The latest round of US-mediated negotiations between Lebanon and Israel has made no progress, with talks stalled over Israel’s refusal to commit to a step-for-step approach, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said.
Salam told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel had rejected a formula outlined by US envoy Tom Barrack in a joint paper accepted by the Lebanese government, which linked each Israeli concession to a parallel Lebanese move.
Instead, Israel is demanding that Hezbollah disarm first before it considers its own obligations, a sequencing dispute that is expected to dominate a cabinet meeting on Friday when the army will present its plan for putting all weapons under state control within a set timeline.
A Lebanese minister said Speaker Nabih Berri was right to complain that Washington had backtracked on promises. “Negotiations are going nowhere,” the minister said, adding that Beirut would not accept Israel’s attempt to frontload demands, “no matter the pressure.”
Still, Salam left the door open to US pressure on Israel forcing a breakthrough, describing it as essential for enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and extending state authority across Lebanon.
The source criticized US Senator Lindsey Graham for urging Lebanon to forcibly disarm Hezbollah if peaceful means fail.
“His remarks undercut Washington’s role as a mediator and guarantor of the ceasefire agreement brokered with France last November, an agreement respected by Lebanon and Hezbollah but breached by Israel,” the minister said.
He also questioned reports that Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, seen as close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, drafted the step-for-step clause only for Netanyahu to reject it. “Adopting Israel’s position undermines the US role as mediator,” said the minister.
The source also warned that Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem’s recent speech risked inflaming tensions ahead of Friday’s cabinet session, which will be attended by ministers from the Shiite duo, Hezbollah and Amal.
Hezbollah has accused Salam’s government of carrying out Israeli and US orders to strip it of its arsenal.
Lebanese officials said the group has refused to endorse the US-Lebanese paper, instead clinging to its demand for an Israeli withdrawal without giving up weapons, a stance Washington opposes and Israel cites as a reason not to pull back from points it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon.
An American delegation member told lawmakers at a dinner hosted by MP Fouad Makhzoumi that Hezbollah “only recognizes the first agreement” and was trying to buy time despite losing leverage after opening a front against Israel in support of Gaza, which brought heavy losses to Lebanon.
The US official also alleged Hezbollah had recently secured about $500 million in illicit foreign funding, now under investigation by the US Treasury.
Friday’s cabinet session is expected to be calmer than recent political sparring, though Shiite ministers will continue to reject any weapons-for-withdrawal sequencing without Israeli guarantees. Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri and Minister Fadi Makki recently visited Berri in a move seen as an attempt to repair strained ties between him and Salam.
Attention now turns to Berri’s annual speech marking the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, where he is expected to accuse Barrack of reneging on commitments to pressure Israel into withdrawal, while stressing the need to preserve civil peace and avoid sectarian strife. For now, Berri is not inclined to unleash Hezbollah supporters onto the streets in defense of its arms.
