Hezbollah’s new leader signals possible truce with Israel amid rising tensions

Hezbollah’s newly appointed leader Naim Qassem suggested the Lebanese group may agree to a ceasefire under certain terms, as Israeli forces intensify their bombardment on Hezbollah-held territories. Qassem’s remarks came on Wednesday, just as Israel’s security cabinet convened to discuss potential ceasefire terms and shortly after Israeli airstrikes targeted the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, resulting in the death of another senior Hezbollah commander.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, speaking to the Al-Jadeed broadcaster, expressed cautious optimism about an impending ceasefire, noting that U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein hinted at a potential truce within days. “We could reach a ceasefire in the coming days, before the fifth,” Mikati stated, referencing the approaching U.S. election date.

Qassem, who assumed leadership following last month’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike, delivered his first address as Hezbollah’s head. In it, he conveyed that the Iran-backed movement could sustain defensive operations but was open to a negotiated truce if Israel proposed acceptable terms. “If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but under the conditions that we see as appropriate and suitable,” he asserted, though he emphasized that no formal offer had been made.

Israel’s Energy Minister Eli Cohen indicated that discussions were ongoing within Israel’s security cabinet to define truce conditions. Israeli media reported that these conditions include Hezbollah’s withdrawal north of the Litani River and the deployment of the Lebanese army along the Israel-Lebanon border, as well as establishing an international mechanism to enforce the truce and maintain Israel’s freedom of military action if threatened.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden’s Middle East advisers, Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein, are en route to Israel to facilitate progress on potential ceasefire arrangements in both Gaza and Lebanon, according to the U.S. State Department.

Escalating hostilities have led to widespread destruction in Lebanon’s Baalbek region, where Israeli strikes targeted alleged Hezbollah command sites, resulting in civilian casualties. Lebanon’s health ministry reported at least 19 fatalities in Baalbek, with further casualties reported following strikes on the Bekaa Valley town of Sohmor. Hezbollah forces retaliated by launching rockets and drones at Israeli military sites in northern Israel, including Haifa and Acre, and a training camp southeast of Tel Aviv.

The current conflict in Lebanon began last month, marking an escalation nearly a year after Hezbollah commenced cross-border fire in solidarity with Hamas following its October 7, 2023, assault on Israel. The Lebanese health ministry has recorded at least 1,754 deaths since fighting intensified on September 23, while Israel reports 37 military casualties since ground operations began in Lebanon on September 30.