Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem backs ceasefire efforts in Lebanon but won’t talk about Gaza deal
Israel.
Hezbollah Vice President Naim Qassem said in broadcast comments on Tuesday that his movement supports efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, but for the first time did not mention a ceasefire agreement in Gaza as a precondition for the group’s cease-fire against Israel. .
Qassem said Hezbollah supported the efforts of parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, to secure an end to the fighting, which has intensified in recent weeks with Israeli ground incursions and deaths of several senior Hezbollah leaders, including Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
For the latest updates on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, visit our dedicated page. “We support the political activity carried out by Berri under the pretext of a ceasefire,” Qassem said in a 30-minute televised address.
“However, once the issue of a ceasefire takes shape and diplomacy can be achieved, all other details can be discussed and decisions can be made,” he said. “If the enemy (Israel) continues his war, then he decides the battlefield.”
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel a year ago in support of its ally Hamas, which has been at war with Israel since Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Top Hezbollah leaders have said repeatedly over the past year that the group will not cease fire until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza, but Qassem’s speech appeared to mark a departure from that policy. Israeli strikes hit the group’s stronghold on the southern outskirts of Beirut every night, and ground raids were expanded Tuesday to other parts of Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.
