US Envoy: Hezbollah a “Legitimate Political Party” and Fundamental Part of Lebanon’s Political System

DID Press: Tom Barrack, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, has said that Hezbollah’s legitimacy within Lebanon’s political system complicated resolving the conflict with Israel.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Barrack said that persuading Hezbollah to lay down its arms is the responsibility of the Lebanese government, adding that the United States has no interest in pressuring anyone.

He emphasized that Hezbollah is “a legitimate political party in Lebanon,” and that its legitimacy—rooted in the country’s confessional power-sharing system, in which political positions are divided among sects— complicates ending the ongoing conflict with Israel.

The U.S. envoy described Hezbollah—designated by Washington as a foreign terrorist organization—as “an essential part of Lebanon’s political system.”

U.S. President Donald Trump is “eager” to bring the Gaza war to an end and is seeking “the right response” to achieve that would deliver that result, Barrack added.

“I believe the President has come to recognize the importance of advancing this issue quickly after hearing the perspectives of Arab leaders,” Barrack said.

Barrack’s comments came a day after Sheikh Naim Qassem, Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, once again rejected Lebanon’s efforts to disarm the group—one of the key provisions of the November ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

“We will never abondon our weapons, nor we will relinquish,” Naim declared on Saturday.

Hezbollah would continue to “resist any plan that serves Israel’s interests.”

Hezbollah maintains that the Lebanese government’s disarmament proposal serves only Israel’s objectives.