Iran Supports Lebanon’s Cease-fire Talks While Israel Steps Up Beirut Bombardment
Iran expressed its support for Lebanon’s efforts to secure a cease-fire with Israel on Friday, signaling a potential end to the intensifying conflict that has devastated Hezbollah-controlled areas of Beirut. Ali Larijani, an advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emphasized Tehran’s backing for any decision made by Lebanon during his visit to Beirut.
“We are after a solution to the problems. We support in all circumstances the Lebanese government,” Larijani said after meeting Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is endorsed by Hezbollah to lead the negotiations. Responding to allegations that Iran might obstruct cease-fire talks, Larijani blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the ongoing hostilities.
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The visit coincided with intensified Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs, including a Friday attack that flattened a building near Tayouneh, a central traffic junction in the city. The blast shook nearby neighborhoods and sent debris into Horsh Beirut, the city’s largest park, following prior warnings issued by the Israeli military urging evacuations.
Lebanese sources revealed that US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea presented a draft truce proposal to Berri on Thursday, marking Washington’s first written attempt in weeks to halt the conflict. While the proposal’s contents remain undisclosed, Israeli demands for the freedom to respond to any future Hezbollah violations remain a key sticking point, a condition Lebanon has rejected.
The cease-fire efforts represent a last-ditch diplomatic push by the outgoing Biden Administration, which has struggled to end the war in Gaza while advancing talks to de-escalate hostilities in Lebanon. Eli Cohen, Israel’s energy minister, described the prospects for a cease-fire as the “most promising” since the conflict began. Netanyahu, according to reports, is eager to achieve a Lebanon cease-fire as a foreign policy win ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Trump has signaled strong support for Israel, but his administration’s stance on Lebanon negotiations remains uncertain.
