
Barrack says Trump wants prosperity in Lebanon, US can't guarantee Israel's actions
Visiting U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met Monday with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and is scheduled to meet later in the day with political and religious leaders, and on Tuesday with Speaker Nabih Berri.
Speaking to reporters after his talks with Aoun and Salam, Barrack said he returned to Lebanon because U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in reaching 'regional stability' and that Lebanon is the 'center of that process.'
Noting that the U.S. wants 'security' and 'economic prosperity' in Lebanon, Barrack pointed out that the U.S. cannot 'compel' Israel to do or not do 'anything.'
'We're here to use our influence to bring calm minds together to come to a conclusion. The U.S. has no business in trying to compel Israel to do anything,' the U.S. envoy added.
Barrack also said that the Lebanon-Israel cessation of hostilities agreement "didn't work," while noting that Hezbollah's disarmament is a "very internal" issue in Lebanon. He added that if it didn't happen it would be "disappointing."
Moreover, Barrack said the U.S. is not trying to threaten the Lebanese and that it is not thinking of slapping sanctions on Lebanese officials.
The U.S. does not want to "add more logs to the fire," he said.
'There's no consequence, there's no threat, there's no whip, we're here on a voluntary basis trying to usher in a solution," he added.
"Your leaders have been more than helpful," he said on his second visit to Beirut this month, adding that "the reforms that are happening... are amazingly plausible and significant."
The Presidency meanwhile said that Aoun handed Barrack, in the name of the Lebanese state, a "draft comprehensive memo for the implementation of everything that Lebanon has pledged -- from the November 27, 2024 declaration to the Lebanese government's ministerial statement to especially the president's inaugural speech.'
The draft emphasized the need to extend state authority to the entire country, restrict the bearing of weapons to the army and ensure "decisions of war and peace" rest with Lebanese constitutional authorities, according to the Presidency statement.
Barrack's visit to Lebanon comes amid ongoing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah to give up its remaining arsenal after a bruising war with Israel that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in November.
Israel has continued to launch near-daily airstrikes in Lebanon that it says are aimed at stopping Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities.
On Friday, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said his group was not ready to lay down its arms before an "existential threat" to Lebanon comes to an end, adding that "we will not surrender to Israel."
The U.S. "disarmament plan now, at this stage ... is for Israel," Qassem said.
"We are ready for any action that leads to a Lebanese understanding... but for Israel and America, we will not do this under any type of threat," he said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Tayyar.org
an hour ago
- Tayyar.org
Bassil: Proceed With the File I Submitted on Over $1 Billion in Waste in the Telecommunications Sector
During a parliamentary session held to hear testimony from three former telecommunications ministers and to examine the request to lift MP George Bouchekian's immunity, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) president MP Gebran Bassil denounced the politicization of the investigation. He criticized the narrative presented at the Kasabian building regarding alleged sponsorship deals and claims of savings for the state. Bassil emphasized: 'We're debating files involving $9 or $10 million in alleged waste, while there's a case involving over $1.5 billion in losses. The termination of telecommunications contracts alone cost the Lebanese state $720 million in damages, $88 million in lost tax revenue, and $96 million in compensation paid to FTML.' He continued, 'When I served as Minister of Telecommunications, I submitted this case to the Court of Audit, the Public Prosecutor, and the Financial Prosecutor, documenting the embezzlement of over $1 billion. We provided detailed evidence, including cabinet decisions and their violations, contracts and their breaches, and audit reports from KPMG and others. I also called for a full audit of the matter.' Bassil asserted that the corruption in this case was evident. 'While I was in office, they tried to exempt companies from paying $59 million in VAT. I objected — and that was the thread that led me deeper into the file. What we're looking at is theft of more than $1 billion, with clear violations of cabinet decisions, Court of Audit rulings, and prosecutorial findings.' He concluded by urging the legislature to act: 'I hope this case proceeds on its rightful path, and that Parliament issues a formal recommendation to thoroughly investigate and study the file.'


