NEW YORK CITY: “If Lebanon doesn’t hurry up and get in line, everyone around them will,” US Special Envoy Tom Barrack warned on Friday as he discussed the potential transformation of Hezbollah from an Iran-backed militant group into a fully political entity within Lebanon.
His message underscored the growing American impatience with political inertia in the country, and the mounting pressure for a comprehensive realignment in the region.
Answering questions from Arab News about Hezbollah’s future, sectarian dynamics and Lebanon’s economic collapse, Barrack described a delicate path forward for a country long paralyzed by factional politics.
Central to the conversation is the disarmament of Hezbollah’s military wing, which is classified by Washington as a foreign terrorist organization, and the potential for its reintegration into the country as a purely political party.
“It’s a great question,” Barrack said when asked by Arab News whether the US administration would consider delisting Hezbollah if it gave up its weapons. “And I’m not running from the answer but I can’t answer it.”
He acknowledged the complexity of the issue and pointed out that while Washington unequivocally labels Hezbollah as a terrorist group, its political wing has won parliamentary seats and represents a significant portion of Lebanon’s Shiite population, alongside the Amal Movement.
Barrack framed Hezbollah as having “two parts” — a militant faction, supported by Iran and designated as a terrorist entity, and a political wing that operates within Lebanon’s parliamentary system. He stressed that any process for the disarmament of Hezbollah must be led by the Lebanese government, with the full agreement of Hezbollah itself.
“That process has to start with the Council of Ministers,” he said. “They have to authorize the mandate. And Hezbollah, the political party, has to agree to that.
“But what Hezbollah is saying is, ‘Okay, we understand one Lebanon has to happen.’ Why? Because one Syria is starting to happen.”
This push for unity, Barrack added, comes amid shifting regional dynamics, especially in the wake of what he described as US President Donald Trump’s “bold” policies on Iran.
“Everyone’s future is being recycled,” he said, suggesting a broader recalibration was underway in the Middle East, from the reconstruction of Syria to potential new dialogues involving Israel.
“So Hezbollah, in my belief, Hezbollah, the political party, is looking and saying logically, for our people, the success of Lebanon has to collate the Sunnis, the Shias, the Druze Christians all together. Now is the time. How do we get there? Israel has to be a component part of that.”
Barrack indicated that the US had facilitated behind-the-scenes talks between Lebanon and Israel, despite the former’s legal prohibition against direct contact.
“We put together a negotiating team and started to be an intermediary,” he said. “My belief is that’s happening in spades.”
At the heart of any deal will be the question of arms; not small sidearms, which Barrack dismissed as commonplace in Lebanon, but heavy weaponry capable of threatening Israel. Such weapons, he said, are “stored in garages and subterranean areas under houses.”
A disarmament process, he suggested, would require the Lebanese Armed Forces, an institution he described as widely respected, to step in, with US and other international backing.
“You need to empower LAF,” he said. “Then, softly, with Hezbollah, they can say, ‘Here’s the process of how you’re going to return arms.’ We’re not going to do it in a civil war.”
But the capacity of Lebanese authorities to execute such a plan remains in question. Barrack lamented the country’s failing institutions, its defunct central bank, a stalled banking resolution law, and systemic gridlock in parliament.
On Monday, the envoy said he was satisfied with the Lebanese government’s response to a proposal to disarm Hezbollah, adding that Washington was ready to help the small nation emerge from its long-running political and economic crisis.
“What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time and a very complicated manner,” Barrack said during a news conference at the presidential palace in Beirut.
Later, however, during an interview with Lebanese news channel LBCI, when asked whether the Lebanese politicians he had been dealing with were actually engaging with him or simply buying time, Barrack said: “The Lebanese political culture is deny, detour and deflect.
“This is the way that it’s been for 60 years, and this is the task we have in front of us. It has to change.”
Asked whether the US was truly satisfied with the Lebanese government’s plan of action, he said: “Both (statements) are true,” referencing his comments in praise of Beirut’s leadership, while simultaneously criticizing this legacy of “delay, detour and deflect.”
He added: “They’re satisfied with the status quo — until they’re not. What changes? What changes is they’re going to become extinct.”
Still, Barrack expressed a note of cautious optimism.
“I think this government is ready,” he said. “They’re standing up to the issues. We’re not being soft with them. We’re saying, you want our help? Here it is. We’re not going to dictate to you. If you don’t want it, no problem — we’ll go home.”
Barrack made it clear that the time for delaying tactics might be running out.
“It’s a tiny little country with a confessional system that maybe makes sense, maybe doesn’t,” he said. “Now is the time.”
Turning to Syria, Barrack said that the lifting of US sanctions on the country marked a strategic “fresh start” for the war-torn nation, but emphasized that the United States is not pursuing nation-building or federalism in the region.
He described the Middle East as a “difficult zip code at an amazingly historic time,” and said the Trump administration’s removal of sanctions on May 13 was aimed at offering the Syrian people “a new slice of hope” following over a decade of civil war.
“President (Trump)’s message is peace and prosperity,” Barrack said, adding that the policy shift is intended to give the emerging Syrian regime a chance to rebuild. “Sanctions gave the people hope. That’s really all that happened at that moment.”
Barrack clarified that the original US involvement in Syria was driven by counter-ISIS operations, and not aimed at regime change or humanitarian intervention.
However, he acknowledged that the region is entering a new phase. “We’re not there to build a nation. We’re there to provide an opportunity, and it’s up to them to take it,” he said.
He reaffirmed Washington’s position against a federal model for Syria, saying the country must remain unified with a single army and government.
“There’s not going to be six countries. There’s going to be one Syria,” he said, ruling out the possibility of separate Kurdish, Alawite, or Druze autonomous regions.
The statement comes amid renewed tensions between Kurdish groups and the central Syrian government, particularly over the future of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The Pentagon has requested $130 million in its 2026 budget to continue supporting the SDF.
“SDF is YPG, and YPG is a derivative of PKK,” Barrack noted, referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is considered a terrorist organization by both Turkey and the US. “We owe them [the SDF] to be reasonable… but not their own government.”
He emphasized that the US is not dictating terms but would not support a separatist outcome: “We’re not going to be there forever as the babysitter.”
Barrack confirmed that the US is closely monitoring the announcement that the first group of PKK fighters had destroyed their weapons in northern Iraq — a move he described as “generous” and potentially significant.
“This could be the first step towards long-term resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkiye,” he said, but cautioned that questions remain about the SDF’s ongoing ties to PKK leadership. “They (the SDF) have to decide: Are they Syrians? Are they Kurds first? That’s their issue.”
The ambassador said the ultimate vision includes gradual normalization between Syria and Israel, potentially aligning with the spirit of the Abraham Accords. “Al-Shara has been vocal in saying Israel is not an enemy,” Barrack said. “There are discussions beginning — baby steps.”
He added that regional actors including Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey would also need to take part in a broader normalization process.
Barrack stressed that the current US strategy offers a narrow but real chance at stability. “There is no Plan B,” he said. “We’re saying: here’s a path. If you don’t like it, show us another one.”
The ambassador said the US is ready to assist but is no longer willing to serve as the “security guarantor for the world.”
“We’ll help, we’ll usher. But it’s your opportunity to create a new story,” he said.
