BEIRUT — Amid the raging Syrian seditious events, the U.S. Special Envoy to Lebanon and Syria, Thomas Barrack, returned to Beirut three days early to review comments by American officials regarding initial response to his proposal regarding Hezbollah’s disarmament.

Barrack is specifically interested in the Lebanese government’s response, particularly its decision to confine weapons within a timeframe set by Washington.

This time, however, many Lebanese— including those opposed to Hezbollah— voiced serious concern over the potential repetition of the bloody Sweida incident, which had already triggered dangerous sectarian repercussions across several regions in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to prevent Lebanon from being directly affected by the Sweida conflict as former prime ministers have visited Druze leader Walid Jumblatt to express their concerns.

In parallel, the Druze community’s senior cleric, Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Muna, received calls from the Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, and from Speaker Nabih Berri, to ease tensions.

Besides, a major Druze-Sunni meeting was held at the Bekaa Fatwa House, where Druze MP Wael Abu Faour emphasized that “it is unacceptable to spread internal strife between the Arab tribes and the Bani Ma’rouf [i.e., the Druze]. Our solidarity can positively impact the situation in Syria.”

Thomas Barrack’s visit coincides with the anniversary of Hezbollah’s deterrent and successful attack on positions of the terrorist al-Nusra Front in areas near the Lebanese-Syrian border on July 21, 2017, with the cooperation of the Lebanese army as well as the Syrian military under the leadership of Beshar al-Assad.

Informed sources affirmed to the Tehran Times that President Joseph Aoun will insist, this time, on Lebanon’s right to effective international guarantees, especially since the Israeli enemy has not committed to implementing the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.

Aoun will explain to the US envoy the nature of the Lebanese complications related to what is happening in Syria.

According to these sources, Aoun will insist that the resistance’s weapons cannot be confiscated until the Israeli enemy withdraws from the positions it has occupied, guarantees that its attacks will cease, and Lebanese prisoners are handed over.

Reportedly, Barrack will meet with a number of ministers at a dinner hosted by the US embassy on Monday evening. He will also meet with political figures at a dinner hosted by MP Fouad Makhzoumi on Tuesday evening.

Observers expect Barrack to be surprised by a relative change in the public mood regarding Hezbollah’s weapons, especially since most sects are sensing the imminent danger and consider these weapons necessary for their security.

The U.S. Special Envoy to Lebanon and Syria, who has previously called on the Lebanese to follow the example of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, will hear from Lebanese officials that all of Sharaa’s reassuring statements toward Israel have not protected him.

Various Lebanese figures have even become more convinced of the need for national consensus on a comprehensive defense strategy that protects the interests of Lebanon, with all its sects, especially following Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir’s statement on Sunday in which he said the “Druze massacre” in Sweida (as he claimed) proves once again that “those who cannot defend themselves, in the Middle East, will not enjoy security.”
 
Here, it is useful to recall a statement by Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem who said, “The defense strategy is not related to disarming the resistance, voluntarily or by force. Rather, it is a comprehensive defense policy at diplomatic, economic, and military levels. Through it, we see how do we benefit from the experience of the resistance and its weapons? How do we strengthen the Lebanese army?”

Former US Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale has told The Hill, “For the history of American-Lebanese relations is one strewn with inflated expectations and deflated ambition. And not a few corpses. This time, it could be different.” 

Hale warned, “If Lebanese officials do not keep their side of the ceasefire and disarm Hezbollah, the Israel [Occupation] Forces will likely do it for them, at a price to the authority of the state and its leaders. It will not just be a humiliation to those leaders, but a tragedy for all concerned if they fail to grasp the opportunity to regain full sovereign control of their state.”

Hale’s words indeed provide a summary of Barrack’s mission, which is based on setting a timetable for disarming Hezbollah, although the matter does not seem that simple, because one cannot rely on Western estimates, let alone illusions.