What's behind Hezbollah's Naim Qassem openness to Lebanon-Israel cease-fire
For the first time since Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon began Sept. 30, Hezbollah has indicated openness to a cease-fire separate from a deal in Gaza.
Hezbollah’s most senior figure, Naim Qassem, said on Tuesday that the Iran-backed group supports efforts by Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, to reach a cease-fire.
Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general and the current de facto leader of the Shiite militia group, gave a televised address Tuesday on Lebanon’s Hezbollah-run Al-Manar TV. He said Hezbollah supports Berri's “political movements” toward “reaching a cease-fire.”
“We believe in the wisdom of Nabih Berri,” he said, calling the parliament speaker a “big brother” to “any member of Hezbollah.” Qassem’s comments mark the first indication of Hezbollah’s willingness to negotiate a cease-fire separately from one in Gaza.
Hezbollah had previously said it would only accept a cease-fire alongside one between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, but the group seems to be changing its tune. Since Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah has claimed that its actions against Israel have been in solidarity with the Palestinian people and that it would halt attacks if there were a cease-fire in Gaza. Now that the war has entered Lebanon on the ground and many of Hezbollah's key leaders have been killed, Hezbollah has been less vocal on this issue — and far less vocal in the media in general.
