Members of Hezbollah wave the party flag as they greet drivers on the highway between Sidon and Tyre on November 27, 2024, as displaced people make their way back to their homes in the south of Lebanon after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

Beirut, November 27 (RHC)--  Iraq’s anti-terror group Kata’ib Hezbollah has hailed the ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, saying the truce would have been impossible without the steadfastness of the fighters of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.

Kata'ib Hezbollah made the remarks in a statement on Wednesday, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon officially came into effect, putting a temporary end to nearly 14 months of fighting between the two sides.

It went on to say that the decision “was, without doubt, a purely Lebanese one,” stressing, however, that a pause in action by any of the resistance groups across the region will not weaken the unity of the resistance front.

“On the contrary, new parties will join, strengthening the resistance front to confront the enemies of Allah, His Messenger, and the believers,” the group added.

Kata'ib Hezbollah further held the United States “a partner of the Zionist entity in all its treacherous crimes of murder, destruction, and displacement," stressing that "it must pay the price for these crimes sooner or later.”

The Iraqi anti-terror group also reaffirmed its commitment to support the Palestinian cause, emphasizing that it will not abandon Palestinians in Gaza, no matter how great sacrifices would be required.

“We remain undeterred by the threats, treachery, or criminal methods of the enemy. And it is incumbent upon us to aid the believers," it said.

A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah began at 04:00 local time (0200 GMT) on Wednesday.  The ceasefire agreement requires Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon and Lebanon’s army to deploy in the region.

The Israeli regime initiated its full-scale war on Lebanon in late September when Benjamin Netanyahu announced updated war objectives, emphasizing a determination to return hundreds of thousands of settlers to their homes in northern occupied Palestine.

Israeli military commanders pledged to eradicate Hezbollah and eliminate its presence in southern Lebanon. However, they were ultimately compelled to accept a ceasefire agreement without achieving any of those goals.

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Tuesday the agreement between Israel and Lebanon does not achieve the war's goals of returning the settlers of the north to their homes safely

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu's cabinet was "dragged into an agreement with Hezbollah" as the northern towns in the occupied territories were destroyed, the lives of the residents collapsed, and the army was exhausted.

Yemen's Ansarullah: Israel submitted to accepting Lebanon truce

Separately on Tuesday, Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement praised the steadfastness of Hezbollah and the people of Lebanon in the face of the brutal Israeli aggression, saying its fighters “trust the choices” of the Lebanese resistance group, after a ceasefire deal was reached between the two sides.

The “Israeli enemy would not have submitted and accepted the ceasefire had it not clashed with a solid resistance that did not break in the face of the treacherous assassination crimes,” Ansarullah spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam said.

“[Hezbollah] has excelled in its … operations, which have escalated in quantity and quality until it forced the Zionist enemy and its American sponsor to move towards a ceasefire agreement, in a way that preserves the security, sovereignty and independence of Lebanon,” he said.

[ SOURCE:  AL JAZEERA and NEWS AGENCIES ]