Iranian officials call Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire a victory

Iranian officials celebrated the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as a victory, in spite of the Iran-backed group being at its weakest point since its foundation over 40 years ago.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Hezbollah had “shattered the myth of Israel's invincibility” during the conflict, forcing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to beg for peace despite extensive US support.

“Over the past year, Netanyahu has drained American taxpayers of tens of billions of dollars for his war crimes and enjoyed full military and political support from the US government," he said on X.

“However, after suffering heavy losses in southern Lebanon, he was forced to beg for a ceasefire. Once again, Hezbollah has shattered the myth of Israel's invincibility."

He did not mention anything about the assassination of the group's top leadership, including long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed in a precision strike in Beirut in September. Around 3,000 Hezbollah operatives are also believed to have been killed in the operations, according to the Israeli military. According to Reuters, the number could be as many as 4,000.

Araghchi also framed the ceasefire as a turning point, urging Israel to recognize its defeats in both Gaza and Lebanon.

In Gaza, Israel has also dealt critical blows to Iran-backed Hamas with the group splintered into a guerrilla force after more than a year of Israeli bombardment has destroyed masses of its infrastructure. The Israeli military asserts that over 17,000 Hamas operatives have been killed since last year's offensive began.

At least 1,500 Hezbollah operatives, Iran's largest ally in the region, were also killed in a two-day operation by Israel which saw simultaneous explosions of walkie-talkies and pagers, an attack which seriously hindered the group, deemed a "terrorist" organization in countries such as the UK and US.

On Wednesday, a US- and France-brokered 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, aiming to halt 14 months of intense conflict sparked by the Gaza war. Hezbollah has, since October 8 last year, fired over 17,000 projectiles towards Israel in support of Hamas in Gaza, which invaded Israel on October 7 last year.

The agreement mandates a 60-day cessation of hostilities, during which both Israeli and Hezbollah forces are to withdraw from southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers assuming control of the area.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps echoed the Iranian claims of victory. "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," he said, according to Iran's Press TV.

Following the Israeli ground incursion last month, many Hezbollah cadres fled southern Lebanon.

Fighters had “left the area” without demonstrating “meaningful defensive operations”, according to the Institute of the Study of War (ISW), a US-based conflict think tank.

A report by the NGO said: “Hezbollah fighters do not appear to be defending against Israeli forces in these [southern] villages as the Israeli forces have consistently encountered weapons caches and infrastructure formerly used by Hezbollah fighters that left the area”.

The institute said it was “unclear why Hezbollah is not conducting meaningful defensive operations in response to Israel’s ground operations”.

Some Iranians on social media are making fun of the claims of victory, enumerating Hezbollah's losses and Tehran's own requests for a ceasefire.