Hezbollah said on Monday that the Israeli military has been incapable of occupying even a single village in Lebanon since launching cross-border ground operations six weeks ago.
Israeli troops on September 30 began what the military called 鈥榣ocalised and targeted raids鈥� against Hezbollah in Lebanon鈥檚 southern border area, a week after escalating air strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
鈥楢fter 45 days of bloody fighting, the enemy is still unable to occupy a single Lebanese village,鈥� Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif told a news conference in south Beirut, a stronghold of the movement and a repeated target of Israeli air raids.
Hezbollah, armed and financed by Iran, had on October 23 issued a similar statement that said Israel鈥檚 army 鈥榟as not been able to fully establish its control or completely occupy any village鈥� in southern Lebanon.
Israel has said its aim is to make its northern border safe for the return of tens of thousands of Israelis displaced when Hezbollah began cross-border fire, which it described as support for Hamas Palestinian militants in Gaza, more than a year ago.
On November 3, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops at the Lebanon border that the operation aimed to push Hezbollah back over the Litani River.
He said a second goal was to stop any attempt to rearm and the third was 鈥榯o respond firmly to any action taken against us鈥�, according to his office.
On Monday Hezbollah spokesman Afif said the group鈥檚 fighters had repulsed Israeli troops in Khiam, about six kilometres from the border.
He added that the Israelis also failed in attempts 鈥榯o penetrate on several fronts at Bint Jbeil鈥�, about 17 kilometres southwest of Khiam.
Footage verified by AFP last week showed massive detonations in the village of Mais al-Jabal, between Bint Jbeil and Khiam. Similar aerial scenes have been captured from several border villages since Israel sent in ground troops.
Hezbollah accuses Israel of seeking to create a 鈥榥o man鈥檚 land鈥� on the frontier.
Afif denied that Israeli strikes on Lebanon had diminished the group鈥檚 missile stock.
He asked how that could be the case 鈥榳hen we targeted the suburbs of Tel Aviv several days ago鈥� and employed for the first time Fateh missiles.
The group announced on November 6 that it had begun to use Fateh-110 Iranian-made surface-to-surface guided missiles.
In a March report, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies described Hezbollah as 鈥榩robably the most heavily armed non-state group in the world鈥�, with an estimated 1,20,000-2,00,000 rockets and missiles.
Asked about ceasefire prospects, Afif said that since the election of Donald Trump last week to the United States presidency, there were 鈥榗ontacts between Washington, Moscow, Tehran and other capitals鈥�.
But he said, 鈥榓ccording to my information nothing official has reached Hezbollah or the Lebanese state.鈥�
Israeli strikes killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders but Afif said the group remains 鈥榬eady for a long war鈥�.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia鈥檚 de facto ruler called for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon at a joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit that will renew calls for a Palestinian state on Monday.
Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Riyadh, more than a year into the Israel-Hamas war and regional escalation, in what is seen as a chance to send a message to Trump.
Opening the summit, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the international community must 鈥渋mmediately halt the Israeli actions against our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon鈥�, condemning Israel鈥檚 campaign in Gaza as 鈥済enocide鈥�.
Saudi Arabia 鈥渁ffirms its support for the brothers in Palestine and Lebanon to overcome the disastrous humanitarian consequences of the on-going Israeli aggression,鈥� he said.
A draft resolution for the summit stresses 鈥榝irm support鈥� for 鈥渘ational rights鈥� for the Palestinian people, 鈥榝oremost among which is their right to freedom and to an independent, sovereign state鈥�.
Just hours earlier, newly appointed Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar said it was not 鈥渞ealistic鈥� to establish a Palestinian state, dismissing it as a 鈥楬amas state鈥�.
鈥業 don鈥檛 think this position is realistic today and we must be realistic,鈥� Saar said in Jerusalem.
Prince Mohammed also called on Israel not to attack Iran, highlighting improving ties between Saudi Arabia and its former regional rival.
Meanwhile, Lebanon鈥檚 prime minister Najib Mikati warned that the country was suffering an 鈥榚xistential鈥� crisis and hit out at countries meddling in its internal affairs 鈥� a thinly veiled swipe at Iran.
Countries should stop 鈥榠nterfering in its internal affairs by supporting this or that group, but rather support Lebanon as a state and entity鈥�, Mikati said.