Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf during a debate at the Iranian State Television studio in Tehran. (Credit: Morteza Fakhrinejad/AFP)
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf hinted in an interview with Le Figaro on Thursday that Tehran might be open to negotiating with Paris on implementing UN Resolution 1701, which stipulates that only the Lebanese army can be deployed in South Lebanon.
According to the French daily, Ghalibaf expressed his desire for a cease-fire in South Lebanon as soon as possible. To achieve this, the Parliament Speaker suggested that Iran would be willing to engage in concrete negotiations on enforcing Resolution 1701, with France acting as a mediator between Hezbollah and Israel.
UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in August 2006, aims to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, strengthen the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and call for the disarmament of armed groups outside of Lebanese state forces.
Ghalibaf also defended Iran's ballistic missile strikes on Israel on Oct. 1. On that day, Tehran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles in response to the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sept. 27, and Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31.
"History has taught us that the Zionist regime only understands the language of force. It attacked our diplomatic mission in Syria, martyring several senior Iranian officials. Despite our response on April 13, 2024, it persisted, assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran during an official ceremony. If we did not retaliate, the Zionist regime would continue to attack us !" Ghalibaf emphasized.
On April 13, Iran launched around 350 explosive drones and missiles toward Israel, in retaliation for a deadly strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus attributed to Israel. This marked the first direct attack of its kind, dubbed "Honest Promise." Most of the missiles were intercepted by Israel, with the help of foreign allies, particularly the United States.
Before heading to Geneva, where he gave the interview to Le Figaro, Ghalibaf visited Beirut last Saturday, personally piloting the plane that landed at Beirut airport. He met with several Lebanese officials, including outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
