Washington calls on Lebanon to set deadline for state control over Hezbollah arms: Sources to LBCI
According to sources, Lebanon is currently studying the reply, the core of which stresses the need for Lebanon to commit to a clear timeline for placing Hezbollah's weapons under the control of the state. The response sets a firm deadline, calling for this process to be completed no later than the end of this year.
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LBCI
40 minutes ago
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L'Orient-Le Jour
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Ya Libnan
17 hours ago
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US pressures Lebanon to issue cabinet decision to disarm Hezbollah before talks continue
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and U.S. special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack meets with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in Beirut, Lebanon July 21, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo BEIRUT – Washington is ramping up pressure on Beirut to swiftly issue a formal cabinet decision committing to disarm Hezbollah before talks can resume on a halt to Israel's military operations in Lebanon, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Without a public commitment from Lebanese ministers, the U.S. will no longer dispatch U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack to Beirut for negotiations with Lebanese officials, or pressure Israel either to stop airstrikes or pull its troops from south Lebanon, according to the sources, who include two Lebanese officials, two diplomats and a Lebanese source familiar with the matter. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Washington and Beirut have been in talks for nearly six weeks on a U.S. roadmap to fully disarm the militant Lebanese Hezbollah party in exchange for Israel to end its strikes and withdraw its troops from five points in southern Lebanon. The original proposal included a condition that Lebanon's government pass a cabinet decision pledging to disarm Hezbollah. The Iran-backed Hezbollah has publicly refused to hand over its arsenal in full, but the group has privately weighed scaling it back . The group, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. , some Arab countries and much of the West, has also told Lebanese officials that Israel must take the first step by withdrawing its troops and stopping drone strikes on Hezbollah fighters and arms depots. Hezbollah's main ally, Lebanese speaker of parliament Nabih Berri, asked the U.S. to ensure that Israel halt its strikes as a first step, in order to fully implement the ceasefire agreed last year that ended months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, according to four of the sources. Israel rejected Berri's proposal late last week, the four sources said. There was no immediate response from the Israeli prime minister's office to questions from Reuters on the issue. The U.S. then began insisting that a cabinet vote take place imminently, all the sources said. 'The U.S. is saying there's no more Barrack, no more papers back and forth – the council of ministers should take a decision and then we can keep discussing. They cannot wait any longer,' the Lebanese source said. The source and the Lebanese officials said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam would seek to hold a session in the coming days. Barrack met Salam in Beirut last week and said Washington cannot 'compel' Israel to do anything before Hezbollah disarms. , (Reuters)
