Major General Hossein Salami, the chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), congratulated Hezbollah and Lebanon for securing a ceasefire with Israel, describing it as a "strategic and humiliating defeat" for the Israeli regime.

The truce, which took effect on Wednesday, followed over 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

In a message to Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, Salami praised the truce as a significant achievement, stating that Israel had failed to accomplish any of its objectives in the conflict.

"The ceasefire on the Lebanese front is a strategic and humiliating defeat for the Zionist regime, which did not even come close to achieving any of its evil goals and ambitions in the war against Hezbollah," Salami said, as reported by PressTV. He also suggested that the agreement could signal the beginning of a broader ceasefire, potentially ending the war in Gaza.

Salami emphasized that Israel’s acceptance of the ceasefire, amid ongoing missile strikes by Hezbollah targeting Israeli military sites, sent a powerful message to Tel Aviv and its allies. He stated that Israel’s decline was inevitable and warned that its actions in Gaza and Lebanon would only strengthen resistance movements in the region.

Hezbollah's resistance, Salami added, had successfully deterred Israel from achieving its goals in the northern occupied territories, leading to the ceasefire agreement. He hailed the truce as a major milestone for the struggle against Zionism in West Asia, attributing Hezbollah's success to the sacrifices of martyrs, the resilience of the Lebanese people, and the determination of Hezbollah fighters.

The conflict began in early October 2023, following Israel's large-scale military operations against Gaza. In response, Hezbollah launched retaliatory attacks against Israeli targets, contributing to the displacement of nearly 70,000 Israeli settlers. According to reports, Israeli attacks on Lebanon resulted in at least 3,823 deaths and 15,859 injuries.

Earlier this week, the United States and France brokered a 60-day cessation of fighting between the two sides, providing a brief window of relief amidst the ongoing conflict. The ceasefire marks a momentary halt to the violence in the region, though tensions remain high. (ILKHA)