Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Lebanon, announced on Monday that his team would engage in discussions regarding a potential ceasefire agreement with Israel, following Beirut’s approval of a U.S.-supported plan for the Hezbollah group to disarm.
Barrack, speaking after a meeting, also stated that Washington intends to propose an economic plan for Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction, an outcome of several months of diplomatic shuttle efforts between the U.S. and Lebanon. Hezbollah, officially designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. since 1997, remains Iran’s primary regional proxy and has been subjected to extensive U.S. sanctions.
Barrack is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri, who frequently acts as a negotiator for Hezbollah with Washington.
“I believe the Lebanese government has fulfilled its responsibilities. They’ve initiated the process,” said Barrack, who also serves as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. “Now, what is required is for Israel to honor that mutual understanding.”
Hezbollah faced intensified pressure when Washington revived enforcement actions against its global financial networks, imposed new sanctions, and designated it a Transnational Criminal Organization in 2018.
During Trump’s second term, the administration has expanded these measures.
The Treasury Department announced additional sanctions on financiers and front companies linked to Hezbollah, including designations in March and July that targeted oil smuggling operations, senior officials, and the group’s financial arm, Al-Qard Al-Hassan. A reward of up to $10 million has also been offered for information that disrupts Hezbollah’s financial networks, and it has been reiterated that Hezbollah should not participate in Lebanon’s government.
Lebanon’s decision last week to endorse a plan for Hezbollah’s disarmament provoked anger from the Iran-backed group and its allies. They argue that Israel’s military must first withdraw from the five hilltops in southern Lebanon it has occupied since the conclusion of its 14-month conflict with Hezbollah last November, and cease its almost daily airstrikes in the country. Naim Kassem, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, has vowed to resist disarmament efforts, raising fears of civil unrest within the nation.
“This is our shared nation. We live with dignity together, and we collectively build its sovereignty – otherwise, Lebanon will have no existence if you stand against us and attempt to confront and eliminate us,” Qassem declared in a televised address last week, as reported by Reuters.
Salam, Lebanon’s prime minister, commented that Qassem’s remarks “contain a veiled threat of civil war, and no one in Lebanon today desires a civil war, and threatening or hinting at it is entirely unacceptable.”
Following the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah launched rocket strikes and artillery fire against Israel, which prompted Israeli retaliatory airstrikes. Approximately 14 months of cross-border fighting ensued, with Israel increasingly conducting precision strikes targeting Hezbollah commanders and leadership. Large-scale hostilities have not resumed since Israel and Hezbollah reached a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in November 2024, although violations have occurred.
The Israeli military has stated that the nearly daily airstrikes in southern Lebanon are intended to weaken Hezbollah’s infrastructure and counteract the group’s attempts to reorganize and rearm.
Barrack warned Hezbollah that it would have “forfeited an opportunity” if it does not support the calls for its disarmament.
Both Aoun and Salam desire the disarmament of Hezbollah and other factions, and have demanded that Israel halt its attacks and withdraw from the country.
Aoun stated his intention to increase funding for Lebanon’s financially struggling military to enhance its capabilities. He also aims to raise funds from international donors to assist in rebuilding the nation.
The World Bank estimates that the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in late 2024 resulted in $11.1 billion in damages and economic losses, as extensive areas of southern and eastern Lebanon were devastated. The country has been enduring a severe economic crisis since 2019.