Hezbollah Leader Naim Qassem Agrees On Ceasefire Proposal, The Ball Is Now In Israel's Hands

Hezbollah Leader Naim Qassem/DOK via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem his group has reviewed and provided input on the US-designed ceasefire proposal to end the fighting with Israel. The end of hostilities is now in Israeli hands.

Qassem delivered a statement in a speech previously recorded and broadcast hours after US envoy Amos Hochstein left for Israel.

Qassem said his Iran-backed group had looked at the draft US deal and provided input.

These comments have been submitted to the US envoy and discussed in detail, Qassem said.

"The comments we convey show that we agree on an indirect negotiation path through the Chair of the Berri," he said.

But Qassem rejected the assumption that Israel would continue to attack Hezbollah even after the ceasefire was reached, and said Israel should not be allowed to violate Lebanon's sovereignty.

Qassem said the deal now relies on Israel's response and Benjamin Netanyahu's seriousness. Hezbollah will continue to negotiate and fight at the same time.

In particular, Naim Qassem said any attacks in downtown Beirut would be met with Hezbollah's shot at Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah previously launched a missile into Tel Aviv on Monday, after the deadly Israeli bombings hit the heart of Beirut on Sunday and Monday.

Israel's fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon for a year has killed more than 3,500 people, most of them killed in the last two months.

The war left most of Beirut's territory in the south, east, and south of the country destroyed.

After the ceasefire takes effect, Hezbollah will help rebuild Lebanon with Lebanese countries and remain a player in the Lebanese political scene, Qassem said, with an effective role in voting for president. Lebanese political divisions left the position vacant for more than two years.