We're ready for cease-fire talks with Israel - Hezbollah says after week of decimation by Israeli army

The militant group Hezbollah announced on Tuesday, October 8, that it is now open to cease-fire negotiations with Israel, following significant losses in its leadership and ranks over the past three weeks.

This announcement came after Hezbollah launched over 100 rockets at Israel earlier that day.

Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, for the first time, expressed support for a truce with Israel, independent of the ongoing war in Gaza.

“We back the political efforts led by [Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih] Berri aimed at securing a cease-fire,” Qassem stated. He added, “Once the cease-fire is firmly established and diplomacy can secure it, further discussions and decisions will be made collectively.”

Qassem’s remarks followed a heavy rocket barrage that sent over 100 missiles from Lebanon into Israel’s northern city of Haifa. The attack wounded a woman in her 70s and came just a day after another missile strike on the city that left two people injured.

Previously, Hezbollah had vowed to continue its assaults on Israel until it ended the war in Gaza, with the Iran-backed group firing rockets across the border almost daily since October 8.

Qassem, now the highest-ranking official in Hezbollah, made this cease-fire statement after Israel’s recent strikes severely weakened the group’s ranks.