U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Monday called on Jerusalem to abide by its commitments under the ceasefire terms, following a meeting in Beirut with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
“I think the Lebanese government has done their part. They’ve taken the first step. Now what we need is Israel to comply with that equal handshake,” said the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, according to AFP.
Barrack was referring to the Lebanese Cabinet voting on Aug. 7 to approve disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group and ensuring that all weapons are under state control.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has rejected the move, calling it “unacceptable” on Aug. 15, which prompted condemnation from Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam later that day. Salam warned that “this direct or indirect threat of civil war is shameful. No Lebanese wants to go back to that.”
For its part, Jerusalem asserts that its actions against Hezbollah’s attempts at rebuilding its terror infrastructure are in line with the terms of the truce.
Israeli troops would remain at five strategic outposts in Southern Lebanon “indefinitely” to protect communities in the north regardless of future negotiations, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in March.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed on Sunday that Israeli military action in Lebanon is in accordance with the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Nov. 27, 2024. “According to that agreement, we enforce every violation and every attempt by Hezbollah to rearm with firepower,” said Netanyahu.
