The Lebanese Forces issued a statement on Sunday criticizing Hezbollah's "Hollywood-style" communication, conducted "through its MPs and media," accusing it of distorting the reality of events in south Lebanon to portray them as a "grand and immense victory of the so-called resistance," while attempting to overlook the fact that Israel still occupies several villages in the country.

"Israel has not withdrawn from any village it did not decide to withdraw from, and the villages that people entered are part of those from which Israel decided to withdraw. Instead of letting the army organize the entry into these villages, Hezbollah decided to sacrifice 22 martyrs (the final toll is now 24 for Sunday alone) just to prove it still exists," stated the LF in a statement released following an interview given to the press by its leader, Samir Geagea. This statement was published a few hours before the anticipated speech by Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, scheduled for Monday at 6:30 p.m.

Since Sunday, hundreds of Lebanese have attempted to return to their villages occupied by Israel, which extended its presence beyond the 60 days initially planned for the ceasefire that came into effect on Nov. 27. This cease-fire has been extended until Feb. 18, a decision also approved by the Lebanese government. 24 people were killed on Sunday by Israeli gunfire, not counting the injured, while further incidents occurred on Monday. However, the statements from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement of Speaker Nabih Berri focused on the courage and sense of sacrifice of the inhabitants of south Lebanon.

In their statement, the LF also called on the government to "give clear instructions to the Lebanese army to use its powers to organize the return of displaced persons to their villages ... in a way that preserves their safety." The party also criticized the "disastrous results" provided by the "resistance" during its 13-month confrontations with Israel — with more than 4,000 deaths and damage amounting to billions, mainly in its zones of influence.

"The government and the army are supposed to take things into their own hands and get rid of the last Israeli soldier on Lebanese soil, and everything else is just a cheap repetition of past tragedies at a very high price in the blood of southern inhabitants that led to no result in the past and will lead to no result today, except a desperate attempt to keep the party afloat, which will not happen."

The Lebanese Forces also said that "Hezbollah's attempt to present the people as an alternative to resistance is rejected both in form and substance, as the state represents the people and is the only one to have a monopoly on arms."