US envoy hails Lebanon’s response to Hezbollah disarmament proposals

A senior United States envoy has praised the Lebanese government’s response to a US proposal aimed at disarming Hezbollah amid Israel’s continued military presence in the country.
Thomas Barrack, an adviser to US President Donald Trump who serves as Washington’s ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, returned to Beirut on Monday after delivering the US proposal during a June 19 visit.
The plan called for the Shia Lebanese group Hezbollah to fully disarm within four months in exchange for a halt to Israeli air strikes and the full withdrawal of Israel’s military from the five positions it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s president and prime minister – both installed earlier this year – have promised to strengthen the state and the army, and said that Hezbollah, long viewed as the most powerful military force in Lebanon, must not be more powerful than the government.
Hezbollah has not issued a formal response to the US proposal. However, its leader, Naim Qassem, said on Sunday that the group would not disarm while Israel continued its aggression.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reports from Beirut.

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