US proposal calls for Hezbollah to disarm by end of year, Israel to withdraw from Lebanon: report

New York Post

2 hours ago

The US has presented a plan calling for Hezbollah's full demilitarization by the end of the year, along with Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, officials said.
Lebanese lawmakers are reviewing the plan submitted Thursday by President Trump's envoy, Tom Barrack, which seeks to 'extend and stabilize' the fragile cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel following last year's war.
'The urgency of this proposal is underscored by the increasing number of complaints regarding Israeli violations of the current ceasefire, including airstrikes and cross-border operations, which risk triggering a collapse of the fragile status quo,' the proposal read, according to Reuters.
5 A US plan to cement the cease-fire between Hezbollah militants and Israel calls on the terror group to disarm by year's end.
AFP via Getty Images
5 US special envoy Tom Barrack submitted the plan to Lebanon's government, tasking lawmakers to oversee the disarmament process.
AFP via Getty Images
The document calls on Beirut to publicly announce its commitment to disarm Hezbollah by Dec. 31, 2025, which would be partnered with Israel ending all ground, air and sea military operations in Lebanon.
The Jewish state currently controls five points in the nation's southern half, with Israeli officials reiterating that the buffer was needed to hinder attacks from the Iran-backed terror group.
The second phase of the proposal required Lebanon to oversee the disarmament process within 60 days, with the lawmakers tasked with providing a detailed plan for the army to take control of all the weapons.
Under this phase, Israel would begin withdrawing its forces from the five points, with the Jewish state also agreeing to free Lebanese prisoners who were taken into custody during last year's war, a process that will be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
5 The deal would also see the Israeli military fully withdraw from southern Lebanon.
IDF
The next phase, to be completed within 90 days, would see the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, with a financial plan put in place to help rebuild the infrastructure destroyed during the war.
By phase four, the US plan calls for all of Hezbollah's heavy weapons, including missiles and drones, to be dismantled.
After all the heavy weapons are forfeited, the US will convene with France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other ally nations to 'implement President Trump's vision for the return of Lebanon as a prosperous and viable country.'
5 The terror group has said it will not acknowledge any calls from at home or abroad for Hezbollah to lay down its arms.
AFP via Getty Images
5 A Hezbollah supporter waves the terror group's flag over Beirut.
AP
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had called on the military this week to develop a plan to oversee the restriction of arms for Hezbollah, whose war with Israel devastated the country's southern half.
Hezbollah — which had suffered thousands of losses in the conflict with Israel, including the death of its founder Hassan Nasrallah and the majority of its top brass — has repeatedly rejected all calls for it to demilitarize.
The terror group warned Beirut that it would not acknowledge any such orders from the government, warning lawmakers that they were committing a 'grave sin,' according to the AFP.
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
With Post wires