Hezbollah leader says terror group submitted response to US ceasefire proposal, ball now in Israel’s court

In his third address as Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem says that the terror group has reviewed an American proposal for a ceasefire and submitted its response through the mediation of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and that the ball is now in Israel’s court.

In a pre-recorded speech, Qassem says that the terror group will not disclose its position to the media, but notes that in negotiations, the terror group adheres to two principles: a complete cessation of hostilities, and the preservation of Lebanese sovereignty.

Qassem says the group is allowing ceasefire talks to continue and is watching to see if they produce results.

“Through the agreement, the occupation [Israel] believed that it could obtain what it has not achieved on the battlefield, but that is impossible,” Qassem says.

The terror leader vows that the group has the means to continue to engage the IDF in a long war of attrition and that Hezbollah “will pay any price, because the price will also rise for the enemy.”

He notes that Israel is also negotiating under fire. “When the enemy does not achieve its goals, it means we have won,” he asserts.

Addressing Lebanon’s political stalemate, Qassem says the terror group will act in cooperation with other political forces and will “bring its contribution for the election of a new president by the Parliament” after a ceasefire is achieved.