Hezbollah agrees to observe truce

Published August 13, 2006

BEIRUT, Aug 12: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday his guerillas would observe a UN resolution to end fighting with Israel once the timing of the truce was agreed and adhered to by Israel.

He said Hezbollah had the right to resist Israeli soldiers while they remain inside Lebanon, but would cooperate with Lebanese soldiers and UN troops due to be deployed to southern Lebanon as part of the Security Council resolution.

“Once there is an agreement to stop the so-called military operations or the aggressive operations ... the resistance will adhere to it without hesitation,” he said in a televised speech.

“We have said before that we agree to the deployment of the Lebanese army supported by the UNIFIL forces ... They will receive the full cooperation and facilitation of the resistance,” he said.

“As long as there is Israeli military movement, Israeli field aggression and Israeli soldiers occupying our land ... it is out natural right to confront them, fight them and defend our land, our homes, and ourselves.”

Mr Nasrallah said that Hezbollah would wait for the cabinet to make a formal response to the UN resolution rather than pre-empt its decision.

“We find some aspects of the resolution unfair and unjust ... it blames the resistance which only carried out a limited military operation,” said Mr Nasrallah, adding however that it could have been much worse.

ISRAELI PLAN: Israel plans to halt offensive operations in Lebanon at 7am on Monday (0400 GMT), but will continue to engage Hezbollah in areas where the army is operating, a senior Israeli official in Jerusalem said on Saturday.

“Israel will end its offensive assault and then will be cleaning the area” in southern Lebanon of Hezbollah fighters and weapons, a senior government official said.

The Israeli prime minister’s office said it was not aware of the plan.—Agencies

Opinion

Editorial

Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....
Soft on traders
08 Jun, 2026

Soft on traders

THE Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200m has been designed as a ‘pragmatic...
Ceasefire in name
Updated 08 Jun, 2026

Ceasefire in name

Both sides accuse the other of violating the truce that was supposed to halt the conflict in April, yet neither appears willing to abandon negotiations altogether.
Damaged childhoods
08 Jun, 2026

Damaged childhoods

CHILD abuse is so prevalent that the UN ranked Pakistan as the least safe country for children. Even so, more than...