Iran has urged Hezbollah to accept a ceasefire with Israel, offering backing to help rebuild the militant group following the ongoing conflict.
Ali Larijani, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met with Lebanese officials in Beirut on November 15 to convey the message. Larijani emphasized Khamenei’s support for ending the war and assisting Hezbollah’s recovery, while urging the group to comply with a ceasefire proposal. The deal would see Hezbollah retreat north of the Litani River, in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which was meant to end the 2006 Lebanon War.
Since Hezbollah’s involvement in the conflict began in October 2023, the group has launched over 16,000 rockets, missiles, and drones at Israel. This has displaced more than 60,000 people in northern Israel, causing widespread casualties and damage. Despite these attacks, Hezbollah has suffered heavy losses, including the killing of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in September 2023, and significant damage to its arsenal from Israeli airstrikes.
Larijani clarified that Iran is focused on finding a peaceful solution to the conflict, stressing that it supports a ceasefire agreed upon by Lebanon’s government and resistance factions. Hezbollah has reportedly responded favorably to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan, which proposes a 60-day truce and redeployment of Lebanese forces along the border.
The ceasefire deal would also require Hezbollah’s forces to pull back north, while Lebanese Armed Forces would assume control of the border, under the supervision of the U.S. and Britain. Israel, however, insists on retaining operational freedom in Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from rearming or violating the ceasefire agreement.
Lebanese officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, are set to finalize Lebanon’s stance on the proposal. One key point of contention remains Lebanon’s desire to restrict Israeli military operations within its borders and its preference for the U.S. and France to monitor the ceasefire, rather than the U.K. and Germany.
If the ceasefire negotiations fail, Israel is reportedly preparing to escalate its ground operations in Lebanon.
