Berri criticizes ceasefire framework, calls for parallel Israeli withdrawal

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri criticized the recently announced ceasefire framework, arguing that it fell short of what Lebanon should have secured and contained provisions he described as problematic.

Berri said the agreement could have been viewed positively had it begun with an unconditional ceasefire on land, at sea, and in the air, without provisions that, in his view, complicated the arrangement. He argued that the text was "booby-trapped" by including a requirement for a complete cessation of fire by Hezbollah as well as the withdrawal of all its members from south of the Litani River.

He added that he would have welcomed language explicitly calling for an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory. Instead, he said, the agreement introduced the concept of "pilot zones" where no non-state actors would be allowed to operate.

Berri reiterated that he supports the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters from south of the Litani River, but stressed that such a step should occur in parallel with an Israeli withdrawal from areas it currently occupies in southern Lebanon.