Iran’s closure of Hormuz forced US, Israel to accept Lebanon ceasefire: Hezbollah chief

Secretary-General of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Qassem thanked Iran for its support in the face of Israeli aggression and said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz forced the United States and Israel to agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon.

In remarks on Saturday, Sheikh Qassem said that “the battlefield has proven it is the final arbiter,” adding that any successful political strategy must draw strength from field achievements to force the Israeli enemy into accepting Lebanon’s rights.

“A temporary ceasefire would not have been achieved without the resistance of our fighters on the southern front,” the Hezbollah said. “The enemy failed to reach the Litani River, neither in the first week, as they had planned, nor after 45 days of combat.”

The Hezbollah chief thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for its support. “They made the ceasefire in the Pakistan agreement conditional on a halt in Lebanon.”

Iran had insisted that the April 8 ceasefire it reached with the United States through Pakistani mediation included a cessation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, saying it was a precondition for further talks with Washington.

The US and Israel initially rejected this, but later announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon on Thursday.

The Hezbollah leader noted that after the United States violated the ceasefire, Iran responded by refusing to open the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping chokepoint, making the US accept the terms and forcing Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon.

“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran forced America and the Israeli enemy to stop their aggression against Lebanon,” Sheikh Qassem said.

Sheikh Qassem insisted that any ceasefire must involve a halt to all hostilities by the enemy, promising that Hezbollah fighters will keep their fingers “on the trigger” due to a lack of trust in Israel.

“We do not accept a unilateral ceasefire from the resistance. A ceasefire must be from both sides of the conflict,” he said.

“Enough is said with insulting Lebanon by imposing direct negotiations with the Zionist enemy and accepting the enemy’s dictates,” he added.

Sheikh Qassem said Hezbollah is ready for maximum cooperation with the Lebanese government to open a new chapter based on achieving independence and sovereignty.

He thanked “the heroes of the resistance” for breaking the advance of the Israeli enemy, despite the Israeli military having amassed 100,000 soldiers along the border.

“Lebanon will stand proud through unity, solidarity, and cooperation between the army, the people, the resistance, and the government, which seeks independence and the liberation of the country,” the Hezbollah leader said.

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