A deep sense of disappointment swept over the Israeli public on Wednesday morning, when they learned of the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran at exactly seven o’clock.

Perhaps the word “disappointment” does not suffice to describe the sense of loss that also crept into the ranks of Netanyahu’s supporters, who had promoted the necessity of war without questioning its objectives, and who will now be forced to justify its early cessation, explain its achievements—which they are completely unaware of—and bridge a gap that cannot be closed between what we were promised and what we actually received.

In the face of harsh scenes of destruction, rivers of blood, and the pain of displacement that we endure daily, it is only natural for our emotions to cry out, demanding the "crushing of the entity" and its immediate removal from existence. Some may even feel that any outcome short of this crushing is a form of betrayal or defeat.

This anger within us is sacred and commendable; it is evidence of our rejection of injustice and our complete alignment with what is right.

However, in existential wars, emotion is the fuel for steadfastness, but it is reason that reads the battlefield and steers the compass of the struggle. Here, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, teaches us the balance of insight when he says: "I fear for you two things: following desires and long hopes. As for following desires, it diverts from the truth; and as for long hopes, they make one forget the Hereafter." Here, "desires" include emotional reactions devoid of calculation.

So, how do we define victory through the lens of reason, not emotion?

Reason and facts tell us that we are not fighting an isolated entity, but rather a heavily armed global alliance. Therefore, victory in these fierce rounds is not measured by a "knockout blow" or the immediate disappearance of Israel—this is a complex process with its own prerequisites and timing. Rather, military and practical victory is measured by "thwarting the enemy’s objectives."

When the enemy launches a war of extermination with the declared goal of crushing the resistance, disarming it, and changing the Middle East, and yet we emerge from the rubble stronger, retaining our weapons, our will, and our field decisions—this is the absolute and necessary victory available to us at this stage.

The Holy Qur’an offers us a soothing example: in the Battle of the Trench (Al-Ahzab), the distress and psychological pressure reached such a level that God described it as: "and hearts reached the throats." Despite all that hardship and anticipation, victory that day was not the annihilation of the entire army of the polytheists, but rather their withdrawal and the failure of their plan to eradicate the Muslims. God clearly defined the criterion of victory: "And Allah repelled those who disbelieved, in their rage, not having obtained any good. And Allah spared the believers from fighting."

Beware the Trap of Despair

The enemy that fails to crush us militarily always bets on crushing us psychologically by "inflating our expectations." If we raise the bar and say: "Either Israel disappears now, or we are defeated," we hand the enemy a free victory and demoralize our own environment with our own hands.

We must be realistic: standing firm in the face of the machinery of annihilation, exhausting the enemy, and preventing them from imposing their conditions is a great victory. The pain we pay as the price for our dignity is matched by pain in their ranks and the collapse of their structure. But the difference lies in purpose and hope: "If you are suffering, they are suffering as you are suffering, but you hope from Allah what they do not hope for."

The demise of this entity is a gradual and cumulative process, and every round from which we emerge steadfast is another heavy nail in its coffin.

God Almighty is capable of destroying them in the blink of an eye: "That is so. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them; but [He did so] to test some of you by means of others." The trial is to purify hearts and test steadfastness.

Let us rejoice in our current victories, build upon them for the battles to come, and not let the absence of the complete demise of the usurping entity today blind our insight to the greatness of the achievement we are forging with our blood and patience.

I offer my condolences to our patient and steadfast people across Lebanon for the ascension of the righteous martyrs.

The Israeli enemy has failed on the battlefield in facing the brave heroes of the resistance and has not been able to carry out the ground invasion as it repeatedly announced.

The enemy has not succeeded, in over forty days of aggression, in preventing rockets, shells, and drones from reaching its settlements, both near and as far as Haifa and beyond.

The enemy was surprised by the resistance’s tactics, the flexibility of the fighters’ movements, their defensive capabilities, and their legendary courage.

Amassing one hundred thousand Israeli soldiers will not help the enemy occupy; rather, they will turn into corpses and body parts.

The enemy resorted to bloody crimes on Wednesday in Beirut, the southern suburbs, the South, the Bekaa, Mount Lebanon, and everywhere, targeting civilians in sprawling neighborhoods, villages, and towns to cover up its failure on the battlefield.

Our Lebanese people are much stronger and more resilient than believed, and the displaced have set an example of pride and morale.