Updated On: 19 August, 2025 09:40 AM IST | Beirut | Agencies
Barrack is also set to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri, who often negotiates on behalf of Hezbollah with Washington

US special envoy Tom Barrack speaks during a joint press conference at Lebanon’s Presidential Palace in Baabda, on Monday. PIC/AFP
The US special envoy to Lebanon said Monday that his team would discuss the long-term cessation of hostilities with Israel, after Beirut endorsed a US-backed plan for the Hezbollah militant group to disarm.
Tom Barrack, following a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, also said Washington would seek an economic proposal for post-war reconstruction in the country, after months of shuttle diplomacy between the US and Lebanon. Barrack is also set to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri, who often negotiates on behalf of Hezbollah with Washington.
“I think the Lebanese government has done their part. ,” said Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkiye. “Now we need Israel to comply with an equal handshake.” Lebanon’s decision to support a plan to disarm Hezbollah angered the Iran-backed group and its allies, who believe Israel’s military should first withdraw from the five hilltops it has occupied in south Lebanon since the end of its war with Hezbollah last November.