Lebanon’s PM hints at possible ceasefire with Israel-Hezbollah before US election

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wednesday (October 30) that US envoy Amos Hochstein indicated a potential ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict could be reached before the US elections on November 5.

Mikati, speaking to Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed, said the discussion with Hochstein suggested an agreement might be achievable “in the coming days, before the fifth.”

Hochstein was headed to Israel on Wednesday to discuss ceasefire conditions with Hezbollah, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed to reporters.

Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, also expressed openness to a ceasefire with Israel under acceptable terms but noted that no formal agreement has yet been proposed. “We are doing our best… to have a ceasefire within the coming hours or days,” Mikati told Al-Jadeed, adding he was “cautiously optimistic.”

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Mikati mentioned that Hezbollah had relaxed its stance, no longer linking a ceasefire in Lebanon to a truce in Gaza.

Previously, the group insisted it would only cease hostilities against Israel if a ceasefire was established in Gaza. Qassem’s latest statement marked a shift, saying Hezbollah could agree to a ceasefire “under conditions deemed appropriate and suitable” without mentioning the Palestinian territory.

The Lebanese prime minister said any ceasefire would need to align with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

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This resolution mandates that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers operate in southern Lebanon and calls for Israeli forces’ withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

“The Lebanese army is prepared to reinforce its presence in southern Lebanon and ensure that only state-controlled weapons and infrastructure are in the area,” Mikati added.

With inputs from agencies