Israel "has not yet finished the job" against "Hezbollah", the goal of defeating the Lebanese Islamist movement "will not be achieved tomorrow", warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the first day of the ten-year truce with Lebanon, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
The war against the Shiite movement, an ally of Tehran, which was resumed on March 2, allowed the "two threats coming from Lebanon" to be repelled, Netanyahu said in a video message. The first threat is the close-range threat, which involves thousands of terrorists entering Israeli territory and firing anti-tank missiles at Israeli settlements. The second threat is the long-range threat, which is designed to destroy Israeli cities, the prime minister explained.
"Today's "Hezbollah" is only a shadow of its former self, but I will be honest: we are not done yet," he added.
The goal of "defeating "Hezbollah", I repeat to you in all honesty, will not be achieved tomorrow," Netanyahu said.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump said that Israel would no longer bomb Lebanon. But he added that any deal with Tehran that Washington could reach does not depend on what happens in Lebanon, Reuters notes.
"Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon. The US FORBID them from doing so. Enough!!!" Trump wrote on social media.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, for his part, called on the country's citizens to view the ceasefire with Israel as an opportunity to promote stability and recovery after weeks of renewed heavy fighting, DPA reported.
"The Lebanese people, who have endured so much in recent years, are now facing a new reality," Aoun told lawmakers after the ceasefire in Lebanon came into effect, following six weeks of renewed confrontation between Israel and "Hezbollah".
Aoun said the Lebanese army would expand its presence to the border after the withdrawal of Israeli troops who had entered Lebanon, repel armed groups and allow the population to return to their homes. The goal is to ensure that there are no armed forces outside the regular army and the legitimate security services, he stressed.
The government in Beirut has already committed to disarming "Hezbollah" under the 2024 ceasefire agreement, but has taken limited steps in this direction, seeking to avoid causing unrest, as a large part of Lebanon's Shiite community continues to support the movement and advocates for it to keep its weapons, DPA recalls.
The "Hezbollah" parliamentary group said that the ceasefire should include a complete cessation of Israeli hostilities and the introduction of restrictions on the freedom of movement of Israelis in Lebanon, Reuters notes. At the same time, she criticized the Lebanese government, saying it "has brought the country into an extremely dangerous phase" by agreeing to direct negotiations with Israel.