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Daily News Egypt
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Lebanon's PM says US proposal includes full Israeli withdrawal, state control of arms
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Friday that a US proposal for ending hostilities with Israel includes a 'full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories' and for all weapons to be 'exclusively in the hands of the state.' His comments came as the deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, rejected any notion of disarming the powerful group in exchange for Israeli withdrawals. Salam told Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV that the paper presented by US envoy Tom Barak, who is expected in Beirut next week, was based on the 'fundamental idea' of linking a full Israeli withdrawal with the Lebanese state extending its authority over all its territory and having a monopoly on arms. 'We are afraid of escalation,' Salam said, adding that 'engaging with Barak's paper, while improving it, is the way to avoid sliding into new confrontations.' 'What is required is to hand over the weapons to the Lebanese state instead of Israel bombing them,' the prime minister stressed. 'This stage requires the logic of the state to prevail, not the logic of militias.' A six-member committee representing Lebanon's three top leaders (the president, prime minister, and parliament speaker) has begun studying US observations on a response that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had previously provided to Barak. In response to the US initiative, Hezbollah's Naim Qassem said in a televised speech on Thursday that the proposed agreement 'absolves Israel of everything it has committed during the period of aggression.' He said the texts of the proposal meet US demands, especially regarding 'the disarmament of the party in exchange for some partial withdrawals at different times.' He questioned what the consequences would be for Israel if it violated the agreement, suggesting they would only amount to condemnations at the U.N. Security Council. 'Disarming Hezbollah is an Israeli demand, and the aggression continues because they want to take down this weapon,' Qassem said, calling Israel an 'expansionist state' and describing Hezbollah's arms as an obstacle to that expansion. He warned that calls to disarm the group 'serve Israel' and risk sparking 'internal strife, even a civil war.' He added that Hezbollah 'will not give up its weapons.' However, sources close to the matter indicate that Lebanon's initial response had stressed confining weapons to the state's hands but did not provide a timeline. This prompted the United States to demand in its observations a commitment to a phased timetable with 'specific dates and a clear implementation mechanism.' The sources added that Lebanon wants guarantees from Israel, including a withdrawal from occupied territories, the release of prisoners, and a halt to ceasefire violations, in exchange for its commitment to disarm. The US is also seeking guarantees from Lebanon that Hezbollah will abide by any agreement and hand over its weapons, the sources said, adding that these mutual guarantees appear to be the biggest obstacle so far.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Salam counts on the 'wisdom' of political leaders to prevent the events in Sweida from destabilizing Lebanon
Caretaker Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday night he was relying on the Lebanese Army, the wisdom of political leaders and the awareness of the Lebanese people to prevent the country from being dragged into a new spiral of violence amid sectarian clashes in neighboring Syria. In an interview with Al-Jadeed TV, Salam also confirmed that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack is expected in Lebanon early next week to follow up on the implementation of the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. 'We are surrounded by flames. What matters now is how to protect Lebanon from them,' Salam said, referring to the deadly fighting in Syria's southern province of Sweida. 'We can only do that by preserving our national unity and avoiding any adventure or internal conflict.' Over 940 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in Syria since July 13, as tribal militias and Sunni Bedouins clashed with Druze residents, according to an NGO. The Syrian government declared a second cease-fire on Saturday after another brief truce collapsed. The violence has sparked limited sectarian tensions in parts of Lebanon, particularly the Bekaa Valley and North Lebanon. 'Dangers' and 'opportunities' 'Since day one, I've been in constant contact with all ministers and heads of Lebanon's security forces,' Salam said. 'Syria's stability matters greatly to us and to the Syrian people, considering the potential fallout if the country unravels.' He warned of Lebanon's own painful history: 'We know what it means to kill each other. We lived through that for many years and paid the price. I hope we've all learned the lessons from that time and won't repeat them.' Asked about recent comments by Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, who spoke of a prolonged war and the threat of partition in Syria, Salam said the situation was still fluid. 'Nothing is written yet — everything depends on our behavior. If, God forbid, Syria doesn't stabilize soon, we must hold onto our national unity even more tightly,' he said. 'I'm counting on the army, our leaders' wisdom and the people's awareness, because they do not want to return to those dark days, despite recent incidents in Tripoli and the Bekaa.' Salam ended on a cautiously optimistic note: 'Syria faces many dangers, including the risk of partition, which threatens its unity. But there's also a real opportunity — the fall of the previous regime on Dec. 8, growing Arab support for the new government, and possibly even the lifting of sanctions. I believe Syria is on a path toward stability, despite the challenges.' Awaiting the U.S. envoy Salam confirmed that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack is expected in Beirut early next week, though he did not specify whether the visit would begin Monday or Tuesday. It will be Barrack's second trip to Lebanon in two weeks. During his last visit, Barrack received Lebanon's official response to a U.S. proposal aimed at reinforcing the cease-fire agreement reached in November between Israel and Hezbollah. That deal has since been regularly violated by Israeli airstrikes, while Hezbollah has yet to formally commit to transferring its weapons to the state. Salam said the American proposal outlines 'a set of ideas related to implementing the cessation of hostilities statement adopted by the previous government, to which our government has also confirmed its commitment.' At the heart of the proposal is the principle of 'complementarity' between two goals: the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the reassertion of the state's monopoly over weapons. Under the plan, arms would be held only by official bodies: the Lebanese Army, Internal Security Forces, General Security, State Security, customs and municipal police. 'The roadmap suggests practical steps to implement these two complementary goals gradually,' Salam said. 'This won't happen overnight. We've discussed the plan and provided our comments.'
