US envoy Thomas Barrack said Monday he was satisfied by the Lebanese authorities' response to a request to disarm Hezbollah, which was heavily weakened in a recent war with “Israel”.

 

"I'm unbelievably satisfied with the response," Barrack, Washington's ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, told a press conference after meeting President Joseph Aoun.

 

He warned that "the rest of the region is moving at Mach speed, and you will be left behind", noting that "dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon."

 

Joseph Aoun’s team gave Barrack a seven-page reply to his proposal, which was first delivered on June 19. He did not disclose the details of Lebanon’s response.

 

The US roadmap reportedly calls for Hezbollah's complete disarmament within four months. In exchange, the proposal suggests the withdrawal of "Israeli" troops occupying several posts in southern Lebanon and a halt to "Israeli" airstrikes.

 

Barrack's visit comes as pressure mounts on Hezbollah to relinquish its arsenal, following a bruising war with "Israel" that nominally ended with a US-brokered ceasefire in late November.

 

Despite the truce, "Israel" has continued to occupy five strategic border points and carry out near-daily airstrikes, stating aims to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding capabilities.

 

Hours before Barrack's arrival, the "Israeli" military launched new airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah military sites and weapons facilities.

 

However, Hezbollah leadership has signaled resistance to full disarmament.

 

On Sunday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem reiterated the group's refusal to lay down its weapons until "Israel" fully withdraws from southern Lebanon, ceases airstrikes, releases prisoners, and allows for reconstruction.

 

Sources familiar with Hezbollah's deliberations suggest the group is weighing shrinking its arsenal but will not discuss full disarmament until "Israeli" conditions are met.