Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General announced on Tuesday the group's support for efforts led by Lebanon's parliament speaker to achieve a ceasefire with Israel, marking the first public endorsement of the negotiations since the conflict began.
The Deputy Secretary General stated, 'We support the political efforts led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in the pursuit of a ceasefire. Once the ceasefire is firmly established and diplomacy can facilitate it, all other details will be discussed and decisions will be made collaboratively.'
Berri, who leads the predominantly Shiite Amal party allied with Hezbollah, has played a crucial role in the ceasefire negotiations.
Previously, Hezbollah had indicated that it would cease firing at Israel only after a ceasefire was reached with Hamas in Gaza. However, Israel insisted on the separation of Hezbollah's conflict with Israel from the ongoing war with Hamas.
Despite the conciliatory tone regarding ceasefire efforts, much of the Deputy Secretary General's speech conveyed a defiant stance, underscoring Hezbollah's readiness and capability to continue the fight against Israel. He emphasized, 'If the enemy persists in its aggression, then the battlefield will be decisive, and the battlefield is ours.'
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib recently claimed that the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a temporary ceasefire before being assassinated by Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, dismissed Bou Habib's assertion as 'ridiculous' in a Sunday interview.
