Hezbollah vows ‘finger on trigger’ as ceasefire takes effect in Lebanon
The Lebanese resistance has called on citizens to exercise patience and refrain from returning to dangerous areas of the south where occupation forces remain present
Hezbollah released a statement on 17 April vowing its fingers would remain “on the trigger,” hours after a temporary ceasefire took effect across the country following 45 days of war.
“In defense of Lebanon and its people, we fought the ‘Devoured Straw’ battle over the course of 45 days, during which we inscribed heroic epics rarely matched in strength, courage, steadfastness, reliance on God Almighty, and confidence in His victory,” Hezbollah stated.
“Despite the Israeli killing machine’s intelligence dominance and overwhelming firepower, it failed to deter [us] from rising and continuing [our] national, humanitarian, and religious duty to protect and defend the homeland and its people,” it added.
“These fighters will keep their hands on the trigger, remaining vigilant against the enemy’s treachery and betrayal. Their pledge to the Secretary-General of the Resistance, and to its noble, proud, and self-sacrificing people, is that we will remain committed to our covenant until our last breath, and our banner will never fall.”
The ceasefire took effect at 12:00 am. The Israeli army had been bombing south Lebanon heavily in the hours leading up to the truce.
Just minutes before midnight, an airstrike hit Tyre (Sur), resulting in a massacre. Israeli artillery shelling in the south persisted into the ceasefire.
Hezbollah launched heavy rocket attacks against the city of Nahariya and elsewhere in Israel before the truce took effect.
Since the 10-day ceasefire began, displaced residents of southern Lebanon have been returning to their towns and villages – defying Israel’s pledge that Lebanese citizens would not return to their homes until the security of the northern settlements was achieved.
Residents of the south were seen in footage on social media crossing the Qasimia Bridge near Tyre, which was bombed repeatedly by Israel throughout the war.
However, the Israeli army is still present in multiple areas in the south and continues to besiege Bint Jbeil – which Israeli troops failed to capture from the resistance.
Hezbollah issued a statement on Thursday night calling on residents to exercise patience and refrain from returning to parts of the south.
"What has been announced is not the end of the war. It is a truce – a temporary ceasefire – pending the outcome of negotiations. The war may end through talks without a return to military operations, or no agreement may be reached and fighting resumes,” said Al Manar correspondent Samer al-Haj Ali.
“What remains constant is what the Secretary-General has repeatedly stated: there will be no return to the previous phase in which the enemy carried out attacks without response, and we will not accept any occupation presence on our land. So far, all the objectives of the aggression have failed in both Iran and Lebanon, and none have been achieved. Iran has secured a clear and decisive victory, and is therefore imposing its terms in negotiations, including a ceasefire in Lebanon,” he added.
He also stressed that “Israel has not even managed to decisively win the battles of Khiam or Bint Jbeil after 45 days of bombardment and fighting – let alone larger goals such as occupying the south or disarming resistance.”
An Iranian source told Al Mayadeen on 16 April that Tehran exerted heavy pressure for the Lebanon ceasefire.
“Last night, we set a final, decisive deadline to stop the aggression against Lebanon,” the source said.