The ceasefire is conditional on Israel stopping its operations in Lebanon; Qassem said, ‘If the enemy continues its war, the battlefield will decide [between us].’
By JNS
Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem for the first time signaled the terrorist organization’s approval of efforts to reach a truce in Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon, according to a CNN report on Tuesday.
“We support the political efforts led by [Hezbollah-aligned Parliament Speaker Nabih] Berri under the banner of achieving a ceasefire,” the terrorist leader said in a statement cited by the U.S. broadcaster.
Once a truce is “firmly established and diplomacy can reach it, all other details will be discussed and decisions will be made collaboratively,” the Hezbollah deputy secretary general concluded his remarks, per CNN.
According to a translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Qassem ruled out a ceasefire until Jerusalem ceases its campaign in Lebanon. “As far as we are concerned, prior to the truce, any other discussion is out of place. If the enemy continues its war, the battlefield will decide [between us],” Qassem was quoted as saying.
“We belong to the battlefield and are not begging for a solution. Know that this is a war over who screams first, and we will not scream. We will continue to make sacrifices, and Inshallah [‘God willing’], you will hear the screams of the Israeli enemy,” the Hezbollah deputy leader added.
Hezbollah has attacked the Jewish state on a near-daily basis from its military positions in Lebanon since Oct. 8 in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its infiltration into Israel on Oct. 7.
The Iranian-backed terrorist army has fired more than 12,400 rockets, missiles and drones at Israel over the past year, killing more than 40 people and causing widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israelis remain internally displaced due to the ongoing cross-border attacks.
Jerusalem has escalated attacks on Hezbollah since adding the return of evacuated Israeli civilians to the north as an official war goal on Sept. 17.
The Israeli Air Force has since attacked the Hezbollah leadership in its southern Beirut stronghold multiple times, killing terror leader Hassan Nasrallah and targeting his presumed successor, Hashem Safieddine.
Last week, the Israel Defense Forces launched a ground maneuver in Southern Lebanon, which is focused on dismantling Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure located within miles of the Israeli border.
The campaign is targeting Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, which has been responsible for threats to communities in northern Israel. The Radwan Force’s Galilee invasion plan served as the blueprint for the Hamas Nukhba death squads that led the Oct. 7 assault in southern Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz previously told his counterparts in 25 countries that the enforcement of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 is the only way that Jerusalem will agree to a truce with Hezbollah.
That resolution stipulates that Hezbollah terrorists are not allowed to operate anywhere south of the Litani River, some 18 miles (30 kilometers) north of the frontier with Israel.
The resolution, which was passed following the 2006 Second Lebanon War between the IDF and Hezbollah—and ratified by both Beirut and Jerusalem—also calls for the Lebanese terror group to be disarmed.