Berri says 'mechanism' is important to end war

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday insisted, following a meeting with former prime ministers Najib Mikati, Tammam Salam and Fouad Siniora, on the role played by the mechanism (the committee tasked with overseeing the cease-fire that was in effect after the 2024 war) in stopping the current war between Israel and Hezbollah.

According to Ain al-Tineh, the three men discussed "the developments of the situation in Lebanon, notably political and on the ground, in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, as well as the issue of the displaced." Regarding the proposed solutions, Berri emphasized the importance of the "mechanism as a tool and framework for implementing the end to the war." This body includes representatives from the Lebanese and Israeli armies, American and French officers, as well as the commander of UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

For his part, Siniora condemned "Israel's ongoing war crimes against Lebanon and the Lebanese," calling for "solidarity" among Lebanese and the implementation of the state's monopoly on arms.

According to information obtained by L'Orient-Le Jour, the United States and Israel no longer wish to maintain the mechanism, believing it has failed. For them, this arrangement sent reports on the actions of the Lebanese Army in the South, but it later became clear that Hezbollah had not left the area and had even strengthened its forces there, as evidenced by its current ability to fight.

In this context, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun informed major powers and the United Nations of his "full readiness to resume negotiations and to examine the necessary security issues to end the dangerous Israeli escalation."

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into war last Monday by launching strikes against Israel in retaliation for the U.S. assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in Tehran. According to the latest tally published Monday by the Health Ministry, Israeli bombardments on Lebanon have killed 486 and injured 1,313.