Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, will guarantee the Iran-backed group's adherence to a 'global ceasefire' with Israel, his adviser told AFP on Tuesday.
Key Demands and Guarantees
Adviser Ali Hamdan stated that 'speaker Berri's main demand is a global ceasefire. If a global ceasefire deal is reached, he will guarantee Hezbollah's respect for it.' Hamdan explained that a global ceasefire means a halt to Israeli strikes by air, land, or sea, and that Israel will not carry out detonations or demolitions in southern Lebanon, where Israel is accused of razing entire villages.
US Involvement and Statements
US President Donald Trump said late Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to call off a military raid on Beirut, while Hezbollah agreed that 'all shooting will stop.' Trump said that 'through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.' Netanyahu, however, said he told Trump that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking Israeli towns and citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut.
Hezbollah has not released an official statement on the announcement. Lebanon's embassy in the United States said on Monday that Hezbollah had accepted a US proposal on a 'mutual cessation of attacks.' The embassy statement, released by the Lebanese presidency, added that under the proposed arrangement, Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh would cease in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from launching attacks against Israel, with the ceasefire framework to be expanded to encompass all Lebanese territory.
Iran's Role and Conditions
Iran has insisted that a ceasefire in Lebanon remains a key condition for any deal with the United States to end the Middle East war. Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who is also the country's chief negotiator, said on Monday night that he and Berri had spoken by phone. Qalibaf told his Lebanese counterpart that 'if the Israeli aggression on Lebanon continues, we will not just stop the negotiation process, but we will be in a direct confrontation with the enemy,' referring to Israel. Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Monday that Tehran was no longer engaging in talks with Washington because of Israel's offensive on Lebanon, although there was no official confirmation of this.
