Minister says:

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A portrait of the slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a military parade in Lebanon(Bild: APA/AFP/Mahmoud AL-ZAYYAT)

According to the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah approved a ceasefire with Israel shortly before his death. The pro-Iranian terrorist militia had also conveyed its agreement to the Americans and the French via the Lebanese government, Foreign Minister Abdullah Bu Habib told the US television station CNN on Thursday.

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron had called for a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The call was echoed by a larger group of states. The three weeks should create space for a diplomatic solution to the conflict and the Gaza war. However, Hezbollah itself had not publicly declared its alleged agreement to the proposal.

A portrait of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a military parade in Lebanon(Bild: APA/AFP/Mahmoud AL-ZAYYAT)

"They know what has happened since then"
The USA and France had communicated that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also agreed to the ceasefire, Habib said. "So we also obtained Hezbollah's agreement and you know what has happened since then."

Immediately afterwards, Israel's air force carried out a massive attack on the headquarters of the Iranian-backed militia in Beirut. It is said to have been located under residential buildings.

In addition to bombardments, which continued with undiminished ferocity even after the killing of Nasrallah, an Israeli army ground operation has now also begun in Lebanon. Israel has already suffered its first casualties. Several members of a special unit were killed in battles against Hezbollah militiamen.