Lebanon is marking the 25th anniversary of the historic liberation of the southern parts of the country from the Israeli occupation by the Hezbollah resistance movement.
In a statement to mark the resistance and liberation day, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam pledged to take all necessary actions to liberate Lebanese territories from the recent Israeli occupation. On May 25, 2000, Israel was forced to withdraw from southern Lebanon after 18 years of occupation. At the time, the Israeli regime had to evacuate its forces in a chaotic situation, under pressure and heavy attacks by Hezbollah. It followed days of fighting over the capturing of three Israeli forces by Hezbollah. The victory was a turning point in the conflict and was a cornerstone for the resistance forces to deal major defeats to Israel, including in the 2006 war.