By BASSEM MROUE and DAVID RISING, Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) – Lebanon’s interim prime minister on Friday called on Iran to help secure a ceasefire in war between Israel and Hezbollah and appeared to urge him to persuade the militant group to accept a deal that could require it to withdraw from the Israel-Lebanon border.

As a top adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei visited Lebanon for talks, Lebanese officials said a US proposal for a cease-fire agreement had been forwarded to Hezbollah, which seeks to end the 13 months of firefights between Israel and the group.

Iran is a major backer of Hezbollah and has been funding and arming the Lebanese militant group for decades. Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the Gaza war – sparking exchanges between the two sides ever since. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Since late September, Israel has dramatically escalated its bombing of Lebanon, vowing to cripple Hezbollah and end its barrages in Israel. More than 3,300 people were killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire – 80% of them in the last month – says Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.

A bomb dropped from an Israeli plane hits a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Thick smoke and flames erupt from an Israeli air strike on Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

This combination of photos shows a bomb dropped from an Israeli plane hitting a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A bomb dropped from an Israeli plane prepares to hit a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Civil defense workers put out a fire as smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

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A bomb dropped from an Israeli plane hits a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

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According to Lebanese media, US Ambassador Lisa Johnson handed over a draft of a proposed cease-fire agreement to Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who led the talks representing Hezbollah.

A Lebanese official confirmed that Beirut received a copy of a draft proposal based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war in the summer of 2006. A Lebanese politician said that Hezbollah officials they received the project and were studying. would express his opinion on Berri. The politician, who is familiar with Hezbollah’s work, and the official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media about ongoing discussions.

UN Resolution 1701, among other things, states that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should operate in southern Lebanon, meaning Hezbollah should end its presence there. This provision was never implemented. Lebanon accuses Israel of also violating the resolution by maintaining a small, disputed border zone and conducting frequent military flights over Lebanon.

The Lebanese official did not provide details other than to say that Israel is insisting that some safeguards be included. The US Embassy declined to either confirm or deny the reports.

In talks with Khamenei’s adviser Ali Larijani, Lebanon’s interim prime minister, Najib Mikati, asked Iran to help implement resolution 1701. He said the Lebanese government wanted the war to end and the resolution to be implemented “in all its details,” according to a statement on the talks issued by his office.

Mikati, who in recent weeks has become more critical of Iran’s role in Lebanon, also said the government wants Iran to help Lebanon’s national unity and not take any position in support of one party against another.

Iran’s support for Hezbollah has helped the group, which is the most powerful faction among Lebanon’s Shia Muslims, dominate the country’s politics for the past decade.

After meeting with Mikati and Berri, Larijani said the main purpose of his visit was “to say loudly that we will stand with the government and the people of Lebanon.”

Asked if he was trying to block the US-brokered ceasefire, Larijani said: “We are not trying to blow up any effort, but we want to solve the problem and we will stand with Lebanon regardless of the circumstances.”

Israeli forces carried out new strikes around the Lebanese capital on Friday. Three waves of airstrikes hit buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, triggering explosions in the area known as Dahiyeh.