Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri voiced strong support for the ongoing dialogue between President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah, commending Aoun’s adherence to the framework and conditions laid out for the disarmament talks, in reference to the need to secure Israel’s prior withdrawal from Lebanon.
In an interview with Asas Media, Berri emphasized the importance of maintaining national unity and holding firm in negotiations. He also stressed the need to ensure Israel fulfills its obligations under the ceasefire agreement.
“It is important to put pressure on the Israeli army to fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire agreement,” Berri stated. “We did what was required of us, and no one can question that—not even him,” he said, without specifying who he was referring to.
Berri pointed out that Lebanon had taken two significant steps: deploying the Lebanese Army in the south and facilitating Hezbollah’s withdrawal from that region. “Since then, Hezbollah has not fired a single shot. Both actions are done. What remains is for Israel to do its part,” he said. “Israel must commit to a final ceasefire and withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories, neither of which has happened. On the contrary, Israel is intensifying its attacks and raids. At the very least, we expect a ceasefire.”
Addressing the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, Berri made it clear that disarmament is not on the table, at least not before Israel fully complies with the ceasefire terms.
“We will not hand over our weapons now, not before the conditions demanded by Israel are met,” he declared. “Our weapons are our cards. We will not give them up without a real implementation of the ceasefire agreement and a serious dialogue about the future of our arms.”
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