BEIRUT, August 26. /TASS/. Israel does not plan to continue its occupation of Lebanon’s southern regions and will begin pulling its troops out after the Lebanese government begins implementing its plan on disarming the Lebanon-based Hezbollah Shia movement, US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said at a press conference at the Baabda Palace following talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Barrack emphasized that Israel had confirmed the gradual withdrawal of troops from Lebanon’s south was contingent on disarmament. "The Lebanese army and the government are not talking about going to war. They are talking about how to convince Hezbollah to give up those arms," he said.
That said, Barrack urged the Lebanese authorities to swiftly normalize ties with the Jewish state, stressing that a peace agreement with Israel is in everyone’s best interests. According to the envoy, US President Donald Trump plans to engage the Persian Gulf countries in establishing an economic zone in southern Lebanon to restore the region post-war.
As for the peacekeeping mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) which monitors the ceasefire on the Lebanese-Israeli border, Barrack noted that Washington has agreed to extend its mandate by another year.
On August 5, the Lebanese government approved the development of a gradual disarmament plan of all militias in the country, including Hezbollah, in accordance with the US and Israel’s demands. It will be approved at a cabinet meeting on September 2. It is provided that in return for Shia units handing 50% of their rocket and missile arsenal over to the Lebanese army, Israel will begin withdrawing troops from five borderline districts remaining under its control following the 2024 conflict.