Lebanese official told U.S. that Hezbollah ready for full ceasefire with Israel

The speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berri, told the Trump administration on Sunday that Hezbollah is ready for a full and immediate ceasefire with Israel and pledged to guarantee its implementation, Berri's top adviser Ali Hamdan told Axios. Why it matters: The fighting in Lebanon is escalating and threatening to derail the chances of a deal to end the war in Iran, particularly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now threatening to strike Beirut. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday that Iran's negotiating team was suspending its exchange of messages with the U.S., through the mediators, in protest of Israel's actions in Lebanon. Zoom in: Berri is one of the most powerful Shia politicians in Lebanon and has close links to Hezbollah, though U.S. and Israeli officials question whether he can actually guarantee Hezbollah's compliance. If Hezbollah is indeed ready for a full ceasefire, such a truce would leave the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in place for now while potentially disconnecting the Lebanese arena from the war with Iran . According to a source with knowledge, though, U.S. officials told Berri they don't think Netanyahu would agree. An Israeli official confirmed Hezbollah expressed readiness for a full ceasefire without demanding an immediate Israeli withdrawal. The State Department didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. What he's saying: "I called the U.S. ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, on Sunday and told him on behalf of Speaker Berri that Hezbollah will be ready to totally commit to a comprehensive ceasefire and we are ready to guarantee it," Hamdan told Axios. Hamdan confirmed that the Trump administration proposed a partial ceasefire over the weekend which would require Hezbollah to stop striking northern Israel in return for Israel committing not to strike Beirut, as Axios reported. But he pushed back on a U.S. official's characterization of Berri's re...

Original source: Axios