Tehran is telling its Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah that it supports ending the war against Israel amid an American push for a ceasefire agreement, The New York Times reported over the weekend.
Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met with senior Lebanese officials in Beirut on Nov. 15 to discuss the matter.
Two Iranians affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps told the Times that Larijani conveyed messages to Hezbollah from Khamenei that he supported the end of the war and that the regime would assist with rebuilding the terror group’s forces and recovering from the war.
The sources also said that Khamenei told Hezbollah to accept the terms of a ceasefire deal that would see Hezbollah retreat to north of the Litani River in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War but which was never enforced.
Hezbollah has launched some 16,000 rockets, missiles and drones from Lebanon at Israel since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Gaza-based terrorist group’s massacre in southern Israel. Over 60,000 residents of northern Israel remain internally displaced due to the ongoing rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon, which have caused widespread material damage and multiple deaths and injuries.
However, Hezbollah’s leadership has been left in tatters following a series of assassinations by Israel, including of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on Sept. 27. This was preceded by Israeli sabotage of Hezbollah communication devices that killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400 members of the terror group. Israel has been waging a devastating aerial campaign against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon, including its stronghold of Dahieh south of Beirut. According to Israeli estimates, the terror group has lost most of its arsenal to the ongoing strikes.
Then-defense minister Yoav Gallant said in late October that Hezbollah is estimated to have lost over 80% of its long-range rockets since the start of the war.
Larijani reportedly said in Beirut on Nov. 15 that Tehran would support a decision by the Lebanese government and the country’s “resistance” to halt the war.
“We are not looking to sabotage anything. We are after a solution to the problems,” Larijani said after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The Times report followed a report by Lebanon’s LBCI channel that Hezbollah’s response to the U.S. proposal had been positive.
A source close to the Iranian terrorist proxy told The Washington Post on Nov. 13 that Hezbollah would be willing to withdraw its forces north of the Litani as part of a temporary ceasefire.
A meeting was scheduled for Monday between Berri, from the Hezbollah-aligned Amal movement, and Mikati to finalize Lebanon’s response to the U.S. proposal, and President Joe Biden’s envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, was scheduled to travel to the Lebanese capital on Tuesday for talks.
A senior Lebanese government official confirmed to AFP on Nov. 15 that U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson had presented a 13-point proposal to Lebanese officials the previous day.
The proposal includes a 60-day truce, during which Lebanon would redeploy its troops along the border.
Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer discussed the proposal with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during a visit to his Florida estate on Nov. 10, according to the Post report.
The discussions at Mar-a-Lago centered on a ceasefire that would involve Western and Russian cooperation, according to the Post. The proposal calls for Moscow to prevent Hezbollah from resupplying via Syrian land routes.
Following his meeting in Florida with Trump, Dermer headed to Washington to meet on Nov. 11 and 12 with Biden administration officials, including Hochstein.
Israeli officials confirmed that the proposal includes moving the Hezbollah terrorist group north of the Litani River, with the border area then being under control of the Lebanese Armed Forces, overseen by the United States and Britain.
Israeli officials are emphasizing however that the Israel Defense Forces must retain freedom of operation in Lebanon to thwart attempts by Hezbollah to violate the agreement and reestablish and rearm itself.
A senior Israeli diplomatic official told Israel Hayom on Saturday that the IDF will retain operational freedom to respond to any security threats from across the northern border, regardless of any diplomatic arrangements.
However, a source close to Hezbollah told the Post that the group’s “condition for progress remains clear: Israel must be prohibited from conducting operations within Lebanese territory.”
Berri emphasized at the time that any ceasefire agreement must not include the ability for Israel to attack by land, sea or air, Channel 12 reported. “Otherwise, what’s the purpose of an agreement?” he remarked.
Another potential sticking point is Lebanon’s objections to the United Kingdom and Germany monitoring the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701. They reportedly favor the United States and France.
If the ceasefire efforts fail, an Israeli military official told the Post that there are plans in the works to expand ground operations in Lebanon.