Hezbollah says it has secured Lebanon's border with Syria

BEIRUT – The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah says the group is pulling back from positions along Lebanon's eastern border with Syria after securing it.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah declared Thursday to thousands of his supporters: "The mission is accomplished."

He spoke via satellite link at a gathering marking the death of a top Hezbollah commander in Syria last year.

The group has sent thousands of its supporters to Syria to shore up President Bashar Assad's military in Syria's civil war and continues to be engaged in battles across many parts of the war-torn country. Its fighters have also fought battles against Sunni militants along the northeastern border with Syria.

Nasrallah said the group will maintain a security presence along the border with Syria to protect against any new infiltration by militants.