US Envoy Urges Israel to Comply with Ceasefire as Lebanon Moves to Disarm Hezbollah

Lebanon | AFP

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U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Monday urged Israel to honor its commitments under a ceasefire agreement that ended last year’s war with Hezbollah, following Lebanon’s decision to begin a process to disarm the Iran-backed group.

Under the November truce, Hezbollah was required to withdraw fighters from the Israeli border, while Lebanon’s state institutions were tasked with assuming control of weapons. In return, Israel was expected to withdraw its forces, but it has maintained positions at five border points deemed strategic, while continuing airstrikes inside Lebanon.

“The Lebanese government has taken the first step. Now what we need is Israel to comply,” Barrack said after meetings with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally. “We’re all moving in the right direction.”

Berri described Israel’s full adherence to the ceasefire and its troop withdrawal as the “gateway to stability in Lebanon.”

Asked whether Israel should end its military presence and violations, Barrack responded: “That’s exactly the next step needed. We need Israel’s participation, alongside an economic plan for prosperity, restoration, and recovery.”

Barrack added that Washington is in talks with Israel over its position and predicted “progress on all sides” in the coming weeks, stressing that peace would mean “a better life for the people and a new path of dialogue in the region.”

The envoy’s visit follows the Lebanese cabinet’s unprecedented decision to instruct the army to draft a plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament by year-end. The cabinet also endorsed a U.S. proposal that outlines 11 objectives, including ensuring the ceasefire’s sustainability, ending the armed presence of non-state actors across Lebanese territory, demarcating borders with Israel and Syria, and mobilizing international support for reconstruction.

President Aoun emphasized the need for “all parties to adhere” to the joint declaration, calling for greater international backing for the Lebanese army and accelerated reconstruction. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged Washington to pressure Israel to halt hostilities, withdraw its forces, and release Lebanese prisoners.

Hezbollah, the only faction to retain weapons after Lebanon’s 1975–1990 civil war, was significantly weakened in last year’s conflict with Israel. However, the group’s leader Naim Qassem rejected disarmament, vowing the “resistance will not surrender its weapons while occupation persists.”

Aoun, speaking to Al Arabiya, warned that failure to adopt the U.S. plan could lead to intensified Israeli attacks, economic isolation, and further instability.

Barrack reiterated that resolving Hezbollah’s status must remain “a Lebanese process.”