Lebanon PM says hopes for ceasefire with Israel in ‘coming hours or days’

BEIRUT (Oct 31): Lebanon’s prime minister said US envoy Amos Hochstein had signalled during a phone call Wednesday that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war was possible before US elections are held on Nov 5.

“The call today with Hochstein suggested to me that perhaps we could reach a ceasefire in the coming days, before the fifth” of November, Najib Mikati said in a televised interview with Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed.

Hochstein was heading to Israel on Wednesday to discuss conditions for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Hezbollah’s new leader Naim Qassem on Wednesday said the group would agree to a ceasefire with Israel under acceptable terms, but added that a viable deal has yet to be presented.

“We are doing our best… to have a ceasefire within the coming hours or days,” Mikati told Al-Jadeed, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic”.

Mikati said Hezbollah is no longer linking a ceasefire in Lebanon to a truce in Gaza, but criticised the group over its “late” reversal.

Previously, Hezbollah had repeatedly declared it would stop its attacks on Israel only if a ceasefire was reached in Gaza.

However, Qassem on Wednesday said the group would accept a ceasefire under conditions deemed “appropriate and suitable”, without any mention of the Palestinian territory.

Mikati said a ceasefire would be linked to the implementation of the United Nations resolution that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Security Council Resolution 1701 states that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed in southern Lebanon, while demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.

“The Lebanese army is ready to strengthen its presence in southern Lebanon” and ensure that the only weapons and military infrastructure in the area are those controlled by the state, Mikati said.

He also said he would continue to try to shield Lebanon’s only airport from attacks by Israel.

“I can guarantee that we will not give anyone an excuse to undermine our security or our air traffic,” Mikati said.

Aid deliveries from Iran, Iraq and Algeria can “come by sea”, he said, in order not to give Israel a pretext to launch strikes.

Mikati also said it was too dangerous to try to reopen Lebanon’s main land border with Syria, which was put out of service by an Israeli strike this month.

“We sent a bulldozer to fill the crater at the crossing and it was bombed,” Mikati said.

“We will not expose anyone to danger before we have full guarantees.” — AFP