More than a month into its war with Israel, Hezbollah says it is ready for a truce, but there are limits to what it can accept after suffering devastating attacks, analysts say.
The Iran-backed group said Wednesday it would accept a ceasefire, if offered and if the terms were "suitable," acknowledging it had been dealt "painful" blows by Israel.
Also Wednesday, Lebanon's premier Najib Mikati said he had received signals from U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein that a truce could be reached before the U.S. elections on November 5.
With much of its senior leadership killed and its strongholds pulverized, Hezbollah could use the recovery time that a truce would offer.
A ceasefire is a "priority" for Hezbollah so it can "reorganize its ranks," said Qassim Qassir, a Lebanese analyst close to the group.
"It will agree to the deployment of the army (in south Lebanon) and to stay away from the borders, but nothing more than that," he told AFP, referring to Israeli demands for Hezbollah to retreat some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the frontier.
Hezbollah, which began trading cross-border fire with Israel last year in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas, has found itself on the back foot since all-out war erupted on September 23.
Israel has assassinated the group's most senior leaders, including its chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, tipped as his successor.
The killings created a month-long vacuum at the top, as targeted strikes on hideouts across the country suggested an intelligence breach.
On the ground, Israeli forces have advanced as far as the town of Khiam, some six kilometers (four miles) from the border.
Hezbollah says the Israelis have yet to fully control any frontier village.
https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/309010-hezbollah-willing-to-bend-not-break-for-a-truce