Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem announced on Wednesday that the terror group has reviewed and provided feedback on a US-drafted proposal to end hostilities with Israel, emphasizing that the path to a ceasefire now lies with the Israeli response, according to Reuters.
The announcement came through a pre-recorded televised address, just hours after US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein declared his intention to travel to Israel to finalize a potential agreement. Hochstein's statement followed two days of intensive meetings with Lebanese officials, including two separate sessions with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a known Hezbollah ally, Reuters reported.
"These comments were presented to the US envoy and they were discussed with him in detail," Qassem said in his address. "The comments we presented show that we approve this track of indirect negotiations through Speaker Berri."
However, Qassem firmly rejected any proposition that would allow Israel to continue military actions against Hezbollah after a truce is established. He stressed that the success of the agreement now hinges on Israel's response and what he termed the "seriousness" of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approach.
The Hezbollah leader issued a stern warning, stating that any Israeli strikes on central Beirut would trigger retaliatory actions against Tel Aviv. This declaration follows Hezbollah's missile launch toward Tel Aviv on Monday, which was carried out in response to Israeli bombardments in central Beirut on Sunday and Monday.
