US reportedly tasks Barrack with Lebanese-Syrian-Israeli peace plan, wants Hezbollah in talks
A U.S. diplomatic initiative has been launched to address the Lebanese situation but this move does not mean Washington is concerned with an immediate halt to the Israel-Hezbollah war, well-informed sources said.
The sources revealed to the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper that that the U.S. move came as a result of contacts made by Lebanese officials with Western mediators, who facilitated communication with the American administration, which expressed willingness to get involved.
The sources said Washington has decided to reappoint its envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, to manage the file and explore "a plan of action to achieve the objectives of reaching a comprehensive agreement that definitively ends the conflict between Lebanon and Israel."
"It appears the Americans are keen for any new agreement with Lebanon to include prior agreement with the new Syrian authorities. This would entail the participation of the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in negotiations with Israel, and a direct Syrian role in ensuring Lebanon's commitment to implementing any agreement," the sources said.
The sources hinted that the Americans "do not find a strong partner in Lebanon today to reach an agreement, and that they want someone to directly represent Hezbollah in any new negotiations, with the agreement to be under the auspices of the Lebanese state."
According to the sources, the initial proposals put forward by the American side focus on "launching direct trilateral negotiations involving Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, under American auspices, with Hezbollah represented in these negotiations through the Lebanese delegation."
The sources added: "The American administration believes it has the necessary ability to persuade all parties to reach an agreement similar to what happened in Gaza, after which a preliminary understanding would be announced, paving the way for political, security, and economic implementation steps."
The sources added that the Americans are asking about the role the Lebanese Army is expected to play and whether it enjoys Hezbollah's trust in order to rely on future cooperation in implementing any security-military agreement.
