Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed in principle to a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire with Israel, marking what a top Lebanese official described as the most serious effort yet to end the ongoing hostilities.
Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, confirmed Lebanon’s written response to the proposal had been delivered to the U.S. ambassador in Beirut on Monday. He also revealed that White House envoy Amos Hochstein is traveling to Lebanon to continue discussions.
Hezbollah has backed Berri as the primary negotiator for the ceasefire. While details of the proposal remain undisclosed, Khalil said that Lebanon’s response was given “in a positive atmosphere” and aligned with the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
Resolution 1701 calls for no armed Hezbollah presence in the region between the Israeli-Lebanese border and the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. However, Hezbollah has repeatedly violated these terms since the resolution was adopted.
Khalil insisted that the success of the U.S.-brokered effort now rests with Israel. “If Israel does not want a solution, it could create 100 problems,” he said, accusing Israel of escalating its bombardment of Beirut and southern Lebanon to negotiate “under fire.” Khalil added that such tactics would not change Lebanon’s position.
Israel has not yet commented on the ceasefire talks.
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2 Responses
Hey Hezbozo clan, it’s kinda simple! You stop shooting missiles at our people and walla, there is a ceasefire! That’s about all it takes! But for Israel to stop bombarding your weapons plants and killing your commanders so that you regroup and restructure, is not a ceasefire! It’s a lopsided, forced-upon deal that they may begrudgingly have to capitulate to.
israel themselves are desperate for a ceasefire there, to save skin, as they are not doing well at all there.
They want to make it out as if they “succeeded” and that they negotiated a deal but in reality it is only to save themselves…