Lebanese minister: Diplomatic efforts for ceasefire with Israel still ‘underway’

Lebanon’s Information Minister Ziad Makary says during a cabinet session that diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire with Israel were still “underway.”

“It is certain that the Lebanese government wants a ceasefire, and everyone knows that [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu went to New York based on the premise of a ceasefire, but the decision was made to assassinate Nasrallah,” Makary says, referring to the killing of the chief of the Hezbollah terror group in a Beirut airstrike on Friday.

“Diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire are ongoing. The prime minister is not falling short, but the matter is not that easy,” Makary says.

The US was reportedly angered by the IDF airstrike that targeted Nasrallah because it had been engaging with Israel on the specifics of a potential ceasefire over the course of the week and felt it had been misled.

On Saturday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office said he met with IDF head Herzi Halevi and other top generals to discuss expanding the offensive in Lebanon.

US President Joe Biden said yesterday, “It’s time for a ceasefire.”