Politics Hezbollah indicates willingness to negotiate with Israel
While Israel continues its massive attacks on Lebanon, Hezbollah is hinting at a willingness to negotiate. According to government circles in Lebanon, the pro-Iranian Shiite militia sees a basis for further talks in a draft ceasefire with Israel presented by the USA. Meanwhile, the Israeli military once again carried out massive airstrikes, including on the center of the Lebanese capital Beirut and the Gaza Strip. The EU foreign ministers want to discuss a possible change of course in their dealings with Israel in Brussels today.
18.11.2024, 04:29
18.11.2024, 04:30
SDA
According to Lebanese government circles, Hezbollah sees the US proposal for a ceasefire with Israel as "an opportunity to reach a framework for an agreement". For Hezbollah, however, there is still a need for talks. It does not want to give the impression of unconditionally bowing to Israeli demands. It fears that its reputation among its supporters, who have already lost a lot in this war, could be further diminished. Various media outlets had reported on the possible US proposal.
US proposal: suspend attacks for 60 days
According to the proposal, Israel and Hezbollah would initially suspend their attacks for 60 days. The Israeli army is to leave Lebanon and Lebanese army soldiers are to be stationed on the border. After 60 days, Israel and Lebanon are also to hold negotiations on the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701. Following the last war in 2006, the aim of this resolution was to put an end to the fighting in the Lebanese-Israeli border area.
According to its own statements, Hezbollah is firing at Israel in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which carried out a massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, leaving around 1,200 people dead. The Israeli military responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive, killing more than 3,000 people in Lebanon according to official figures.
Attack near famous shopping street in Beirut
Israel continued its attacks on targets in Lebanon. The Lebanese state news agency NNA reported an attack in the evening near the famous Mar Elias shopping street in Beirut. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that at least two people had been killed. Another 13 were injured.
Videos on social media showed large blocks of houses collapsing after being hit by a rocket. Fires broke out and huge clouds of smoke and dust darkened the sky. People ran through the streets in panic. These were the first attacks in Beirut itself for almost a month. Most of the attacks in recent weeks had hit the southern suburbs.
Israel also attacked other targets in the north of the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian reports, almost 100 people were killed. An Israeli bomb struck a five-storey residential building in Beit Lahia, killing 72 people, the government press office in Gaza, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas, announced on Sunday. A further 24 people were reported dead in the center of the coastal area.
The information could not initially be independently verified. Israel's army did not comment on the attack. The number of Palestinians killed since the start of the war at the beginning of October 2023 has thus risen to 43,846. The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis spoke out in favor of an investigation into the accusation against Israel that the country is committing genocide with its warfare in the Gaza Strip. "According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide. It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it meets the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies," the Italian newspaper "La Stampa" quoted from a new book by the head of the Catholic Church.
Israel has come under massive international criticism due to the many civilian casualties in the coastal strip and the catastrophic supply situation. A genocide lawsuit brought against Israel by South Africa is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
Suspend dialog with Israel? EU states discuss in Brussels
In view of Israel's actions in the Middle East, a possible change of course in dealing with the country is to be discussed today at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell now considers it certain that Israel is violating human rights and international humanitarian law in its actions against Hamas and other terrorist organizations. He therefore proposes suspending regular political dialog with the country for the time being. In addition, the Spaniard believes that the import of products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, which are illegal under international law, should be banned.
No decisions on the proposals are expected at the foreign ministers' meeting. One of the reasons for this is the comparatively pro-Israel position of countries such as Germany, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic. However, EU officials point out that the discussion about sanctions alone sends a clear political signal to Israel.
Hezbollah spokesman killed
The Israeli military had already attacked the Ras Al Naba district in the heart of the coastal metropolis on Sunday morning. Hezbollah's spokesman was killed in the attack, as the pro-Iranian organization confirmed. Following the killing of the Hezbollah leadership, Mohammed Afif had become one of the few remaining publicly known faces of the organization and had recently been leading press conferences. Afif was also considered a confidant of Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israel at the end of September.
