US Edition The leaders of Syria and Iran claimed victory over Israel yesterday, hailing Hizbollah's "glorious battle" in Lebanon as a crushing blow to America's plans for the Middle East.
President Bashar Assad of Syria and his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - the key sponsors of Hizbollah - said that Israel's acceptance of a ceasefire without achieving its stated war aims amounted to a defeat for the Jewish state, America and Britain.
Mr Assad told hundreds of supporters in the Syrian capital, Damascus, that Hizbollah's fighters had taught the Israelis a lesson.
"We tell them that after tasting humiliation in the latest battles, your weapons are not going to protect you - not your planes or missiles, or even your nuclear bombs.
"The future generations in the Arab world will find a way to defeat Israel."
Mr Assad said that American policy in the region had been destroyed.
"The Middle East they aspire to has become an illusion," he said, adding that peace with President George W Bush was impossible.
"This is an administration that adopts the principle of pre-emptive war that is absolutely contradictory to the principle of peace," he said. "Consequently we don't expect peace [while he remains in power]."
President Ahmadinejad told a large crowd in the city of Ardabil that "God's promises have come true" and that Hizbollah had managed to "hoist the banner of victory" over Israel.
Mr Ahmadinejad also announced his rejection of a UN resolution urging Iran to suspend the enrichment of uranium in return for economic aid.