- By Mayukh Debnath
- Tue, 08 Oct 2024 08:02 PM (IST)
- Source:Reuters
Israel-Hezbollah War: Lebanon-based Shia Islamist political and militant movement Hezbollah on Tuesday expressed its willingness to negotiate a ceasefire with Israel, which has been carrying a lethal military campaign against the Iran-backed outfit for the past couple of weeks and has successfully wiped out most of its leadership, including its chief, Hassan Nasrallah.
In a televised speech, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem, said he supported attempts to secure a truce, and for the first time did not mention the end of war in Gaza as a pre-condition to halting combat on the Lebanon-Israel border. Qassem said Hezbollah supported attempts by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, to secure a halt to fighting, which has escalated in recent weeks with the Israeli ground incursions.
"We support the political activity being led by Berri under the title of a ceasefire," Qassem said in his 30-minute televised address. It was not clear whether this signalled any change in stance, after a year in which the group has said it is fighting in support of the Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and would not stop without a ceasefire there.
On Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said it appeared the replacement for Nasrallah had been "eliminated". Hashem Safieddine, a top Hezbollah official, was widely expected to succeed Nasrallah. Safieddine has not been heard from publicly since an Israeli airstrike late last week.
"Hezbollah is an organization without a head. Nasrallah was eliminated, his replacement was probably also eliminated," Gallant told officers at the Israeli military's northern command centre, in a brief video segment distributed by the military. "There's no one to make decisions, no one to act," he said, without providing further details.
(With inputs from Reuters)