Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib revealed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a 21-day ceasefire just days before being assassinated by Israel. The temporary ceasefire was called for by US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other allies during the recent UN General Assembly.
Habib stated that Nasrallah had agreed to the ceasefire after consultations with Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah. The US and France were informed of this agreement, and White House senior adviser Amos Hochstein was set to negotiate the ceasefire in Lebanon.
However, Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut before the ceasefire could be implemented. A joint statement from several countries had called for the ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance and prevent further escalations.
While Western sources confirmed that Hezbollah had agreed to the truce, the Biden administration expressed uncertainty about Nasrallah personally agreeing to the deal. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that they were not aware of Nasrallah's direct approval.
Hezbollah did not publicly announce their position, indicating they were waiting to see Israel's response to the ceasefire proposal. Despite initial confidence in the ceasefire plan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later declared continued strikes against Hezbollah, leading to confusion and a perceived misunderstanding.
The US official mentioned that the administration backed off from pushing the ceasefire plan upon learning of Israel's potential actions against Nasrallah. Foreign Minister Habib emphasized the importance of US involvement in achieving a ceasefire, highlighting the vital role of the United States in the region.
