### Hezbollah Endorses Ceasefire in Lebanon Amid Intensifying Conflict with Israel

Hezbollah, through its top official, publicly supported efforts to establish a ceasefire in Lebanon for the first time on Tuesday. This surprising move departs from the group's previous stance of linking a truce to an agreement over Gaza. Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem expressed the group's backing for the political initiatives led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri aimed at achieving a ceasefire, stating that once diplomacy secures a truce, further discussions and decisions would follow.

Hezbollah has been involved in exchanges with Israel since October 8 of the previous year, firing at Israeli targets as a show of solidarity with Hamas, which had commenced an attack on Israel from Gaza the day before. Previously, Hezbollah had maintained that its cessation of hostilities was contingent upon a Gaza ceasefire, a demand Israel had rejected, insisting instead that Hezbollah separate its conflict with Israel from the Gaza war.

In his speech commemorating the first anniversary of Hezbollah's involvement in the ongoing conflict, Qassem notably omitted any mention of a Gaza ceasefire as a precondition for halting the fighting in Lebanon. This address comes after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israel late last month, which has since seen Israel carrying out limited ground operations in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah continues launching rocket attacks into northern Israel.

Prominent political figure Nabih Berri, leader of the allied Shiite Amal party, has been at the forefront of ceasefire negotiations, backed by Western nations. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib revealed to CNN last week that Nasrallah had previously consented to a temporary ceasefire proposed by US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other allies during the UN General Assembly last month. However, this agreement was soon followed by Nasrallah's assassination by Israel.

US officials have suggested to CNN that the Biden administration is not actively pursuing the ceasefire deal any longer, opting instead to direct and limit Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Iran rather than focusing on halting hostilities altogether. Meanwhile, Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, dismissed Bou Habib's claim about Nasrallah agreeing to a ceasefire as "ridiculous" during an interview with Sky News on Sunday.

Despite the nod towards ceasefire efforts, Qassem's speech carried a defiant undertone, reiterating Hezbollah's preparedness and determination to continue its resistance against Israel. In a dramatic display of this stance, Hezbollah launched significant rocket barrages towards the Israeli cities of Haifa and Kiryat, marking one of the heaviest assaults since the onset of the current conflict. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), while many rockets were intercepted or landed in open areas, at least two buildings in Kiryat Yam and Kiryat Motzkin sustained direct hits.

Earlier the same day, the Israeli military announced an expansion of its "limited, localized, targeted operations" into southwestern Lebanon, signaling a continuation of the escalating tensions in the region.