Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Sunday that “Israel intends to draw us into political negotiations to normalize relations between the two countries, but we are not at all willing to do so.”

In an interview with the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri recalled that there is “a cease-fire agreement with Israel that has international, Arab and U.N. support, and we are applying it to the letter; it is Israel that is obstructing its implementation and seeking to circumvent it.”

The head of the Amal movement insisted that “Hezbollah respects this agreement, has not taken any action for six months despite Israeli violations and supports the government's action,” emphasizing that “the problem is that Israel refuses to withdraw from southern Lebanon.”

The cease-fire agreement came into force on Nov. 27, 2024, to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah that began on Oct. 8, 2023. However, Israel has maintained a military presence at five points in southern Lebanon, in defiance of the agreement and its violations of Lebanese territory are daily.

During his interview, Berri rejected the proposal for talks between a Lebanese delegation of civilians and military officials and an Israeli delegation to discuss the release of Lebanese prisoners, Israeli withdrawal and the settlement of disputes on the Lebanon-Israel border, suggesting that these points should be resolved by UNIFIL and the international cease-fire monitoring committee, chaired by a U.S. general.

Moreover, Asharq Al-Awsat reports that the U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, is expected to arrive imminently in the region to implement her roadmap, which will address the release of Lebanese prisoners, Israeli withdrawal and the settlement of border disputes.