US envoy Tom Barrack arrives in Lebanon

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL

US envoy Tom Barrack arrived in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Sunday evening for his fourth visit since June, as Washington, DC, seeks to solidify a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

Barrack landed at Rafik Hariri International Airport, where he was received by Rodrigue Khoury, deputy chief of protocol at the Foreign Ministry, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) said.

Barrack first presented the US proposal in June, returning on July 7 and 8 for follow-up talks.

The document outlines 11 objectives, including implementation of the 1989 Taif Agreement—Lebanon’s national reconciliation accord—along with the constitution and UN Security Council resolutions, notably Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The plan also calls for the state to extend full sovereignty over all Lebanese territory, strengthen official institutions, establish the state’s exclusive authority in decisions of war and peace, and ensure that weapons are held only by state forces.

The envoy’s latest visit comes 10 days after Lebanon’s Cabinet endorsed the objectives of his proposal, a move that drew sharp opposition from Hezbollah, which rejected surrendering its weapons.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized Hezbollah’s stance, calling it “a veiled threat of civil war, which is completely unacceptable.”

Cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah began in October 2023 and escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024. As many as 4,000 people, including Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah, were killed, and around 17,000 others were injured.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah activity.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.