L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
There will be 'no return to the language of war' in Lebanon, Aoun says
Mufti Abdel Latif Derian visited Baabda Palace Thursday morning, where he said, following his meeting with President Joseph Aoun, that no "plan to divide" the Lebanese would succeed, after clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouins in southern Syria in recent weeks sparked fears of spillover into Lebanon. The president stated that there would be "no return to the language of war" in the country, as the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament — which the president pledged to address in his inaugural speech — has also raised concerns about tensions in the country. During the meeting, the president stated that Lebanon was at a "crucial and decisive crossroads," for which "unity, cooperation and solidarity are essential." "The fatal mistake made by the Lebanese in the past was to rely on foreign parties to oppose others within the country, and we have seen the consequences of that. I want to rely on my partner and brother inside the country against outsiders, whoever they may be," he added. Lebanon saw 15 years of civil war between 1975 and 1990, marked by numerous foreign interventions. "No one can eliminate anyone in Lebanon, and no one is more deserving than the other, because it is together and united that we make Lebanon strong," he stated, emphasizing that Sunnis in Lebanon offer the country "moderation internally, and the guarantee of Lebanon's belonging to its Arab environment." "Lebanon is doing well and there will be no return to the language of war, our common framework is Lebanon," Aoun added, before stating that he would "follow through to the end with the issue of fighting corruption." "Our main problem in Lebanon is corruption and the absence of accountability. Corruption has no color, no religion, no sect," he said. No one can divide the Lebanese From Baabda, Sheikh Derian stated that "communication is ongoing" with the president and that he used this meeting to discuss "what can be done to protect Lebanon," stressing that he was on the same page as Aoun on this issue. The president "insisted that he is committed to implementing his inauguration speech, which is important for maintaining the country's stability and security," Derian said. In his speech before Parliament, after his election in January 2025, Aoun notably promised that the state would restore its monopoly on weapons, a commitment that includes the disarmament of Hezbollah and Palestinian refugee camps. Derian also said that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 and forming the framework for the November 2024 cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, "has only been implemented on the Lebanese side." Israel "has repeatedly violated" the terms of this resolution and still does not respect the truce agreement, he said. Faced with ongoing Israeli army attacks, which have killed more than 270 people since the start of the cease-fire, Sheikh Derian stated that "the most powerful weapon against Israel is the unity of the Lebanese people. No one will manage to push through a partition or fragmentation project that would divide the people." In recent weeks, reports — subsequently denied — had circulated notably in Israeli media about an annexation of certain Lebanese regions to Syria as part of a normalization agreement between Syria and Israel. The spiritual representative of the Sunni community in Lebanon also welcomed Lebanon's strengthened "presence" on the Arab and international scene, thanks to meetings the president held in Gulf countries and Europe in recent months. On Wednesday, Joseph Aoun was in Bahrain, where King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced the establishment of a permanent Bahraini diplomatic mission in Beirut. Several Gulf countries, including Bahrain, had recalled their diplomats from Beirut in October 2021 in response to comments by then-Information Minister Georges Qordahi criticizing the Saudi military intervention in Yemen. Since then, the Gulf monarchies essentially severed ties with Lebanon, suspending their imports from the country, amid multiple drug seizures from Lebanon, and banning their citizens from traveling there. Only the United Arab Emirates allowed its citizens to travel to Lebanon again in May 2025. The election of President Aoun and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister signified Beirut's clear intention to rebuild ties with Arab countries in the region. Derian also went, with a delegation of muftis from different Lebanese regions, to Ain al-Tineh to meet Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri.


L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
'The disarmament timetable will be set by Tel Aviv,' says Barrack
BEIRUT — U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack concluded his visit to Beirut on Wednesday by urging Lebanese authorities to fully assume their responsibilities regarding the disarmament of Hezbollah. Speaking to reporters, Barrack delivered a stark message: 'Lebanon does not have unlimited time. Yes, there is a timetable for their dismantlement, and it is Israel, not Washington, that sets it.' Washington is demanding a clear and public plan for the withdrawal of Hezbollah's weapons, including a timetable and implementation mechanisms. Hezbollah has firmly rejected any new agreement, insisting instead that Israel must first comply with previous ones. The party refuses to surrender its arsenal or commit to a disarmament schedule. In a direct warning, Barrack said the lack of concrete steps would only entrench the current status quo, marked by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon and drone overflights above Beirut. Still, he pointed to 'an opportunity' for Lebanon to gain meaningful support from the United States, France and Gulf countries. But that support comes with conditions. 'Without implementation of laws, you won't receive a single cent of foreign capital,' he said. 'Real strength is the courage to enforce the law. Without that, the drones and strikes won't stop.' While praising Lebanese officials' conduct during this tense period, Barrack emphasized the urgency of action. 'American support assumes an awareness of the necessity for change — before it's too late.' Shebaa Farms are "worthless" Asked about the prospect of normalization with Israel, Barrack said he detected openness among some Lebanese, though not yet voiced publicly. 'Who really believes Israel wants to annex Lebanon? If it wanted to, it would have done so long ago,' he said. The U.S. envoy also made sarcastic comments regarding the occupied Shebaa Farms, saying he thought they resembled a Kentucky horse farm and the most beautiful piece of land anyone has seen. 'What are they fighting over? I didn't understand and I still don't totally get it … This is a land of no value,' Asharq al-Awsat quoted Barrack as saying. The Shebaa Farms, about 14 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide, are located at the junction of Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Israel has occupied the territory since 1967. Following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah declared that liberation remained incomplete without reclaiming Shebaa. In a previous statement, Barrack warned that if Lebanon fails to act — referring to Hezbollah's weapons and stalled reforms — the country risks 'returning to Bilad al-Sham,' a phrase widely interpreted as a veiled threat of reintegration into a Syrian sphere of influence. Though he later clarified the comment, it drew considerable backlash. Turning back to the Syria file, Barrack said, 'The Syrians can barely leave Damascus. Do not fear Iran, Syria or Israel. Fear your internal divisions.' He added that Damascus no longer poses a threat to Lebanon. 'Syria holds no hostility toward Lebanon and doesn't seek to seize its land.' The envoy also noted a growing influx of Gulf capital into Syria under its 'new leadership,' while Lebanon, he said, remains stuck in crisis and viewed by foreign investors as 'too complex.'