Tom Barrack in Beirut: Lebanon submits seven pages roadmap to US envoy

Report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Lebanon has formally reaffirmed its commitment to addressing the issue of Hezbollah's weapons during talks with U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, according to officials familiar with the discussions. 

In return, Washington agreed to give the Lebanese government more time to manage the situation internally, effectively placing the responsibility on Beirut to decide the country's direction—whether to align with the regional momentum for change or remain stuck in the current stalemate.
 
The high-stakes talks did not yield a promise from Barrack to apply further pressure on Israel to halt its military strikes. 

However, Israeli officials are expected to be briefed on Lebanon's response during an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

At the Baabda Presidential Palace, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun handed Barrack a seven-page document described as a roadmap for implementing Lebanon's commitments outlined in the November 27 ceasefire, the presidential oath, and the government's ministerial statement. 

The proposal reportedly touched on key issues such as the exclusivity of state-held arms, resolving conflicts with Israel, securing an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories, halting Israeli attacks, releasing detainees, addressing disputed points along the Blue Line, and launching reconstruction efforts.

Regarding Syria, the Lebanese government also submitted a framework for addressing bilateral challenges, though specifics remain unclear.

The U.S. envoy is said to have received the Lebanese proposals positively but requested further clarifications on some points before providing Washington's formal response. 

Notably, the Lebanese response was finalized without Hezbollah's direct input. 
 
Instead, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, seen as a key intermediary between Hezbollah and the state, relayed the joint observations of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement to the U.S. envoy. Hezbollah's position was also publicly echoed by Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem in a speech on Ashura, signaling the group's stance on the American proposals.

Barrack's visit also included talks with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who emphasized the importance of a "step-by-step" approach and pressed for concrete guarantees to ensure Lebanon's security and sovereignty. The U.S. envoy reportedly stressed the need to reactivate the ceasefire monitoring committee.

Meanwhile, in his public remarks, Barrack referred to Hezbollah as a "political party," carefully avoiding labeling the group as a terrorist organization. The envoy also met with Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji during his visit.