BEIRUT (Dispatches) -- 
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem congratulated Palestinians on Saturday over the Gaza ceasefire deal, saying in a speech that it proved the “persistence of resistance” against the occupying regime of Israel.
The remarks were the first in public by the leader of the Lebanese resistance movement since Israel and Hamas reached the accord on Wednesday.
“This deal, which was unchanged from what was proposed in May 2024, proves the persistence of resistance groups, which took what they wanted while Israel was not able to take what it sought,” he said.
“The resistance and the Palestinian people foiled Israel’s dangerous plan,” Sheikh Qassem said. “History will record Gaza’s place in the sacrifices made to break the Israeli enemy’s project.”
Pointing to the Israeli assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh and commander Yahya Sinwar, the Hezbollah leader said their sacrifices stopped the regime’s sinister scheme and prevented the cancellation of the Palestinian cause.
“The people came out proud and the resistance held its weapons, and the struggling Hamas movement and the Al-Qassam Brigades proved their worthiness in leading the resistance and its steadfastness,” Sheikh Qassem said.
“Now every Palestinian child will be born a resistance fighter. We must read carefully the entity’s huge losses in the army, economy, psychological, educational and political situation,” he added.
Israel, Sheikh Qassem said, is now an outcast on the international level, with its image tarnished around the world. 
“The ruling of the International Criminal Court is enough to know the extent of the great impact that the resistance of the Palestinian people has had and exposed this Israeli entity,” he said. 
The ICC issued arrest warrants last year for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former war minister Yoav Gallant over their war crimes in Gaza. 
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in a conflict parallel to the Gaza war in November. That ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States and France, requires Zionist forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days.
Lebanon has repeatedly complained that Israel is breaching the ceasefire.
“Don’t test our patience and I call on the Lebanese state to deal firmly with these violations that have exceeded 100,” Qassem said.
On Friday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix 
said a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is “fragile,” calling on Israeli troops to withdraw from areas in southern Lebanon.
“With 10 days until the end of the stated 60-day period for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, however, Israeli demolitions of tunnels, buildings, and agricultural land continue,” Lacroix told the UN Security Council. 
“Some airstrikes have also been reported, as have ongoing violations of Lebanese airspace,” he added.
In his address, Sheikh Qassem touched on Israel’s aggression on the Lebanese soil over Hezbollah’s operations against the Zionist regime in support of the Palestinians.
He said Lebanon’s “young resistance fighters stood as an impregnable barrier against the advance on the front in a legendary confrontation”.
“Hezbollah and the resistance fighters thwarted Israel’s goal of ending the resistance in Lebanon, which emerged proud and with its head held high.”
Sheikh Qassem said, “The resistance in Lebanon will remain resistant to the American-Israeli project, and it is continuing, strong, ready and faithful to the blood of the martyrs to liberate the land and to liberate Palestine.”
He also referred to the election of Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, who commanded the Lebanese military until parliament elected him as head of state on Jan.9.
“Our contribution as Hezbollah and the Amal movement led to the election of the new president with consensus,” Qassem said.