Berri: No concrete measures have been taken to end Israeli aggression

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said in an interview Tuesday that no concrete steps have been taken to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon despite the cease-fire, adding that only the U.S. can pressure Israel to respect the truce.

In an interview with al-Joumhouriya, Berri said that “increasing pressure and attacks” only “strengthen the determination of the Lebanese to resist.” His remarks echo those of Hezbollah’s secretary-general Naim Qassem, who said Sunday, “We are more determined than ever to liberate our lands occupied by the Israeli enemy.”

Effective since Nov.27, 2024, the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah required the Israeli army to withdraw from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL exclusively in the region, as well as the dismantling of Hezbollah's infrastructure and its withdrawal north of the Litani, in compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

This agreement is not respected by the Israeli army, which continues to occupy at least five positions along the border, within Lebanese territory, and to conduct almost daily strikes. On Monday night, the Israeli army conducted an incursion into the Mais al-Jabal region (Marjayoun district) to build an earth embankment. Hezbollah claims only one violation of the agreement: a shelling in the Kfar Shuba hills on Dec. 2, 2024.

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"Our position is firm regarding the respect of the cease-fire agreement and the provisions of Resolution 1701," Berri affirmed, lamenting that "no concrete measures have been taken to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon." In this context, he deemed it essential that the American administration take the necessary measures "to compel" Israel to respect the cease-fire.

"This must happen before anything else," he insisted. Ahead of her early May visit, U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Ortagus had urged Lebanese authorities not to blame Israel for its non-compliance with the cease-fire agreement as long as the firing towards Israel continued. Besides Hezbollah's mortar shelling in early December, two other projectile firings were reported from southern Lebanon, which were not claimed, but for which the Lebanese Army arrested several suspects linked to Hamas.

The interview with the parliament speaker took place in a context of anticipation for Ortagus's upcoming visit to Beirut, for which Berri clarified there is no definite schedule.