Berri blames US not Israel for ongoing ceasefire violations

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri linked Friday the Israeli escalation in south Lebanon to the push for normalizing relations between Israel and the Arab world, days after U.S. President Donald Trump said Syria's president backed normalization with Israel in the future.

Trump had said after meeting the Syrian interim President that Ahmad al-Sharaa backed normalization with Israel in the future but "they have a lot of work to do". The meeting took place in Riyadh on Wednesday, a day after Trump announced he was lifting sanctions on the war-battered country.

"Syria is definitely on the path of joining the Abraham Accords," Berri told Asas Media, as he blamed the United States for the Israeli violations.

"We have signed a ceasefire deal with the U.S. and not with Israel," Berri said. "The Americans are supposed to compel Israel to implement the deal, if they really want a ceasefire," he added.

Israel has continued to launch strikes on Lebanon despite the November 27 truce which sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah including, two months of full-blown war.

Israel's military said Thursday it killed a Hezbollah militant in a strike on south Lebanon, on the Arnoun–Yahmor road. On Wednesday, Israel said it struck and killed a "Hezbollah commander of the Qabrikha area", also in the south.

Under the deal, Hezbollah was to pull back its fighters north of the Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure to its south. Israel was to withdraw all its forces from Lebanon, but it has kept troops in five areas that it deems "strategic".

Lebanon says it has respected its ceasefire commitments and has called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its attacks and withdraw all of its troops.