BEIRUT — Hezbollah parliamentary chief MP Mohammad Raad claimed on Saturday that "great victory is just around the corner" in Hezbollah's conflict with Israel.

Describing Hezbollah's engagement in the conflict, Raad said the party had "blinded the enemy’s eyes, made him lose his hearing and sight, and made him lose stability and security in his military bases and command headquarters." The MP's comments came during a party ceremony held in Ghazieh (Saida district) to honor the life of deceased Hezbollah fighter Muhammad Shawki Shukair.

On Thursday, Hezbollah announced that it had "launched surface-to-air missiles in the direction of an Israeli warplane that had violated Lebanese airspace," forcing it to retreat. This was the first time that fighters from the party had launched missiles capable of posing a threat to the Israeli air force, the party's press service told L'Orient-Le Jour. Hezbollah has previously successfully targeted un-piloted Israeli drones, including a Hermes 900, worth tens of millions of dollars, last week.

Since Thursday's incident, the exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon have diminished in intensity. However, the Israeli army indicated it has launched preparations for an offensive in southern Lebanon, a tactical choice that Israel's American ally fears could have regional repercussions.

Speaking about targeting warplanes, the party's spokesperson said, “The distance of warplanes, their size and speed is different from that of drones. So obviously these are also different missiles than those launched against drones.”

On June 1, an Israeli pilotless plane was shot down over Lebanese territory by a surface-to-air missile, Israel's military said. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the interception.

Raad also said Israel "has not been able to achieve any of the goals that it put forward" during the war between Hezbollah and Israel in south Lebanon. "The great victory is just around the corner, and this victory is represented by the fact that we thwarted the enemy’s plans and prevented him from implementing his aggressive goals that he raised at the beginning of the war he launched against Gaza," he said.

"Instead of the enemy thinking about having a security belt in our land, it created a belt inside occupied Palestine because it was unable to protect the settlers," Raad added.