Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire on the day of its leader’s death, according to Agence France-Presse
Hezbollah had informed Lebanese authorities of its agreement for a ceasefire with Israel the day its secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli strike, reports Agence France-Presse, citing a Lebanese government source. . Until then, the pro-Iranian movement conditioned any ceasefire in Lebanon on a cessation of fighting in the Gaza Strip.
“On September 27, Hezbollah officially informed the Lebanese government, via the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, that it accepted the international initiative for a ceasefire”said this source, on condition of anonymity. Nabih Berri leads the Shiite Amal movement, an ally of Hezbollah.
The Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, was at the UN that day, where a proposal for a twenty-one day ceasefire had been presented by France and the United States, joined by Arab countries. . Mr. Mikati informed his interlocutors of Hezbollah’s position, according to the same source, and international negotiators were also awaiting approval from the Israeli government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the same day at the UN to continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon. Just after his speech, the Israeli air force carried out a spectacular strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, in which Hassan Nasrallah was killed. Since his death, the Lebanese government “no longer has contact with Hezbollah”added the source.
