Berri rejects pilot zones, demands unconditional, complete, and comprehensive ceasefire ceasefire

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri only supports a complete and comprehensive ceasefire by land, sea, and air without any conditions, he told the WHYZ media platform.

After a ceasefire is reached, Hezbollah and Israel can withdraw in parallel from the area south of the Litani river, he said.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire that would require Hezbollah to stop firing, withdraw from near the border, and see Lebanon's military deploy in new "pilot zones" in the area.

Berri met Monday with U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa, who told journalists after the meeting that residents will return to these pilot zones, the Lebanese army will deploy, Israel will halt its strikes, and reconstruction will begin.

Berri rejected the pilot zone framework, stating that he will only accept Israel's withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese army, and the return of the displaced residents to their homes and villages. He said there is a list of 2,300 Hezbollah members demanded to withdraw from south Lebanon. "The Lebanese state has accepted but I don't. They are the people of the land and the sons of the South, and no one can uproot them from it," he said.