By Alireza Akbari

Young Lebanese woman Asmaa Bzeih, 27, who became a symbol of defiance after her recent confrontation with authorities at Beirut Airport, says the world must unite behind resistance.

Bzeih caught the attention of all and sundry last week after refusing to comply with the diktat of not raising portraits of martyred Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah at the Beirut Airport.

The video of her passionately confronting airport authorities and reminding them of the enemy plots went viral. She was returning home after a visit to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad for a pilgrimage.

Speaking to the Press TV website, Bzeih, who is a journalist by profession, called on the world to unite against all forms of oppression and stand in unwavering solidarity with the resistance.

“I urge the entire world to rise against every attack and every restriction, to stand firmly with the resistance, to be its unwavering supporters, and to hold steadfast in their convictions,” she stated.

She called upon people worldwide to mobilize and attend the funeral of the martyred Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and his deputy Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, emphasizing the power of collective presence at the historic event.

According to Bzeih, the enemy fears “majestic scenes of attendance,” knowing that such massive gatherings will dismantle their propaganda, shatter their attempts at domination, and render their wicked schemes against the resistance front and its supporters futile.

In the viral video, Bzeih was seen holding aloft a picture of Sayyed Nasrallah and shouting at the airport authorities for imposing unwarranted restrictions on those coming to Lebanon.

Speaking to the Press TV website, Bzeih said she and her family were in Mashhad for a pilgrimage.

When their trip came to an end and they were set to return home, Beirut International Airport refused to allow any Iranian planes to land, forcing them to extend their stay in Iran for about a week.

“There were hundreds of people like me — children, school students, doctors with patients, and many others who have businesses and lives in Lebanon,” she stated

Bzeih and her family were finally able to return to Lebanon with a connecting flight via Baghdad.

The refusal by Beirut International Airport seemed like an attempt to prevent their participation in the funeral procession of Sayyed Nasrallah, scheduled for Sunday, February 23, she said.

“We felt they were trying to obstruct our presence at the funeral of Sayyed Nasrallah, and this was what bothered us the most,” Bzeih noted.

She said she decided to hold up the image of Sayyed Nasrallah upon arriving at Beirut Airport as a mark of protest against the restrictions imposed on those arriving in Lebanon.

“We decided to hold the picture after all procedures were completed,” she said.

“After we finished all the procedures at the airport and received our bags, I raised a picture of Sayyed Nasrallah and went to the reception hall,” Bzeih explained.

At that point, two men in plain clothes approached her. The first identified himself as someone from intelligence, showing his badge, and asked one of her relatives to delete the recorded videos.

“Another man then approached me and asked me to take down the image and hold it outside the airport. I told him, ‘We are in a public place. Beirut Airport is for everyone, and you have no right to stop me from raising what I want.’”

The confrontation angered Bzeih, and at that moment, as she told the Press TV website, she pointed to the image of Sayyed Nasrallah and responded defiantly.

“The man in this picture represents respect! What you see here is Lebanon and the honor of Lebanon, and you will not stop me from raising it here,” she added.

“I’m standing here in my country, and I will not allow anyone to prevent me from standing in my country and raising the image of my homeland. I am standing here on Lebanese soil, and if you have the right to stop me or expel me, then come and do it,” she added.

Referring to “recent restrictions” imposed on the resistance movement in Lebanon, she emphasized that had she agreed to comply with their diktat, further restrictions would have followed.

“If I had obeyed them by lowering the image, this situation would have been repeated, and they would have increased their restrictions more and more, daring us even further. My refusal to comply stopped their illusions,” she stated.

The Lebanese journalist further told the Press TV website that the Hezbollah resistance movement has provided “safety and sacrifices” for the entire Lebanese nation.

“Hezbollah translates to us the meaning of patriotism and explains the meaning of love for the homeland and its soil,” she said with a hint of pride.

Bzeih reiterated that the Lebanese nation will not bow to American or Israeli plots.

“I, along with all the people of my community, share one firm stance: We will not accept any dictates from the enemy, and we will reject all attempts to humiliate us. We will not allow Lebanon to become Israeli or American. In our presence, neither the Israeli nor the American will fulfill any of their dreams or ambitions in Lebanon,” she asserted.

Bzeih also called out some media outlets for distorting facts surrounding the incident at Beirut Airport.

“Some media outlets have distorted the facts, including those who claimed that I refused to follow the line and the system. But I’d like to ask them: Is there a new law that says we must go home in line.”