US envoy Tom Barrack 'unbelievably satisfied' with Lebanon's Hezbollah disarmament response

US special envoy Thomas Barrack said on Monday that he was "unbelievably satisfied" with the Lebanese government's reply to an American proposal on how to disarm a weakened Hezbollah, amid uncertainty over Hezbollah's future as an armed group.

"What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time. I'm unbelievably satisfied with the response," Barrack told reporters after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Palace, without giving details of the response. He is expected to meet with other Lebanese officials on Monday and Tuesday.

"It's thoughtful, it's considered. We're creating a go-forward plan. To create that, we need dialogue. What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time," he said.

During his 19 June visit to Beirut, Barrack handed to Lebanese officials a proposal which called for the full disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah and other militias in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops occupying several posts in south Lebanon and a halt to Israeli air strikes. His document also calls for delineating the Lebanon-Israel border.

Aoun and Salam, both seen as reformists, have vowed a monopoly on all arms outside state control but have also insisted that Israel must pull out its troops and halt attacks to achieve real stability.

"Hezbollah is a political party. It also has a militant aspect to it. Hezbollah needs to see that there's a future for them, that that road is not harnessed just solely against them, and that there's an intersection of peace and prosperity for them also," Barrack said.

He warned that "the rest of the region is moving at Mach speed, and you will be left behind", noting that "dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon".

Hezbollah's arsenal has for decades been one of Lebanon's most divisive issues, and in 2008 pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

What has Lebanon said?

Lebanon has prepared what reports describe as a "balanced" response that seeks to reconcile US demands and the government's goal of disbanding all armed factions while also accounting for Hezbollah's position, as the group has declared it will not "surrender" to US and Israeli pressure.

According to Lebanese media outlets which say they have seen a copy of Beirut’s response, it reiterates Lebanon’s commitment to the understandings related to the cessation of hostilities stemming from UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the basis of last year's ceasefire deal that ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deal obliges Hezbollah to hand over its weapons, the Lebanese state to extend its sovereignty over the whole nation, and Israel to pull out of South Lebanon.

While Lebanese troops have begun deploying in the south and have disarmed most of the region that lies south of the Litani River close to Israel's border, Israeli forces continue to occupy five strategic hilltops, which they refuse to leave before Hezbollah is fully disarmed.

Lebanon will stress to Barrack the importance of renewing the mandate of UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon (UNIFIL) and enhancing logistical and financial support for the Lebanese army to expand its deployment and carry out its duties across the area.

The response also reiterates dismantling Hezbollah’s installations south of the Litani and establishing an area free of any armed presence outside state control while also calling for a full Israeli withdrawal from the five border points.

It also calls on Israel to leave other territories, including the disputed Shebaa Farms, and the release of just over a dozen Hezbollah members and Lebanese civilians captured by Israel.

Lebanon will also press for the activation of a ceasefire monitoring committee and ask the US to play an active role in pressuring Israel to stop its repeated attacks on Lebanon.

Since the 27 November ceasefire, Israel has carried out near-daily strikes, primarily in south Lebanon, vowing to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding itself after the war severely weakened the group. The latest attacks happened Sunday evening when Israel said it struck dozens of "important" Hezbollah sites in the country's south and eastern Baalbek regions.

Among other items, Lebanon will push to begin reconstructing areas devastated by last year's war. Donor countries have signalled their readiness to help Lebanon rebuild the affected regions - including the south, Beirut’s southern suburbs and towns in Beqaa - but only if all militant groups are disarmed and deep-rooted reforms are implemented.

Other militant groups include Palestinian factions in some of the country’s 12 official camps. Lebanon's response to Barack includes placing Palestinian arms on the table, too.

Disarming the camps was supposed to begin in mid-June but was delayed due to disagreements among rival Palestinian and Islamist factions. By convention, Lebanese authorities do not intervene in the camps, whose security is overseen by Palestinian groups and which have long been rattled by armed clashes.

Syria and reforms

Barrack's proposal also calls for improved ties between Lebanon and neighbouring Syria, currently in a challenging transitional phase since ousting the Assad regime in December.

According to media reports, Lebanon will call for Arab backing in rebuilding its ties with Syria, including the importance of controlling the porous and non-demarcated border and "ensure the safe and dignified return of Syrian refugees" which Lebanon has accommodated for over 14 years.

Another major demand for Beirut to help it unlock much-needed financial aid are sweeping reforms, as the country reels under an economic meltdown since 2019.

"This commitment is framed within the context of rebuilding trust in the Lebanese economy and restoring its relationship with the international financial system," the response says, according to local media.