Lebanon’s Berri Blasts US-Mediated Ceasefire Deal as ‘Rigged’ in Favor of Israel

News – Middle East: Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has denounced the US-mediated ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel as a one-sided, biased deal that seeks to impose asymmetric obligations solely on the Hezbollah resistance movement.

In written comments distributed by his office on Friday, Berri sharply criticized the recently announced US-mediated ceasefire framework concluded in Washington, describing it as “hybrid, unfair, rigged, inequitable, and not worth mentioning.”

Berri insisted that any genuine agreement must begin with an unconditional ceasefire.

“The ceasefire must be complete and comprehensive, without conditions, covering land, sea, and air, and without any bulldozing or demolition,” Berri said.

“Instead of this hybrid agreement, we could have viewed the beginning of the text positively if it had included an unconditional ceasefire.”

He stressed that the declaration attempts to achieve politically what the Israeli regime failed to achieve on the battlefield and warned against turning Hezbollah’s disarmament into the central objective of any deal.

Berri noted that the US-sponsored text focuses exclusively on Hezbollah’s commitments to the ceasefire and the withdrawal of its resistance fighters from the area south of the Litani River, while remaining silent on Israeli obligations.

“I agree with Hezbollah’s withdrawal from south of the Litani only in parallel with the full Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese areas,” Berri affirmed.

The Lebanese Speaker also described the declaration as “booby-trapped with pilot zones” that exclude any meaningful role for other actors.

“The deal could have been interpreted positively if it had stipulated the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from these pilot zones,” he added.

The remarks came two days after the announcement of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between the Lebanese government and the Tel Aviv regime.

The deal envisions the establishment of pilot zones placed exclusively under the control of the Lebanese Army.

On Thursday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem firmly rejected the agreement, calling the outcome of the negotiations “futile, humiliating, and disgraceful for Lebanon.”

In a statement on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the Israeli regime to withdraw from occupied southern Lebanon and fully respect Lebanese sovereignty.

Despite the alleged ceasefire, Israeli aggression continues unabated. The regime’s forces persist in bombing villages and towns across southern Lebanon, systematically destroying homes, public facilities, and civilian infrastructure.

Recent Israeli strikes have killed and injured several Lebanese civilians. The occupation army has also issued forced displacement orders targeting residents of three towns in the Sidon and Nabatiyeh areas.

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces continue to suffer mounting casualties and equipment losses in southern Lebanon, as Hezbollah maintains its steadfast resistance in solidarity with Gaza and the broader regional struggle against Zionist expansionism.

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