US cannot ‘compel’ Israel to do anything, US special envoy says in Lebanon

Washington cannot “compel” Israel to do anything, U.S. special envoy Thomas Barrack said in Beirut on Monday, in response to a reporter’s question about Lebanese demands that the U.S. guarantees a halt to Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory, Reuters reports. The U.S. last month proposed a roadmap to Lebanon’s top officials to fully disarm Hezbollah within four months, in exchange for a halt to Israeli strikes and a withdrawal of Israeli troops still occupying positions in southern Lebanon. Lebanon has asked Washington to act as a security guarantor to ensure that Israel will pull out its troops in full and halt targeting operations against members of Hezbollah, if the armed group begins handing in weapons. Asked about those guarantees, Barrack […]