In an interview with The New York Times, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Syria and US ambassador to Turkey, Thomas J. Barrack Jr., revealed that he had recently presented a proposal to the Lebanese government aimed at disarming Hezbollah and reviving the country’s economy.
The plan, delivered in June and attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, includes specific objectives and timelines, with operations led by the Lebanese Army involving house-to-house weapons searches.
Barrack acknowledged the sensitive nature of the process, stating that “disarming Hezbollah would require ‘carrots and sticks.’” He emphasized the need to secure the cooperation of Lebanon’s Shiite communities, long seen as supportive of Hezbollah, by tying the disarmament effort to targeted reconstruction aid. He stated, “If the Shiites of Lebanon are getting something from this, they will cooperate with it.”
He indicated that the US is seeking financial backing from Qatar and Saudi Arabia to fund the rebuilding of southern Lebanon, heavily damaged by the latest round of fighting. Barrack also dismissed the November ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as “a total failure,” arguing that “Israel was still bombing Lebanon and Hezbollah was violating the agreement’s terms.”
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