Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Friday that the US-Iran deal signed last week was a declaration of defeat by Israel and America, after the agreement also reduced fighting between his group and Israel, AFP reports.

“They wanted a major war… to eliminate our existence,” Qassem said in a televised address to mark Ashura, a day of mourning for the death of a key figure in Shia Islam.

“We were able to stop this aggression and achieve a great victory… We have shattered the Israeli-American project and entered a new phase,” he added.

Iran “was able to reach the memorandum of understanding, which is an official declaration of the defeat of America and Israel”.