Lebanese Speaker: Ceasefire with Israel ‘more likely than not’

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri sees a greater than 50 percent chance of achieving a ceasefire agreement with Israel, he told Lebanese newspaper ad-Diyar.

“I will announce my final position on the latest ceasefire proposal next week”, Berri said in the interview, referring to terms presented by U.S. energy envoy Amos Hochstein.

The veteran Lebanese leader emphasised that Beirut’s position remains firm regarding UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which helped end the 2006 conflict with Israel. “Lebanon will not accept any amendment or addition to the resolution”, he stated.

Berri, who has held the parliamentary speaker position since 1992, linked the potential ceasefire to Lebanon’s domestic politics, suggesting that regional stability could help resolve the country’s presidential vacuum. Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022.

The Speaker pledged to convene a parliamentary session to elect a president once a ceasefire agreement is reached.

Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, called for a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, the deployment of Lebanese armed forces to South Lebanon, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.