A senior Lebanese official has signalled that Hizbullah is ready to pull its forces away from the Lebanese-Israeli border in any ceasefire, while rejecting Israel’s demand for freedom to act against the Iran-backed group in Lebanon in the future.
An Israeli minister indicated that a ceasefire was closer than at any point since the war began, though he said a sticking point was ensuring Israel retains freedom to act inside Lebanon should any deal be violated.
Pressing its offensive against the group, Israel launched air strikes on Beirut’s Hizbullah-controlled southern suburbs on Thursday, keeping up its unusually intensive bombardment of the area for a third consecutive day.
Israel has dealt Hizbullah heavy blows since launching its offensive in late September, escalating the conflict that had rumbled on in parallel to the Gaza war for a year. Hizbullah has kept up rocket fire into Israel and its fighters have been battling Israeli troops on the ground in the south.
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Senior Lebanese official Ali Hassan Khalil, speaking to Al Jazeera late on Wednesday, said Lebanon was ready to “precisely” implement United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah.
Its terms require Hizbullah to remove fighters and weapons from areas between the border and the Litani river, which runs about 30km from Lebanon’s southern border.
Asked whether Hizbullah had informed him of a readiness to withdraw to the Litani, Khalil – a close Hizbullah ally and top aide to Lebanon’s parliament speaker – said the group had expressed its commitment to Resolution 1701.
The resolution, he added, “contained a clear set of provisions”. “Yes, the party is committed to what is stated in these texts,” he said, referring to Hizbullah.
The United States and other powers say a ceasefire must be based on Resolution 1701.
Israel long complained it was never implemented, pointing to Hizbullah weapons and fighters at the border. Lebanon in turn accused Israel of violating the resolution, with Israeli warplanes regularly violating its airspace.
Plumes of smoke rose over the southern Beirut suburbs known as Dahiyeh, where Israel’s latest strikes destroyed five buildings, sources familiar with the damage said. Israeli raids on the area have largely been taking place at night but this week have been happening in the morning too.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets carried out a series of attacks in the southern Beirut area, targeting weapons warehouses, military headquarters and other infrastructures used by Hizbullah.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said five people were killed in air strikes on the towns of Bazourieh and Jmaijmeh in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli air strike in Baalbek killed another three people.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,365 people and wounded 14,344 across Lebanon since October 7th, 2023.
Israel’s ongoing strikes on Beirut come as Human Rights Watch said that Israeli authorities have caused a forced displacement of Palestinian people in Gaza to an extent that constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Elsewhere on Thursday, 15 people were killed in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in Damascus on Thursday, Syrian state media reported, and Israel said the attacks targeted military sites and the headquarters of the Islamic Jihad group.
The buildings targeted were located in the suburbs of Mazzeh and Qudsaya, both in the west of the Syrian capital, SANA news agency reported, citing a Syrian military source.
Hizbullah armed commanders and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards based in Syria have been known to reside in Mazzeh, according to residents who fled after recent strikes.
Mazzeh’s high-rise blocks have been used by the authorities in the past to house leaders of Palestinian factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. – Reuters
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