As a 10-day cease-fire appeared to hold between Hezbollah and Israel, the leader of the Iran-backed militant group said on Saturday that it was “fully open” to cooperating with the Lebanese government, but laid out difficult conditions for a path forward.
While he celebrated the truce, Naim Qassem, the leader of the Lebanese militant group, said that Hezbollah would keep its fighters at the ready. He listed five conditions for extending the peace with Israel — many echoing longstanding demands by the group that have been difficult to implement.
Mr. Qassem’s conditions included the “permanent cessation” of Israeli attacks on Lebanese targets and Israel’s complete troop withdrawal.
That will be a tall order. Last month, Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Iran. Israel responded by launching a sweeping ground invasion of Lebanon’s south, a stronghold of the militant group, and has signaled that its forces would occupy much of the territory even after the current conflict.
While Mr. Qassem said that Hezbollah would remain militarily prepared for any Israeli violations of the cease-fire, on Thursday the U.S. State Department stated that, as part of the cease-fire, Lebanon and Israel have reiterated the position that the group, which is also a political party, should not bear arms.
Disarming Hezbollah, however, has been a long-elusive goal. The Lebanese government has no direct control over the militant group, which has resisted surrendering its weapons, and is believed to be more powerful than the country’s military.
After another U.S.-mediated cease-fire ended the previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024, Israel was meant to withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah was supposed to disarm. Neither happened.
“A cease-fire cannot be one-sided; it must be observed by both parties,” Mr. Qassem said. “We will not accept a repetition of 15 months of patience in the face of Israeli aggression while waiting for diplomacy that achieved nothing.”
Mr. Qassem said that peace will depend on the return of the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who have been uprooted by the conflict. But Israel’s continued presence could prolong their displacement.
Roughly 2,300 Lebanese people have been killed in the latest war, according to Lebanese authorities. At least 13 Israeli soldiers have also been killed, along with two civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
Euan Ward and Dayana Iwaza contributed reporting.
Pranav Baskar is an international reporter and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
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