After ceasefire deal, Hezbollah chief declares 'divine victory' against Israel

The newly elected Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem said the group has agreed to the ceasefire deal "with heads held high" while pledging close coordination with the Lebanese army to implement it.

"I have decided to declare... officially and clearly that we are facing a great victory that surpasses that of July 2006," Qassem said.

"To those that were betting that Hezbollah would be weakened, we are sorry, their bets have failed," he said.

The ceasefire came into effect on Nov 27 after almost 14 months of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.

The Israeli attacks destroyed large parts of Lebanon and killed 4,000 people, including hundreds of women and children.

"Hezbollah had approved the deal, with the resistance strong on the battlefield, and our heads held high with our right to defend (ourselves)," he said.

"We won because we prevented the enemy from destroying Hezbollah... (and) from annihilating or weakening the resistance," Qassem added.

According to the ceasefire deal, the withdrawal will be completed over 60 days. Hezbollah will withdraw from areas south of the Litani River — a stretch of 30 km (20 miles) near Israel's northern border.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese army will deploy troops after Israeli ground troops withdraw.

"There will be high-level coordination between the Resistance (Hezbollah) and the Lebanese army to implement the commitments of the deal," Qassem said.

According to security sources and officials, additional Lebanese troops have been sent to the south, but a detailed deployment plan has yet to be shared with Lebanon's cabinet.

However, the effort has been complicated by the continuing presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory.

On Nov 28, a day after the deal was announced, both the Lebanese army and Hezbollah accused Israel of violating the ceasefire as the Israeli military fired at people returning to villages along Lebanon's border with Israel.

The Israeli military is said to have issued restrictions on people returning to villages in recent days.