US urging IDF pullout from Lebanon, despite Hezbollah threats

The Lebanese government voted to disarm Hezbollah, but the terror group immediately rejected the demand.

By World Israel News Staff

A senior Trump administration official said Monday that the Israeli military will withdraw from several strategic points in southern Lebanon in the near future, following a decree by the Lebanese government demanding that Hezbollah disarm.

“I think the Lebanese government has done their part. They’ve taken the first step. Now what we need is Israel to comply,” U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut.

Barrack, however, did not address Hezbollah’s outright rejection of the Lebanese government decree and its threat to launch a civil war if forced to disarm.

Instead, Barrack told reporters that “the next step” is for the IDF to withdraw from Lebanese territory, adding that the U.S. would support “an economic plan for prosperity, restoration and renovation” in Lebanon.

He also said the Trump administration is “in the process of now discussing with Israel what their position is” on the withdrawal, pledging that “in the next few weeks you’re going to see progress on all sides.”

Shortly after the October 7th Hamas massacres, Hezbollah launched near-daily rocket, missile, and drone attacks against Israeli civilian communities and military positions.

The pronged attacks forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of northern Israeli residents, many of whom were displaced for more than a year.

After nearly twelve months of unrelenting bombardment, Israel carried out a surprise strike against Hezbollah, famously detonating pagers owned by members of the terror group, launching widespread strikes against its infrastructure, and culminating in the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

During the conflict, Israeli troops were stationed at several strategic positions inside southern Lebanon to deter Hezbollah from launching a ground invasion into northern Israel.

IDF soldiers have remained there since a November 2024 truce, with Jerusalem insisting it will not withdraw until Hezbollah no longer poses a security threat to Israel.

In early August, the Lebanese parliament passed a resolution demanding that Hezbollah disarm. The decree was swiftly rejected by the Iranian-backed terror group.

Israel has not committed to any timetable for a withdrawal from the region.