Berri: After Gaza agreement, Israel must be forced to ceasefire in Lebanon

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned that Israel could renege on the Gaza agreement and stressed the need to compel it to fully implement the ceasefire in Lebanon, which he said has been violated thousands of times since November 2024, Anadolu reported.

Speaking to the Association of Economic Journalists in Lebanon, Berri said: “We would be happy if the war of extermination against the Palestinian people in Gaza were to stop. But we must be wary of Israel reneging on the agreement. It has always evaded agreements and covenants, most recently the ceasefire deal with Lebanon last November.”

He emphasised that Lebanon has fully abided by the agreement south of the Litani River. “The resistance [Hezbollah] has not fired a single shot since 27 November 2024, while Israel, instead of withdrawing, releasing prisoners, and halting its aggression, has occupied new areas and destroyed entire villages,” Berri said.

“After Gaza, the focus should shift to Lebanon,” he added, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied territories, stop its aggression, and release prisoners.

Israel launched an assault on Lebanon in October 2023, escalating into full-scale war by September 2024, leaving more than 4,000 dead and 17,000 wounded, along with 19 prisoners. Despite a ceasefire reached in November 2024 between Hezbollah and Israel, Berri’s office said Israel has violated it more than 4,500 times, resulting in hundreds of additional deaths and injuries.

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