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BEIRUT — The head of Hezbollah said Wednesday that the group has responded to the U.S. proposal for a ceasefire agreement that would end Israel’s ongoing war in Lebanon, but warned that the final decision rests with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Ceasing the fighting depends on the Israeli response and Netanyahu’s seriousness,” Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem said in a televised address on Wednesday. “If negotiations fail, we will continue to fight. We are capable and will persevere.”

In his third speech since taking leadership of the Iran-backed party last month, Qassem said the group has agreed to negotiate through parliament speaker Nabih Berri. He confirmed that Hezbollah has received the new US ceasefire proposal, read it carefully and made some comments submitted to the US envoy. Amos Hochstein.

“Let it be known that our negotiations are under the title of completely stopping (Israeli) aggression and preserving Lebanese sovereignty,” he stressed.

Washington submitted a new proposal to Lebanese officials last week. Leaked information showed that the new draft calls for the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, and the creation of an international monitoring committee to ensure its implementation.

The new US proposal also emphasizes Israel’s undisputed right to intervene in Lebanon in case of violations of the resolution, as well as the dismantling of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure not only south of the Litani River, but also in areas north of it.

Hezbollah started the war on October 8 last year in solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Last month, Israel launched an invasion of Lebanon aimed at stopping Hezbollah’s rocket fire and allowing displaced residents to return north.

While Hezbollah has refused to delink the Lebanon negotiations from Gaza over the past year, Qassem has not linked the Lebanon negotiations to a ceasefire with Hamas.

“We are honored to be among the few supporting Gaza, along with Iraq, Yemen and Iran, as the whole world watches. We were keen to provide support to Gaza, taking into account the conditions in Lebanon,” Qassem said in his speech. “We have led two battles: the first to support Gaza, and the second to repel Israeli aggression against Lebanon.”

His speech coincided with Hochstein’s two-day visit to Beirut, where he met with Lebanese officials to push for a ceasefire with Israel.

Hochstein is expected to travel to Israel later on Wednesday and meet with Netanyahu on Thursday.

About post-war Lebanon, Qassem mentioned three points that Hezbollah wants to commit to. “We will efficiently contribute to the election of a President of the Republic through Parliament,” he said.

It is notable that Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022 due to political bickering between the various rival forces in the country.

The US is pushing for a ceasefire

Hochstein met with Berri to finalize the details of a new US ceasefire proposal.

In a brief statement to reporters after his meeting, Hochstein said he made “additional progress” in his talks with Berri on Wednesday, adding that he will travel to Israel in the coming hours in an effort to reach a final agreement.

He said he will not reveal details of the negotiations because some parties he did not name may be disappointed.

After another meeting between the two on Tuesday, Hochstein said a deal was “within our reach”, while Berri said the situation was “good in principle”.

The US envoy also held talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and military chief Joseph Aoun, as well as with Samir Geagea, the head of the Lebanese Armed Forces, one of the largest Christian parties in Lebanon.

Several sticking points in the US deal remain between Israel and Hezbollah, including the agreement’s members international committee which would be established in the context of a possible agreement and would be charged with monitoring the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has reportedly rejected Israel’s proposal for Germany and Britain to join the commission. According to sources quoted by the local LBCI station, the committee will consist of Lebanon, Israel, France, the United States and the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL.

Another hurdle is Israel’s insistence on the right to intervene on Lebanese territory in the event of a violation of any deal – a clause that Lebanon considers a violation of its sovereignty. According to unnamed sources cited by LBCI, the new deal would grant both Lebanon and Israel the right to self-defense in the event of an attack from each other.