Supporters of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern outskirts of Beirut on September 28, 2024, gather in Sidon, Lebanon, holding up pictures of him.
Reuters
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah agreed to a 21-day ceasefire days before he was assassinated by Israel.
The temporary ceasefire was called for by U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and other allies during the United Nations General Assembly last week.
“He (Nasrallah) agreed, he agreed,” Habib told Christiane Amanpour in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.
“We fully agreed. Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire, but we consulted with Hezbollah. (Lebanese House of Representatives) Speaker Navi Berri consulted with Hezbollah and we explained what happened to the American and French And they said that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu also agreed with the statements made by both presidents (Biden and Macron).
Habib continued that White House senior adviser Amos Hochstein was then scheduled to travel to Lebanon to negotiate a ceasefire.
“They told us that Mr. Netanyahu agreed to this, and we got Hezbollah’s consent to that, and you know what happened after that,” Habib continued.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday.
The day before, the United States, France, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Qatar issued a joint statement calling for a 21-day ceasefire. , “to give diplomacy a chance of success and avoid further escalation across borders.”
In response to a question about the declining influence of the United States in the region, Habib said the United States “will always be important in this regard.”
“I don’t think we have an alternative. We need the help of the United States. We don’t know yet whether we will reach an agreement, but the United States is very important and essential to achieving a ceasefire.” Habib said.
