US declares ‘no Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon’ until Hezbollah disarms: Report

The Cradle, July 30, 2025 —

Israel has threatened to continue attacking Lebanon if the resistance movement does not surrender its weapons.

The US is “ramping up pressure” on Lebanon to issue a cabinet decision committing to disarming Hezbollah before any talks can take place on Israel ending its attacks and withdrawing its forces occupying southern Lebanon, sources told Reuters on 30 July. 

“Without a public commitment from Lebanese ministers, the US will no longer dispatch envoy Thomas Barrack to Beirut for negotiations with Lebanese officials, or pressure Israel either to stop airstrikes or pull its troops from south Lebanon,” said the sources, which included two Lebanese officials, two diplomats, and a Lebanese source informed on the matter. 

Lebanon has been under heavy US pressure to disarm Hezbollah.

Washington has provided Beirut with a roadmap demanding a full disarmament of the resistance, reforms, and better ties with Syria – in exchange for a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the areas which Tel Aviv occupied during the ceasefire. 

An earlier Reuters report had said envoy Tom Barrack told Lebanon it has until November or the end of the year at the latest to disarm Hezbollah. Lebanon’s official response called on Israel to withdraw and end its attacks first. 

According to the sources cited by Reuters on Wednesday, Nabih Berri, Lebanese parliament speaker and head of Hezbollah ally the Amal Movement, “asked the US to ensure that Israel halt its strikes as a first step, in order to fully implement the ceasefire agreed last year,” four of the sources said. 

They also claimed that “Israel rejected Berri’s proposal late last week.” Afterwards, Washington began insisting on the Lebanese cabinet vote committing to disarming Hezbollah. 

“The US is saying there’s no more Barrack, no more papers back and forth – the council of ministers should take a decision and then we can keep discussing. They cannot wait any longer,” the Lebanese source said. 

“Lebanon’s rulers fear that a failure to issue a clear commitment to disarm Hezbollah could trigger escalated Israeli strikes, including on Beirut,” all the sources went on to tell Reuters. 

The Lebanese source added that Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, would hold a cabinet session in the coming days. 

“As long as Hezbollah retains arms, words will not suffice. The government and Hezbollah need to fully commit and act now in order to not consign the Lebanese people to the stumbling status quo,” Barrack said after his latest trip to Lebanon. 

According to reports in Israeli media, Tel Aviv’s forces are gearing up to continue attacking Lebanon despite a ceasefire and even if it leads to a new war. 

Israel has violated the ceasefire over 3,000 times, killing over 200 people since it was reached in November last year. 

Aside from the Lebanese land Israel has illegally occupied for decades, Israeli troops established an occupation of five strategic locations on the Lebanese side of the border during the ceasefire. 

Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to reconstitute itself and says its near-daily attacks on Lebanon are a legitimate enforcement of the ceasefire. 

The resistance group has repeatedly rejected surrendering its weapons. As the government vows to achieve a monopoly over all weapons across Lebanon, Hezbollah says it is ready for internal discussions on the formation of a Lebanese defensive strategy through which the group’s arms would be incorporated into the state for use in deterring Israel.

However, Israel would have to withdraw its forces and end attacks against Lebanon.