One of the many Lebanese ironies these days is that the leaders of the two most important Islamic political blocs in the country, namely "Future Movement" and "Hezbollah," spoke to their audiences yesterday, either at the graves (Saad Hariri) on the anniversary of his father Rafik's assassination or at a memorial for one of the martyrs assassinated by the treacherous Israeli hand. We are referring to Sheikh Naim Qassem, the Secretary-General of "Hezbollah", and his courageous speech at Baalbek in memory of the victim Ali Sahleb.

These two political lectures by the aforementioned figures clearly summarise not just Lebanon's present and future, but also the Middle East and the terrible trends that will occur there. Whether in peace or war, Lebanon and the movements occurring on its territory continue to serve as an accurate gauge of the region's state.

Let us begin with a speech delivered by Mr Saad Hariri, the head of the "Future Movement", in front of his father's tomb, the martyr Rafik Hariri, on the 21st anniversary of his assassination. He delivered this speech following his retirement from politics and years of residence abroad, in which he affirmed "his and his movement's commitment to the choice of moderation, the approach of the state, and the project of Lebanon first, and that the Future Movement does not break, and the Hariri project remains."

The significance of this speech and its timing stems from leaks confirming the existence of meetings and coordination operations between the Hariri movement and "Hezbollah" and an agreement between the two sides to coordinate positions in the upcoming parliamentary elections, particularly in key districts in Beirut, Sidon (Hariri's father's birthplace), and the Bekaa Valley.

Mr Hariri and his supporters are eager to deny any contacts with "Hezbollah" and its leadership, refuting all leaks in this regard. They affirm their deep relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, relying on its role and continuing coordination, and state that all rumours are baseless.

We are well aware that the current situation in Lebanon is extremely sensitive politically and security-wise due to American hegemony, the Zionist assault, the decline in the strength of the Lebanese resistance since the last aggression, the Beirut bombings, and serious assassinations targeting its leadership (the resistance), particularly the Master of Martyrs Hassan Nasrallah and the pillars of his party in both political and military aspects. However, this does not imply fully abandoning, in a non-political manner, the lack of wisdom, resistance, and collaboration with it, as it constitutes a significant part of the political landscape, and its popular base (Shia and Sunni) represents more than half of the Lebanese population and voters.

Coordinating with "Hezbollah" and the resistance it leads is neither a sin, a crime, nor a deviation from the doctrine's spiritual or political dimensions. We are not exaggerating when we claim that the "Future Movement" and its founding leader, the martyr Rafik Hariri, would not have reached the forefront and leadership of political action in Lebanon without the strong alliance he forged with the Lebanese resistance and its leader, the martyr Nasrallah.

I saw the martyr Rafik Hariri several times, either in Lebanon or at his house in Paris, and the most recent meeting was in the French city, in the presence of colleagues, the late Nabil Khoury, publisher of Al-Mustaqbal magazine, and Mr Nihad al-Mashnouq, former Minister of Foreign Affairs. The host was very candid with me, as these meetings were not for publication, when he repeatedly emphasised his close strategic friendship with "Hezbollah" in his beloved Sidonian dialect: "Abed, you never miss. Our real dangerous enemy is... and our strongest and most reliable friend and ally is Mr Nasrallah... and our Shiite brothers."

Indeed, the martyr Hariri disagreed with the Syrians and vehemently opposed the Syrian army's presence on Lebanese soil. He was outraged by the army's political and military excesses. He directly protested to me about this hegemony, saying, "Isn't it shameful that a picture of President Hafez al-Assad dominates the entrance to Beirut airport, Abdul? " By the way, I was denied entry into Lebanon due to a Syrian decision rather than a Lebanese one.

Perhaps his son Saad Hariri, who is returning to regain his leadership of the Sunni community and the Future Movement, strongly denies coordination with "Hezbollah" because he prefers to play the role of a politician aligned with the current trend, rather than opposing it. But he should have avoided campaigning to disavow "Hezbollah" and indirectly condemn any recent engagement with it. The reverse should have happened: approach the opposing political blocs not only for the resistance but also for Islam in its Sunni and Shia expressions in Lebanon and possibly around the world.

In closing, we want to reassure Mr Saad Hariri, the leader, and Mr Ahmad Hariri, the Secretary-General of the Future Movement, that the resistance is recuperating and regaining power, and that its axis remains the most influential in the region. This is evidenced by US President Donald Trump's retreat from his threats, aircraft carriers, and troop deployments against Iran; his failure to change the regime there thus far; and the state of terror that the Israeli occupation state is experiencing as a result of Iranian missiles that have penetrated all of its defences, destroyed half of Greater Tel Aviv, and forced it to plead for an immediate end to the war to minimise losses. The "12-day war" occurred in June of last year.

It is probable that upon his return, Mr Hariri or his resident representative followed Sheikh Naim Qassem's recent address at the martyr Ali Sahleb shrine, which is notable and reflects what we already indicated. He emphasised, and we quote literally, "Israel has not achieved any of its goals in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen," and added, "What the resistance has gone through makes mountains crumble, and spirits tremble, but we remained steadfast and continued." He said, "The resistance saved Lebanon when the army couldn't defend the land and liberate it." He continued by stating, "We defend Lebanon and Palestine because our enemies are one."

We hope that upon Mr Hariri's return to politics, he will further investigate this speech and align himself with the resilient resistance, rather than the ageing, narrow-minded forces of America and Israel. We won't say more.