Hezbollah publicly endorses Lebanon ceasefire efforts for the first time as Israel ramps up offensive
Hezbollah has expressed support for efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, a senior official stated on Tuesday. This marks the first time the group has publicly backed a truce without tying it to the cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
“We support the political efforts led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri aimed at achieving a ceasefire. Once the ceasefire is solidly in place and diplomacy reaches that point, all other details will be addressed, and decisions will be made collectively,” said Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem.
In his speech marking the first anniversary of Hezbollah’s involvement in the war, Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem did not mention a Gaza ceasefire as a precondition for achieving one in Lebanon.
This was Qassem’s second address since Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah late last month. Since then, Israel has conducted limited ground operations in southern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah, which continues to launch rockets into northern Israel.
Nabih Berri, leader of the Shiite Amal party and an ally of Hezbollah, has played a crucial role in ceasefire negotiations mediated by Western nations.
Last week, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN that Nasrallah had agreed to a temporary ceasefire called for by U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other allies during the UN General Assembly. Shortly after, Nasrallah was assassinated by Israel.
‘Abyss of a long war’
In a video message on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had “eliminated” Hashem Safieddine, the designated successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. However, the Israeli military stated it is still verifying whether a strike on Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut resulted in his death.
Addressing the people of Lebanon directly, Netanyahu urged them to stand against Hezbollah and “take back your country,” warning of a war similar to the one in Gaza if they do not.
“Christians, Druze, Muslims—Sunnis and Shiites alike—all of you are suffering because of Hezbollah’s futile war against Israel,” Netanyahu said. “You have a chance to save Lebanon before it descends into a prolonged war that will bring destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza.”
Israel’s ongoing war against Hezbollah has claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry, with over 1.2 million displaced since fighting intensified last month, according to Lebanese authorities.
Despite some reference to ceasefire discussions, much of Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem’s speech on Tuesday took a defiant tone, underscoring Hezbollah’s readiness to continue fighting.
“If the enemy continues its war, then the battlefield will be decisive, and the battlefield is ours,” Qassem declared.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched a heavy barrage of rockets toward the Israeli cities of Haifa and Kiryat, marking one of the largest attacks on these cities since the conflict began. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that while many rockets were intercepted or landed in open areas, at least two buildings in Kiryat Yam and Kiryat Motzkin were directly hit.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military announced it had expanded its “limited, localized, targeted operations” into southwestern Lebanon.
