Lebanese group Hezbollah has said it had achieved “victory” over Israel and that its fighters were at the ready, in its first statement since a truce between the two sides took effect, AFP reports.

“Victory from God almighty was the ally of the righteous cause,” the statement from the group said.

Hezbollah fighters “will remain in total readiness to deal with the Israeli enemy’s ambitions and its attacks”, the statement added, without directly mentioning the truce or its terms.

The Hezbollah statement said Israeli forces failed in their “attempts… to occupy and set up in any of the towns”, to prevent Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks or to “establish a military and security buffer zone as the enemy had hoped”.

It said Hezbollah fighters targeted Israel “until the last day of the aggression”.