Amid a raging war in the Middle East, Hezbollah, the dominant militia in Lebanon and close ally of Iran, says there can be a settlement between Lebanon and Israel if international community and India play its role and push Israel to abide by the ceasefire agreement of November 2024.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East conflict when Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2 in revenge for the killing of Iran's supreme leader in the opening salvo of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.
Israel has retaliated with wide-ranging airstrikes on Lebanon and Israeli forces are now advancing into numerous towns in southern Lebanon. Lebanese authorities say at least 1,189 people have been killed since the hostilities broke out.
According to Hezbollah, the war on Lebanon is part of establishing greater Israel and "the resistance will continue as long as Israeli occupation continues".
In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Ibrahim Mosvi, head of Hezbollah's parliamentary party in Lebanon, says they don't want more victims in the war but vowed to fight back as long as Israel continues its aggression.
The top Hezbollah leader claimed that despite a massive military campaign by Israel, it has not been able to capture the south of Lebanon so far and the fighting is going on.
"If the United States, international community, European Union pressurise Israel. If India, for example, pressure Israel that this is against humanitarian law, that this is against humanity, may be they will stop this (war). We are only a defensive force. We are not starting an assault against Israel. If they abide by every term of agreement that we had reached, things can be started again and we can reach at a settlement," Ibrahim Mosvi said.
Since March 2, Israel has launched a major offensive in south Lebanon and massive airstrikes in Beirut following rocket attacks by Hezbollah.
Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu has now asked Israel Defence Forces to expand the invasion in south Lebanon.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said that he has instructed to "further expand the existing security buffer zone" and Israel is determined to fundamentally change the situation.
Over 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced after the start of war and many villages and areas in south Lebanon have been flattened by Israeli attacks.
Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, have announced joint operations against Israel since the start of the war.
According to Mosvi, Israel has imposed the war on Lebanon and wants its land and resources.
"Many parts of our country are under occupation and they are expanding occupation to other parts of the country. The Lebanese people are the victims of Israel's continuous aggression and now the resistance is fighting back against occupation in order to defend and, Inshallah, to liberate the occupied territories," Hezbollah leader said.
Mosvi rejected the claims that it was Hezbollah which started the war after firing rockets on Israel on March 2.
"Any one who would be saying the fresh war was started by Hezbollah is misleading. Israel war never stopped even after crossfire of November 2024. There was a ceasefire from our side only; from Lebanon resistance," Mosvi said.
The top Hezbollah leader said that Israelis continued to violate ceasefire and killed more than 500 and injured over 2,000 and occupied more territories. "They have levelled many houses and villages during ceasefire period, more than they used to do in the war."
Mosvi said that they had given many warnings that Hezbollah will not be going to be patient for ever. "We hold the official parties responsible, international parties who had guaranteed the ceasefire. Why don't you pressure Israel to commit itself to ceasefire," he said.
The Hezbollah leader, admitted that after attack on Iran, Hezbollah carried out attacks on Israel.
"When Israelis started war against Iran we found it proper time to retaliate to defend ourselves. We are only responding to the attacks from Israel," he said.
The Hezbollah leader said that war is part of achieving greater Israel and blames US President Donald Trump for justifying war on Iran.
"If you listen to American president Mr Trump, he says that Israel is a tiny land in the Middle East and they want to expand it. If you listen to Israeli officials , Netanyahu and others, they will tell you that we want to make greater Israel. They have shown their own map," Mosvi said.
The Hezbollah leader said that Lebanese government is not on their side and it wants to give concessions to Israel.
"You are right, the government (Lebanese government) is not on our side. They are trying to make concessions before the Israelis but I can tell you that not only Hezbollah, majority of Lebanese are against making concessions and government negotiations with Israelis," he said.
Mosvi said that the war in Lebanon is happening because "International community didn't pressurise and sanction Israel".
"United Nations has said that Hezbollah didn't fire a single bullet during 15 months of ceasefire. It's documented by neutral parties including UN and Lebanese government that we abided by the ceasefire and Israel didn't," Hezbollah leader said.
He said that Hezbollah had voluntarily disarmed itself from areas of south of Litani river as part of ceasefire agreement of November 2024. Mosvi said that they don't want more victims in the war and blamed Israel for the killing of innocent people.
"We fulfilled our duties in south of Litani. We had voluntarily disarmed ourselves in south Litani. People are being killed because Israelis are carrying out a war of extermination. It's an apartheid regime which is committing genocide of our people," Mosvi said.
As the war intensifies in Lebanon, with 1.2 million people displaced and over 1,100 people killed, the Hezbollah leader said that "we commit ourselves to fighting back as long as they continue their aggression".
