A year of fighting with Israel killed thousands – and shattered Hezbollah’s air of invincibility – before a ceasefire was reached

The Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah chose an iconic spot for his victory speech: the sports stadium in Bint Jbeil, a kilometre from the Israel-Lebanon border where, in 2000, crowds roared as the group’s then leader, Hassan Nasrallah, declared that it had ended Israel’s 18-year occupation of south Lebanon.

“Today we come to announce from Bint Jbeil and with confidence that we have won over the Israeli killing machine,” the MP told journalists on Wednesday, a few hours after a ceasefire with Israel took effect. Another war with Israel had ended, but this time there were no crowds in the stands, the stadium was covered in shrapnel and Nasrallah was dead.