Berri says 'there will be no war' amid fears of flare-up

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is confident that "there will be no war" on Lebanon.

He told al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Wednesday, that he is not worried about the possibility of an Israeli all-out war against Lebanon. "There won't be a war, the atmosphere is positive, and I'm reassured at this stage," he said.

The Israeli army still occupies five border positions in southern Lebanon, and despite the ceasefire, continues to carry out strikes on Lebanese territory, claiming to target Hezbollah. It has intensified strikes in recent weeks, with several deadly attacks launched over the past few days.

Berri had discussed on Tuesday with U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus the daily Israeli violations and attacks on Lebanon and the work of the five-party technical ceasefire monitoring committee, his office said.

Media reports claimed that Ortagus proposed to Berri direct talks with Israel or indirect negotiations (through the ceasefire committee) that might involve civilians.