US State Dept spokesperson urges Lebanon to advance Hezbollah disarmament and urgent reforms after Barrack’s visit

A U.S. State Department spokesperson, speaking following U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's visit to Beirut, emphasized that private diplomatic discussions with Lebanon should not be publicly characterized. 

“As Ambassador Barrack has said publicly, he was unbelievably satisfied with the initial response by the Lebanese government, but he also said we must now get into the details,” the official said.

On the security front, the spokesperson affirmed that progress has been made by the Lebanese army in disarming Hezbollah in the south, but more remains to be done. 

“We need the Lebanese state to do more to fully remove all weapons, and infrastructure from Hezbollah and non-state actors across the country,” the spokesperson added.

However, security reforms alone will not suffice, as Lebanon must urgently pass critical economic and judicial reforms to restore financial stability and regain international confidence. Parliament must act swiftly to pass legislation on bank resolution and judicial independence, the official confirmed.

They further noted: “As Ambassador Barrack said while in Beirut, Lebanon must utilize this moment to make progress." 

The spokesperson concluded with a warning: “We don’t want to see Hezbollah, or any other terrorist group in Lebanon, recover their ability to commit violence and threaten security in Lebanon or Israel.”