Barrack says army has to be 'trained as a peacekeeping force'

Visiting U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has said that the Lebanese Army has to be "properly trained as a peacekeeping force, not as a military offensive force."

In an interview with Tele Liban, Barrack added that Washington has "no demands."

"America's intent in being in Lebanon is as a constructive friend to usher it to the next level of relevancy which it deserves," he said.

Barrack met Monday with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and on Tuesday with Speaker Nabih Berri.

Speaking to reporters after his talks with Aoun and Salam, Barrack said he returned to Lebanon because U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in reaching “regional stability” and that Lebanon is the “center of that process.”

Noting that the U.S. wants “security” and “economic prosperity” in Lebanon, Barrack pointed out that the U.S. cannot “compel” Israel to do or not do “anything.”

The Presidency meanwhile said that Aoun handed Barrack, in the name of the Lebanese state, a "draft comprehensive memo for the implementation of everything that Lebanon has pledged -- from the November 27, 2024 declaration to the Lebanese government’s ministerial statement to especially the president’s inaugural speech.”

Barrack's visit to Lebanon comes amid ongoing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah to give up its remaining arsenal after a bruising war with Israel that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in November.