US envoy meets Netanyahu on Lebanon and Syria, Israeli officials say
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US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack (pictured) reportedly met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Aug 24.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Top US envoy Thomas Barrack arrived in Israel on Aug 24 and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Syria and Lebanon, three Israeli officials said.
The meeting was first reported by Axios, citing three Israeli and US sources, and followed discussions between Mr Barrack and Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Defence Minister Israel Katz.
Mr Dermer held talks with Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in Paris on Aug 19 on security arrangements in southern Syria, two Syrian sources familiar with the meeting said.
Syrian and Israeli officials have been conducting US-mediated talks on de-escalating conflict in southern Syria. A previous round of talks was held in Paris in late July but ended without a final accord.
On Aug 18, Mr Barrack said in Lebanon that Israel should comply with a plan under which Lebanese militant group Hezbollah would be disarmed by the end of 2025 in exchange for a halt to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
The plan sets out a phased roadmap for armed groups to hand in their arsenals as Israel’s military halts ground, air and sea operations and withdraws troops from Lebanon’s south.
Lebanon’s Cabinet approved the plan’s objectives earlier in August despite Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, and Mr Barrack said it was now Israel’s turn to cooperate.
There was no immediate comment from Mr Netanyahu’s office. REUTERS
