US envoy says Israel could pull its troops from southern Lebanon if Hezbollah lays down its arms.
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said on Tuesday that Israel is prepared to withdraw from southern Lebanon if Hezbollah disarms.
Israel “will pull back in step” with Hezbollah’s disarmament, Barrack told reporters in Beirut after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. He added that the Lebanese government plans to present a strategy on August 31 to encourage Hezbollah to surrender its weapons.
The army has been tasked with drafting the plan by month’s end and implementing it before 2025 concludes. Hezbollah has rejected the initiative, calling it a “grave sin.”
Barrack also confirmed that Washington will extend the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL in southern Lebanon for another year and noted that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa “has no interest in an adversarial relationship with Lebanon.”
