BEIRUT (Reuters) – The top of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, pledged on Friday to coordinate carefully with the Lebanese military to implement a ceasefire cope with Israel, which he mentioned his group had agreed to “with heads held excessive”.

It was his first handle since a ceasefire got here into impact on Wednesday after greater than a yr of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel that decimated swathes of Lebanon and killed 4,000 individuals together with lots of of ladies and youngsters.

Qassem mentioned Hezbollah had “accepted the deal, with the resistance sturdy within the battlefield, and our heads held excessive with our proper to defend (ourselves).”

The ceasefire stipulates that Hezbollah will withdraw from areas south of the Litani river, which runs some 30 km (20 miles) north of the border with Israel, and that the Lebanese military will deploy troops there as Israeli floor troops withdraw.

“There can be high-level coordination between the Resistance (Hezbollah) and the Lebanese military to implement the commitments of the deal,” Qassem mentioned.

The Lebanese military has already despatched further troops to the south however is getting ready an in depth deployment plan to share with Lebanon’s cupboard, safety sources and officers have mentioned.

That effort has been sophisticated by the persevering with presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory. The deal grants them a full 60 days to finish their withdrawal.

The Israeli navy has issued restrictions on individuals returning to villages alongside Lebanon’s border with Israel and has fired at individuals in these villages in latest days, calling these actions a violation of the truce.

Each the Lebanese military and Hezbollah have accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire in these situations, and by launching an airstrike above the Litani River on Thursday.

Qassem mentioned the group had scored a “divine victory” in opposition to Israel even larger than that declared after the 2 foes final fought in 2006.

“To people who have been betting that Hezbollah can be weakened, we’re sorry, their bets have failed,” he mentioned.