once again rallied his people and army, earning the trust of his allies and carving a difficult path to victory. Even though Syria’s enemies have yet to fully acknowledge this victory, they have been forced to concede their failure, realising that their remaining tools, such as sanctions and terrorism, are ineffective in reversing Syria’s progress or regaining the initiative.
- Under President Assad’s leadership, Syria has thwarted the objectives of the most brutal war the region has seen since the era of independence over half a century ago. However, President Assad remains tireless, continuously reminding his people and Syria’s political and party elites of their responsibility towards the occupied Golan. He reaffirms Syria’s commitment to the path of resistance and its central role within the axis of resistance, asserting that the Syrian Arab Republic is “a battleground in the global struggle”. In such a context, he noted, “we face two choices: to merely be affected or to exert influence and achieve balance”. To realise this balance, Assad emphasised the importance of “working diligently, seeking solutions, rejecting despair, and refusing to succumb to circumstances – instead, striving to change them”.
