Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed to a US proposal for a ceasefire with Israel with some comments on the content, citing a comment on Monday by a senior Lebanese official who called the effort the most serious to end hostilities, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said that Lebanon had submitted its written response to the US Ambassador to Lebanon on Monday, and that White House Special Representative Amos Gogstein was on his way to Beirut to continue the talks.
There was no immediate comment from Israel.
"Hezbollah, a heavily armed movement backed by Iran, has endorsed its longtime ally Berry for ceasefire talks.
"Lebanon presented its comments on the document in a positive atmosphere," Khalil said, declining to provide further details. - "All the comments we have submitted confirm the strict adherence to UN Resolution 1701 with all its provisions.
He was referring to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the previous war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. Its terms require that Hezbollah has no armed presence in the area between the Lebanese-Israeli border and the Litani River, which flows about 30 kilometers north of the border.
Khalil said that the success of the initiative now depends on Israel, saying that if Israel does not want a solution, it can create 100 problems.
Israel has long argued that Resolution 1701 has never been properly implemented, pointing to the presence of Hezbollah fighters and weapons along the border. Lebanon has accused Israel of violations, including flying military aircraft in its airspace.
Khalil said that Israel was trying to negotiate "under fire," referring to the escalation of bombardment of Beirut and Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. "This will not affect our position," he said.