Hezbollah leader declared victory over Israel

(Patria) - The leader of Lebanese Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, stated yesterday that the movement achieved a "great victory", in his first speech since the ceasefire with Israel in Lebanon came into effect.

- We have won because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah, from destroying the resistance movement or weakening it - Qassem said in a televised address, emphasizing that "the enemy failed to achieve its goals".

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday in Lebanon, after more than a year of cross-border hostilities and two months of open war between the Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed movement.

The war left nearly 4,000 dead on the Lebanese side, displaced nearly 900,000 people, according to the UN, and inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah.

Qassem, who succeeded Hassan Nasrallah, killed on September 27 in an Israeli attack, pledged cooperation with the Lebanese army, which is tasked with implementing the ceasefire agreement.

Under the auspices of the USA and France, the ceasefire agreement provides for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon within 60 days.

Hezbollah must withdraw to about 30 kilometers from the border and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south, where only the Lebanese army and peacekeeping forces will be deployed.