DUBAI (Reuters) – The ceasefire in Gaza represents a “big victory” for the Palestinian resistance, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday, warning against any possible violation by Israel.
The Palestinian armed group Hamas and Israel have reached a cease-fire deal in Gaza that mediators said will take effect on Sunday. The agreement provides for the release of Israeli hostages held there during the 15-month conflict that devastated the enclave and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
“Ending the war and imposing a truce on the Zionist regime (Israel) is clearly both a major victory for Palestine and a major defeat for the Zionist regime,” the Guard said in a statement.
Iran and its allied non-state armed groups in the region, such as Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have supported Hamas throughout the conflict.
“The resistance remains alive, thriving, strong () and has a deeper faith in the divine promise to liberate al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem,” the Guards said, warning against any violation of the ceasefire by Israel and saying they were maintaining preparations on the ground to confront with “new wars and crimes”.
On X, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Palestinian resistance and the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” had succeeded in forcing Israel to “retreat.”
The Gaza war has fueled conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq and fueled fears of an all-out war between Israel’s main regional foes, Iran.
In November, Hezbollah and Israel agreed to a ceasefire weeks after the conflict escalated and led to the killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli air strike on Beirut.
Western officials, including White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, have said the war against Israel and the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance” has significantly weakened Tehran.
The Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, said last week that Iran’s enemies have a “false sense of euphoria” over recent regional developments and that Tehran’s missile forces are stronger than ever.
