Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah agreed to 21-day ceasefire before he was killed by Israel, says Lebanon minister

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel before he was killed in an Israeli airstrike, said Lebanon foreign minister. Moreover, Iranian sources said that he was warned by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to flee Lebanon. 

Lebanon foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN that Nasrallah had agreed to a 21-day ceasefire with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days before his death. The temporary ceasefire was called for by US President Joe Biden, France President Emmanuel Macron, and other allies on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month. 

The demand for the ceasefire came in the aftermath of the pager and walkie-talkie explosion attacks in mid-September, injuring and killing some Hezbollah members. Hezbollah had blamed Israel for the pager explosions used by the group. 

Habib said, "We agreed completely. Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire but (after) consulting with Hezbollah. The (Lebanese House) Speaker Mr Nabih Berri consulted with Hezbollah and we informed the Americans and the French about what happened. And they told us that Mr Netanyahu also agreed on the statement that was issued by both (US and French) presidents (Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron)...They told us that Mr Netanyahu agreed on this and so we also got the agreement of Hezbollah on that and you know what happened since then." 

A day before Nasrallah’s death, a joint statement was issued by the US, France, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK and Qatar, calling for the ceasefire. However, Netanyahu had rejected the deal and said Israel would continue to tackle Hezbollah. 

Nasrallah was killed in a massive airstrike on September 27 in the group headquarters in Dahiyeh. His death was announced by Israel, and then confirmed by Iran. 

Meanwhile, a report in Reuters, stated that Khamenei warned Nasrallah about Israeli infiltration of senior government ranks in Tehran, and had asked the Hezbollah leader to flee the country. Immediately after the pager attack on Hezbollah, Khamenei sent a message with an envoy beseeching Nasrallah to leave for Iran, citing intelligence reports that Israeli operatives within Hezbollah were planning to kill him. 

Nasrallah’s assassination followed two weeks of precise Israeli strikes destroying weapon sites, and eliminating half of Hezbollah’s leadership council and top military command. 

Following the Hezbollah leader’s death, Iranian authorities are thoroughly investigating possible infiltration within its ranks, including the Revolutionary Guards to senior security officials. They have focused on those who travel abroad or have relatives outside of Iran. As per reports, Tehran grew suspicious of certain members of the Guards who have been travelling to Lebanon. One of these members reportedly asked about Nasrallah’s whereabouts and how long he would remain in those particular locations. 

(With Reuters inputs)