U.S. envoy Tom Barrack reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to restoring stability in the Middle East during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday.
Tom Barrack © BXT
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to restoring stability in the Middle East during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday.
Speaking from Beirut — his second visit in two weeks — Barrack admitted that the ceasefire agreement signed in late November between Israel and Hezbollah has failed to bring an end to hostilities.
"The agreement has not succeeded," he said bluntly, emphasizing that while the U.S. supports peace efforts, it “cannot force Israel to do anything.”
The truce deal, brokered by the United States and France and based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, called for a full Israeli withdrawal from five positions in southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah, starting in the south of the Litani River and eventually across the country.
While Israeli forces remain on Lebanese territory, Hezbollah — a group heavily backed by Iran — has flatly rejected any disarmament, despite being severely weakened militarily and politically.
Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan responded Monday by reiterating the group's defiant stance. “We are open to dialogue on internal Lebanese matters,” he said, “but our goal remains to defend Lebanon against Israeli and terrorist threats, and against American attempts to destabilize the region.”
This declaration sharply contrasts with the expectations of the United States, Israel, and the broader international community, all of whom are pushing for Hezbollah’s disarmament and a long-term de-escalation along the Israel-Lebanon border.
The deadlock underscores the fragility of Lebanon’s political landscape and the difficulty of implementing a sustainable peace in a region caught between international pressure, sectarian divides, and the ambitions of armed non-state actors.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that Lebanon is waiting for the United States to set a date for the start of formal negotiations with Israel, as the two countries navigate a delicate diplomatic process that has already yielded two rounds of preparatory talks in Washington.
Ukraine has requested that Israel seize a vessel carrying grain it says was stolen from areas occupied by Russia, its top prosecutor said on Wednesday, after the shipment sparked a diplomatic tussle between the countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to 'get smart soon' and sign a deal, following days of deadlock in efforts to end the conflict and a media report that the U.S. would extend its blockade of Iran's ports.
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