Laila Bassam
Reuters, Aug. 7, 2025
“Iran’s Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state TV on Wednesday that this was not the first time attempts have been made to disarm the Iran-backed group, adding that the final decision rests with the group itself.”
The United States has presented Lebanon with a proposal for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year, along with ending Israel’s military operations in the country and the withdrawal of its troops from five positions in south Lebanon, according to a copy of a Lebanese cabinet agenda reviewed by Reuters.
The plan, submitted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy to the region, Tom Barrack, and being discussed at a Lebanese cabinet meeting on Thursday, sets out the most detailed steps yet for disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which has rejected mounting calls to disarm since last year’s devastating war with Israel.
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said following the cabinet meeting on Thursday that the cabinet approved only the objectives of Barrack’s plan but did not discuss it in full.
“We did not delve into the details or components of the U.S. proposal. Our discussion and decision were limited to its objectives,” Morcos said.
The objectives of the U.S. proposal would include phasing out the armed presence of non-state actors including Hezbollah, deploying Lebanese forces to key border and internal areas, ensuring Israel’s withdrawal from the five positions, resolving prisoner issues through indirect talks, and permanently demarcating Lebanon’s borders with Israel and Syria
The U.S. welcomed the Lebanese government’s decision to task the Lebanese Armed Forces to bring all weapons under state control, a State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.….SOURCE