NNA - Caretaker Culture Minister, Mohammad Wissam Mortada, on Thursday told Al-Mayadeen that there’s “no genuine development to suggest an imminent ceasefire.”

Mortada attributed recent optimism to U.S. sources pushing favorable sentiment to aid the Democratic Party’s electoral interests, particularly with Lebanese-American voters, after former President Trump promised relief from Biden-Harris policies.

Mortada criticized Israel’s "misleading maneuvers", recalling similar tactics in early Gaza clashes, and reiterated Lebanon’s stance, as voiced by Speaker Nabih Berri: ceasefire under Resolution 1701, or continued resistance.

The Culture Minister finally stressed Lebanon’s readiness, noting that the resistance “has the means to counter Israeli aggression for years, not months.”

=================R.H.