Nahar Net
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Lebanon reportedly receives US response to its paper amid positive atmosphere
Lebanon reportedly receives US response to its paper amid positive atmosphere A presidential committee tasked with responding to Tom Barrack's paper convened Tuesday at the Baabda Palace to discuss the U.S. response to the Lebanese paper, which was received by Beirut on Monday, TV networks reported. The U.S. response 'includes applause of a host of articles contained in the Lebanese response, while asking for clarifications regarding timetables and executive mechanisms related to the arms issue, which means that the Lebanese side has started preparing executive mechanisms,' Al-Jadeed TV said. Washington has given Lebanon 'until the end of the current year and this point in specific will be discussed with Barrack when he returns' to Lebanon, the TV network added quoted official sources as saying. The sources added that 'the atmosphere is positive, especially that the Lebanese response is based on synchronized steps and successive stages.' Sources informed on the Lebanese response meanwhile told MTV that the Lebanese paper 'included a comprehensive agreement that entire Lebanon will commit to, amid optimism that Barrack will carry a positive response from the Israeli side.' 'Communication between President Joseph Aoun and Tom Barrack is taking place on a daily basis and the file is being delicately followed up,' Baabda Palace sources told MTV.
Nahar Net
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Lebanon reportedly receives US response to its paper amid positive atmosphere
A presidential committee tasked with responding to Tom Barrack's paper convened Tuesday at the Baabda Palace to discuss the U.S. response to the Lebanese paper, which was received by Beirut on Monday, TV networks reported. The U.S. response 'includes applause of a host of articles contained in the Lebanese response, while asking for clarifications regarding timetables and executive mechanisms related to the arms issue, which means that the Lebanese side has started preparing executive mechanisms,' Al-Jadeed TV said. Washington has given Lebanon 'until the end of the current year and this point in specific will be discussed with Barrack when he returns' to Lebanon, the TV network added quoted official sources as saying. The sources added that 'the atmosphere is positive, especially that the Lebanese response is based on synchronized steps and successive stages.' Sources informed on the Lebanese response meanwhile told MTV that the Lebanese paper 'included a comprehensive agreement that entire Lebanon will commit to, amid optimism that Barrack will carry a positive response from the Israeli side.' 'Communication between President Joseph Aoun and Tom Barrack is taking place on a daily basis and the file is being delicately followed up,' Baabda Palace sources told MTV.
Nahar Net
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Barrack reportedly says Israeli response to Lebanese paper positive
by Naharnet Newsdesk 14 July 2025, 12:34 U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has told Lebanese officials that the initial Israeli response to the latest Lebanese paper was 'positive,' Al-Jadeed TV reported overnight. Barrack himself had said that he was very satisfied by the response of Lebanon's authorities to a U.S. request to disarm Hezbollah and implement reforms, although he warned Lebanon risks being left behind as change sweeps other countries in the region. Lebanese leaders who took office in the aftermath of more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have vowed a state monopoly on bearing arms, while demanding Israel comply with a November ceasefire. Israel has warned it will continue to strike until Hezbollah has been disarmed, while the group's leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has said that Hezbollah would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats. "It's thoughtful, it's considered. We're creating a go-forward plan," Barrack said last Monday about Lebanon's response. "Now what it takes is a... thrust to the details, which we're going to do. We're both committed to get to the details and get a resolution," he said, adding: "I'm very, very hopeful." Hezbollah was heavily weakened in the latest conflict, with Israel battering the group's arsenal of missiles and rockets and killing senior commanders including longtime chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The presidency said on X that President Joseph Aoun handed Barrack "ideas for a comprehensive solution." Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, said his own meeting with Barrack was constructive and "considered Lebanon's interest and sovereignty... and the demands of Hezbollah." Barrack said that Hezbollah "needs to see that there's a future for them, that that road is not harnessed just solely against them." A Lebanese official told AFP that earlier this month, Beirut had submitted an initial response to Washington, which requested modifications, then officials worked through the weekend prior to Barrack's visit to develop the final version. Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli frontier. Israel was to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but has kept them deployed in five areas that it deemed strategic. Lebanese authorities say they have been dismantling Hezbollah's military infrastructure in the south near the Israeli border. Hezbollah's Qassem said that Israel needed to abide by the ceasefire agreement, "withdraw from the occupied territories, stop its aggression... release the prisoners" detained during last year's war, and that reconstruction in Lebanon must begin. Only then "will we be ready for the second stage, which is to discuss the national security and defence strategy" which includes the issue of the group's disarmament, he added.
