News - Middle East: The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah says any ceasefire with Israel must quickly bring an end to the ongoing Israeli hostilities and preserve the sovereignty of Lebanon.

In an interview with Lebanon’s al-Manar television network on Wednesday, Mahmoud Qamati, a member of the Political Council of Hezbollah, said any US-brokered truce between Hezbollah and the Tel Aviv regime must swiftly end the war on the Arab country and uphold its sovereignty.

His remarks appeared to reference the regime’s position that it would want a free hand to continue attacking Lebanon even with a ceasefire in place.

US special envoy Amos Hochstein has traveled to Beirut for discussions with Lebanese officials regarding a potential ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

His visit to the Lebanese capital will be followed by a trip to Tel Aviv, where he will meet with Israel’s prime minister, president, and minister of military affairs.

Ceasefire talks gained momentum after reports indicated that Lebanese officials and Hezbollah responded favorably to a US-backed proposal. Last week, the US ambassador to Beirut conveyed the proposal to the Lebanese government through Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

However, sources suggest that Israel has not yet issued a formal response to the plan.

The US and France have led efforts to broker a ceasefire in Israel’s devastating war on Lebanon.

On Wednesday, Hochstein said in the Lebanese capital that he would head to Israel to work on finalizing truce negotiations, following “additional progress” made during a second meeting with Berri.

The death toll from the Israeli aggression against Lebanon since October 2023 has surpassed 3,500. More than 15,000 others have also been injured.

Most of them have lost their lives in the past month amid the intensified airstrikes and a ground offensive.

Hezbollah has been putting up stiff resistance in the face of the Israeli regime’s aggression against Lebanon. 

Press TV