Once the ceasefire is firmly established and diplomacy can achieve it, all other details will be discussed and decisions will be taken jointly."
This is what Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem said.
Lebanon's Hezbollah began shelling Israel on Oct. 8 last year to show solidarity with Hamas, which a day earlier launched an attack on Israel from Gaza. Previously, Hezbollah had said it would stop its attacks on Israel only after a ceasefire was reached with Hamas in Gaza. Israel, however, insisted that Hezbollah separate its conflict with Israel from its ongoing war with Hamas.
In his speech on the first anniversary of Hezbollah's involvement in the war, Qassem did not mention a ceasefire in Gaza as a condition for achieving one in Lebanon.
It was Qassem's second speech since Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah late last month. Since then, Israel has carried out limited ground incursions into southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, which continues to fire rockets into northern Israel.
Nabih Berri, the leader of the Shi'ite Amal party, which is allied to Hezbollah, was a key figure in the Western-brokered ceasefire talks.
Last week, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN that Nasrallah had agreed to a temporary ceasefire, which was called for by US President Joe Biden, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and other allies at the UN General Assembly last month. Nasrallah was assassinated by Israel soon after. | BGNES
