Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil (Credit: @alihasankhalil/X)
Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed to a U.S. proposal for a cease-fire with Israel, though they maintain "some comments" about its terms, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, a close aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, told Reuters on Monday.
Khalil said Lebanon submitted its written response to the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon on Monday, ahead of U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein's scheduled arrival in Beirut on Tuesday to continue negotiations.
“Lebanon presented its comments on the document in a positive atmosphere,” Khalil said, without providing further details. “All the comments we made affirm our strict adherence to U.N. Resolution 1701 with all its provisions.”
Khalil's remarks echoed those of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati earlier in the day, who described Lebanon’s response to the U.S. truce proposal delivered last week as “positive,” while noting that some points still required further discussion. Mikati said Hochstein’s visit would allow outstanding “unclear” points to be “resolved face-to-face.”
Khalil added that the initiative’s success now hinges on Israel, warning that if Israel is unwilling to reach a solution, “it could create a hundred problems.”
He also criticized Israel for attempting to negotiate “under fire,” referring to its intensified bombardment across Lebanon, which has targeted central Beirut for two consecutive days. “This will in no way affect our position,” Khalil said.
