The July 2006 war is a historic victory for the future, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Monday on the 17th anniversary of Lebanon's victory against the Israeli occupation in the war the latter waged on Lebanon.

The greatest sight eyes could see on August 14, 2006, the day the Resistance reigned victorious against the Israeli occupation, Sayyed Nasrallah said, was the courageous and swift return of the people to their homes, which solidified Lebanon's victory against the Israeli enemy.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan #Nasrallah on the 17th anniversary of the 2006 victory: "The greatest scene on this day in 2006 was the courageous and swift return of the people, which solidified the military victory."#Lebanon https://t.co/osBexl0i3K

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 14, 2023

The people returning home in convoys underlined "our people's resilience and unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, as well as their bond to the land and their firm commitment to the concept of resistance no matter how great the sacrifices."

"Were it not for the building on the results of the 2006 July War, the victories would not have been achieved later," Sayyed Nasrallah said, stressing that "Lebanon today is facing a new phase that is one of the results of these victories."

"The process of demarcating the maritime borders and kickstarting exploration would not have been possible had it not been for the results of the 2006 July War," he added.

#Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan #Nasrallah on the 17th anniversary of the 2006 victory: "The process of demarcating maritime borders and drilling would not have been possible without building upon the outcomes of the July 2006 war."#Lebanon https://t.co/8fxPhpEWD2

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 14, 2023

The real guarantee for preserving Lebanon's rights and oil wealth is its preservation of all of its trump cards, foremost of which is the Resistance, the Lebanese Resistance leader stressed.

Meanwhile, he said what is standing between the Israeli occupation and diminishing Lebanon's rights was the former's understanding that any such attempt would be met with a forceful reaction that will leave it regretful.

"After 2006, the Zionists added a fourth element to its security doctrine represented in defense and protection, as it had to search for adequate anti-air systems, and it worked very hard and spent a lot [on this project," Sayyed Nasrallah added.

"The enemy has since 2006 been conducting military drills on its internal front to keep its readiness in check at a time when reports are flooding the media that it is not," he highlighted.

"The most important aspect on the home front is the lack of readiness of these settlers, colonialists, and occupiers of this land to make any sacrifices and deal with the repercussions [of their actions]," Sayyed Nasrallah underlined.

"After spending 17 years trying, preparing, and developing, the Israelis were unable to restore the image of the Israeli army," he stressed.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan #Nasrallah on the 17th anniversary of the 2006 victory: "After 17 years of attempts, preparation, and development, the Israelis have been unable to restore the image of the Israeli army."#Lebanon https://t.co/ygKMFbM5Lp

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 14, 2023

"The enemy went from being on the offensive to being on the defense while the Israeli army today is at its worst shape in history," the Resistance leader said.

The Israeli occupation forces, he highlighted, suffer from a weak fighting spirit and a lack of willingness to combat, and the failed attempt at a raid in Gaza is a prime example of that.

The Hezbollah leader, responding to the Israeli threats about "returning Lebanon to the stone age" in any war against the country following weeks of border tensions, a threat last made by Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant last week, said the Israeli occupation "will also go back to the stone age" if it attacks Lebanon.

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The Axis of Resistance today has the initiative to a great extent as the Israeli occupation shields itself behind the walls, he stressed. "The enemy can calculate how many precision missiles the Resistance needs to strike its critical infrastructure."

He also cautioned that if the battle with the Axis of Resistance escalated into a full-blown confrontation, "there will this thing called 'Israel' will cease to exist."

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan #Nasrallah on the 17th anniversary of the 2006 victory: "If the battle escalates into a confrontation with the axis of resistance, this thing called 'Israel' will cease to exist."#Lebanon https://t.co/cbutRFTLQ8

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 14, 2023

The July 2006 war, waged by the Israeli occupation forces against Lebanon following Operation Truthful Promise in which Hezbollah succeeded in capturing two Israeli soldiers in a high-profile operation on the Lebanese-occupied Palestinian occupied border on July 12, 2006. The Israeli occupation referred to it as the "Second Lebanon War."

The war was waged with the objective of destroying Hezbollah's power and occupying wide parts of Lebanon, but it failed to do so after the Lebanese resistance successfully confronted it and inflicted significant losses on the attacking forces, both on the frontlines and domestically.

The war ended after 33 days of fighting, without the Israeli forces managing to occupy any Lebanese territory. They faced precision strikes on land, sea, and air, as well as rocket barrages that resulted in dozens of casualties among settlers and reached the southern parts of Haifa.

Read more: Israeli goals in the July war vs. Reality

The Israeli occupation forces suffered around 150 casualties, mostly from elite forces, in addition to hundreds of injuries and substantial losses in tanks and military capabilities.

Nasrallah: Local media sparked violent escalation of Kahale incident

Sayyed Nasrallah also attended to the recent incident in Al-Kahale, Lebanon which led to the martyrdom of a Hezbollah member last week. 

The Secretary-General condemned the role which some parties in Lebanon in inciting violence and encouraging escalation. 

Sayyed Nasrallah specifically condemned a local media station for unethically reporting on the accident which provoked locals and incited them towards violence. 

According to Al-Akhbar Lebanese newspaper, shortly after the truck had overturned and before any tensions had started brewing, MTV, a local media station, was quick to shed light on the incident which quickly provoked local parties towards violence.

While not citing the media station by name, Sayyed Nasrallah resolutely accused the "malicious media station" of provoking the violence and causing escalation. 

Read more: Lebanese Army statement on al-Kahaleh situation, other condemnations

Hezbollah member protecting Resistance-owned truck killed by militants

Hezbollah issued a statement commenting on the events of Kahale Road in the Aley region in Mount Lebanon Governorate.

According to Hezbollah, while one of its trucks was on its way to Beirut coming from Bekaa, the vehicle overturned on the road in the Kahale area, east of Beirut.

While personnel involved with delivering the truck were making phone calls requesting assistance to get it back on the road so that it could continue to its designated destination, a number of armed individuals from the militias in the region gathered and attacked the Resistance members in an attempt to seize the truck.

Hezbollah's statement continued, "The gunmen first started throwing stones [at the vehicle's personnel] and then opened fire, which resulted in the injury of one of our brothers charged with guarding the truck, and he was martyred shortly after reaching the hospital."