Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced today, Thursday, that "the truce expected to begin in the Gaza Strip next week will lead to indirect talks to end the fighting along the southern border of Lebanon." In an interview with Reuters, Mikati stated that he is "confident that Hezbollah will cease fire if Israel does the same."
Mikati predicted "weeks of discussions to achieve long-term stability in southern Lebanon once a Gaza agreement is reached." He noted that "U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein will visit Lebanon soon." He added: "There are serious discussions about stopping military operations in Gaza, and I believe that soon, God willing, there will be some sort of agreement on this issue, especially with the approach of the blessed month of Ramadan, referred to as the 'Ramadan Understanding.'"
Mikati explained that he learned about these developments through "diplomatic reports coming to me from abroad and through communications happening with everyone. I definitely have ongoing communications, whether they are announced or unannounced phone calls or direct contacts with all parties involved."
He stated, "Certainly, God willing, if we manage to reach a halt in military operations in Gaza, I believe that we have intense weeks of negotiations ahead of us to achieve what I always call long-term stability in the south."
Mikati added that "it was impossible to start any negotiations while witnessing what is happening in Gaza, as there was a risk that negotiations could fail if Gaza continued as it is." He pointed out that since October 7, Lebanon "is being subjected daily to violations by the Israelis in the skies and raids on Lebanese territory."
Mikati questioned, "Can they eliminate the Palestinian issue through blood, destruction, and war?" adding that "all of this will generate more destruction and war. We must be realistic; the solution lies in a two-state solution." He mentioned, "We have become accustomed over the past 75 years to this Israeli violence, but frankly, I have not yet gotten used to the global silence regarding what the Israelis are doing, especially in Gaza with the killing of the elderly, women, and children. They say all of this is in response to October 7; my question is: is this a fair response, is it balanced?"
