TEHRAN - The Hezbollah secretary-general declared on Thursday that the Lebanese resistance, with Iran's backing, has entered a new phase of "breaking the Israeli project".

"What we see from the Resistance has astounded the world," Sheikh Naim Qassem said as he addressed Ashura mourners in Beirut's southern suburbs.

The cleric secretary-general was referring to the resistance movement’s 15-month policy of "strategic patience" – a deliberate strategy of restraint adopted after the November 2024 ceasefire.

During the period, Israel continued airstrikes, assassinations and military incursions across Lebanese territory, claiming approximately 500 lives and committing more than 10,000 land, sea and air violations. Hezbollah largely refrained from major retaliation to avoid being accused of obstructing diplomatic efforts.

"When you watch the world, they say: What's wrong with these people, why are they doing this, and how did they do this? It is unbelievable. Why? Because they are not accustomed to seeing this kind of patience that changes the equations," Qassem said, Press TV reported.

"Our patience builds the future, our patience flips the equations, our patience leads to consolidating the project, our patience breaks the arrogance of the tyrant," he added.

Qassem declared that Lebanon and its resistance movement have entered "a new phase called breaking the Israeli project".

"The project that sought over the past years to eliminate Hezbollah militarily, politically, culturally, and socially has failed," he stated.

"We can say that after all the attempts by the Israeli entity over the past two or three years, we have reached a stage where the project has been broken."

The Hezbollah chief was referring to Israel's stated goal of dismantling the group's military capabilities and influence.

The aggression that erupted on March 2, 2026, saw Israel launch a massive campaign of airstrikes and ground invasions aimed at creating a "security zone" in southern Lebanon and disarming Hezbollah. Despite these efforts, Hezbollah has maintained its military capabilities and continues to launch attacks.

Qassem stressed that Israel "can never achieve its goals on the battlefield" and said the regime has "no choice but full withdrawal from all Lebanese territories, without retaining any inch under any pretext."

"Israel cannot, under any pretext, occupy even a single inch of Lebanese territory. Ground, air, and sea violations must stop, and the Lebanese army must be deployed," he said.

The Hezbollah chief emphasized that the group exercised "strategic patience" for 15 months before entering the war on March 2, crediting Iran's support for the resistance movement's resilience.

"We moved from patience on the ground to fighting on the ground on March 2nd with a clear and decisive decision, because we considered this timing and these circumstances to be appropriate," Qassem said.

"We entered into a movement relying on Iran, thus adding strength to the three forces we already possessed."

Qassem expressed gratitude to Iran, saying: "We thank Iran, and we tell you that you are the most honorable people in the world."

Qassem's remarks came as Israeli drone strikes killed three people in southern Lebanon on Thursday, the latest violation of the June 17 U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) that explicitly calls for an end to military operations on "all fronts, including Lebanon."

Since the aggression escalated on March 2, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed at least 4,230 people and wounded 12,179 others, according to Lebanese health ministry figures. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced.