Israel asks Hezbollah to lay down its weapons in exchange for a ceasefire
Russia's TASS news agency reported on October 9 that Al Arabiya TV channel quoted French diplomatic sources as saying that Israel has asked Lebanon's Hezbollah militia to lay down its weapons and withdraw its forces, considering this a prerequisite for a ceasefire in southern Lebanon.
"Israel demanded that Hezbollah lay down its arms and withdraw north of the Litani River in exchange for a ceasefire in Lebanon," one of the sources said.
On September 23, Israel launched a military operation codenamed "Northern Arrows" against Hezbollah in Lebanon, carrying out large-scale airstrikes on the group's military sites. In an attack on September 27, Israel killed Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. On the night of October 1, Israel announced the start of a ground operation in Lebanon's southern border areas.
