Hezbollah supports ceasefire efforts in Lebanon for the first time

Hezbollah supports ceasefire efforts in Lebanon for the first time

CNN reported that Hezbollah said Tuesday it supports efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon. This is the first time the group has publicly endorsed such a proposal without tying it to the end of the war in Gaza.

Support for political dialogue

Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's deputy secretary-general, said: "We support the political efforts led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri under the banner of the ceasefire. Once the ceasefire is firmly established and diplomacy is successful, all further details will be discussed and decisions will be taken together."

Background of the conflicts

Hezbollah began attacks on Israel on October 8 last year to express solidarity with Hamas, which had launched an attack from Gaza the previous day. Hezbollah had previously said it would only stop its attacks if a ceasefire was reached with Hamas in Gaza. Israel, on the other hand, insisted that Hezbollah must treat its conflict with Israel independently of the war against Hamas.

Statements and reactions

In a speech marking the first anniversary of Hezbollah's involvement in the conflict, Qassem did not mention a ceasefire in Gaza as a condition for a ceasefire in Lebanon. This was Qassem's second speech since Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah late last month. Israel subsequently carried out limited ground invasions into southern Lebanon to target Hezbollah, which continued to fire rockets into northern Israel.

Negotiations for a ceasefire

Nabih Berri, the leader of the Shiite Amal Party and an ally of Hezbollah, has played a central role in negotiations for a ceasefire brokered by Western states. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN that Nasrallah had agreed to a temporary ceasefire called for by US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and other allies during the last UN General Assembly. However, he was assassinated by Israel shortly afterwards.

Current developments

US officials have told CNN that the Biden administration is not actively trying to revive the deal, but is focused on shaping and limiting Israeli operations in Lebanon and against Iran rather than ending hostilities.

Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's ambassador to the United Kingdom, called Bou Habib's claim "ridiculous" in an interview with Sky News on Sunday and said Nasrallah had not agreed to a ceasefire.

Hezbollah's determination

Although Qassem's speech included a reference to ceasefire talks, the overall tone of his address was combative. “If the enemy continues his war, the battlefield will be decisive, and the battlefield is ours,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired a large volley of rockets at the Israeli cities of Haifa and Kiryat, one of the largest since the conflict began. The rockets were fired in two separate volleys from Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported. While many rockets were intercepted or landed in unpopulated areas, at least two buildings in Kiryat Yam and Kiryat Motzkin were directly hit.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military announced that it had expanded its "limited, localized, targeted operations" in southwest Lebanon.

Contributions from CNN's Eyad Kourdi, Mostafa Salem and Benjamin Brown contributed to this report.