Naim Qassem insisted Hezbollah had emerged from the fight with Israel victorious, despite painful and unprecedented setbacks, and was unwilling to concede the group’s domestic position. Qassem also expressed Hezbollah’s satisfaction with Lebanon’s post-war political direction and said his group had a productive and positive relationship with Lebanon’s new president and prime minister-designate.

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Monday that Israel should withdraw from the occupied border areas in southern Lebanon, rejecting the extension of the cease-fire arrangements to Feb. 18.

Lebanese Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Monday that the group would not accept any justifications to extend the period for Israeli troops' withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The ceasefire agreement between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah is in new jeopardy Sunday as various groups slow walk responsibilities under the deal.

UFC star Conor McGregor slammed pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah protesters for their demonstrations in the streets of Dublin on Saturday.

Earlier that month, Israel intensified air campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in response to escalating rocket attacks by the Iran-backed armed group which had killed civilians, and displaced tens of thousands more from homes in northern Israel.

Hezbollah, one of Lebanon's most powerful political players, has been significantly weakened by its conflict with Israel.

The proximity to the Lebanese border made Manara so vulnerable in the war between Israel and Hezbollah that it became a symbol of the heavy price of fighting, with rockets and explosive drones damaging the majority of homes.

While a cease-fire is in effect with the Palestinian Hamas in the south, the Israeli military ramped up its operations over the weekend against terrorists in the north and west, Israel Defense

The collapse of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria was truly a turning point for Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” in the Middle East. For over a decade, the Assad regime benefited from longtime allies Russia and Iran, who both committed to propping up the totalitarian police state in exchange for gaining footholds in the region.

A key opportunity lies in Mediterranean natural gas deposits, which could provide economic relief and energy security for Lebanon and the world as a whole.

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.