Hezbollah says will only accept ‘suitable’ truce as Israel pounds Baalbek
Al Jazeera
Hezbollah chief says the group will keep fighting Israel until its conditions for a ceasefire are met.
Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, says that the group will keep fighting in its war with Israel until it is offered ceasefire terms it deems acceptable, as Israeli forces bombarded the ancient eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek and its outskirts following forced evacuation orders.
“If the Israelis decide to stop the aggression, we say that we accept, but according to the conditions that we see as suitable,” Qassem said in a prerecorded televised address aired on Wednesday, his first speech since he was appointed leader.
“We will not beg for a ceasefire,” he said, noting that political efforts to secure a deal have yet to yield results.
The speech was broadcast as international mediators pursued a new push for negotiated ceasefires in Lebanon and the besieged Gaza Strip.
