Media: Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Amal shift stance on Israel truce terms

Lebanese movements Hezbollah and Amal have modified their position in negotiations with Israel, dropping their demand for the prior withdrawal of Israeli forces as a key condition for a ceasefire, Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing Lebanese sources familiar with the talks.

At the current stage, their demands are limited to a ceasefire on land, air, and sea, as well as an end to operations targeting infrastructure destruction in southern Lebanon.

According to the sources, issues such as the withdrawal of Israeli forces, reconstruction of damaged areas, and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south are now being treated as subsequent phases to be implemented after the ceasefire comes into force.

Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based Shia Islamist political and militant organisation formed in the early 1980s during the Lebanese Civil War, emerging in the context of Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon and supported by Iran in its early development.

It operates both as an armed group and a political party in Lebanon’s parliamentary system and is designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries, including the United States, due to its military activities and regional operations.

The Amal Movement is a Lebanese Shia political party that originated as a militia during the Lebanese Civil War and is now a major parliamentary force led by Nabih Berri, who has served as Speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament for decades.

Both Hezbollah and Amal represent key Shia political currents in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, playing influential roles in domestic governance and shaping Lebanon’s broader political alignment and regional posture. 

By Jeyhun Aghazada