Hezbollah Leader Calls Ceasefire Negotiations Only Possible If Israel Stops Attacks

Naim Qassem. (Wikimedia Commons/Sebastian Baryli)

JAKARTA - militant group leader Hezbollah Naim Qassem said on Wednesday only developments on the battlefield, not political steps, would end hostilities between his group of leaders and the Israeli military.

"I will tell you very clearly, our belief is that only one thing can stop this war of aggression, and it is a battlefield," Qassem, who was elected secretary general of Hezbollah after his predecessor Sayyed Hassan Nasollah was killed in an Israeli attack in September. November 7th.

Qassem further said he did not believe "political actions" would end the conflict that had been going on for more than a year, which coincided with Israel's war in Gaza.

In a speech previously recorded on television, Qassem said there would be a way towards indirect negotiations through Lebanese countries, only if Israel decided to stop its attacks on Lebanon.

"When the enemy decides to stop the aggression, there is a way for the negotiations we have clearly set - indirect negotiations through the Lebanese state and the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri," Qassem explained.

He added that the talks could only continue if they guaranteed "full protection of Lebanon's sovereignty, without any missing," but did not provide further details.

Israel says it aims to repatriate residents displaced from northern Israel to their homes, ensuring the Hezbollah militant group will no longer be a threat to Israel's security.

Last week, Israeli public broadcaster Kan published a draft US proposal on a 60-day ceasefire that includes an "additional letter" between the US and Israel, which gives Israel the right to take action against an imminent threat to its security in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Lebanese officials told Reuters Israel's insistence on a "direct affirmation" of the deal would violate the country's sovereignty.