'The disarmament timetable will be set by Tel Aviv,' says Barrack

L'Orient-Le Jour

3 days ago

BEIRUT — U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack concluded his visit to Beirut on Wednesday by urging Lebanese authorities to fully assume their responsibilities regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah. Speaking to reporters, Barrack delivered a stark message: 'Lebanon does not have unlimited time. Yes, there is a timetable for their dismantlement, and it is Israel, not Washington, that sets it.'
Washington is demanding a clear and public plan for the withdrawal of Hezbollah's weapons, including a timetable and implementation mechanisms. Hezbollah has firmly rejected any new agreement, insisting instead that Israel must first comply with previous ones. The party refuses to surrender its arsenal or commit to a disarmament schedule.
In a direct warning, Barrack said the lack of concrete steps would only entrench the current status quo, marked by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon and drone overflights above Beirut. Still, he pointed to 'an opportunity' for Lebanon to gain meaningful support from the United States, France and Gulf countries. But that support comes with conditions.
'Without implementation of laws, you won't receive a single cent of foreign capital,' he said. 'Real strength is the courage to enforce the law. Without that, the drones and strikes won't stop.'
While praising Lebanese officials' conduct during this tense period, Barrack emphasized the urgency of action. 'American support assumes an awareness of the necessity for change — before it's too late.'
Shebaa Farms are "worthless"
Asked about the prospect of normalization with Israel, Barrack said he detected openness among some Lebanese, though not yet voiced publicly. 'Who really believes Israel wants to annex Lebanon? If it wanted to, it would have done so long ago,' he said.
The U.S. envoy also made sarcastic comments regarding the occupied Shebaa Farms, saying he thought they resembled a Kentucky horse farm and the most beautiful piece of land anyone has seen.
'What are they fighting over? I didn't understand and I still don't totally get it … This is a land of no value,' Asharq al-Awsat quoted Barrack as saying.
The Shebaa Farms, about 14 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide, are located at the junction of Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Israel has occupied the territory since 1967. Following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah declared that liberation remained incomplete without reclaiming Shebaa.
In a previous statement, Barrack warned that if Lebanon fails to act — referring to Hezbollah's weapons and stalled reforms — the country risks 'returning to Bilad al-Sham,' a phrase widely interpreted as a veiled threat of reintegration into a Syrian sphere of influence. Though he later clarified the comment, it drew considerable backlash.
Turning back to the Syria file, Barrack said, 'The Syrians can barely leave Damascus. Do not fear Iran, Syria or Israel. Fear your internal divisions.' He added that Damascus no longer poses a threat to Lebanon. 'Syria holds no hostility toward Lebanon and doesn't seek to seize its land.'
The envoy also noted a growing influx of Gulf capital into Syria under its 'new leadership,' while Lebanon, he said, remains stuck in crisis and viewed by foreign investors as 'too complex.'