Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday met with the US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, one of the officials leading the White House’s relationship with Lebanon, amid concerns that Israel could launch a major military offensive against Hezbollah if Beirut does not step up its campaign to disarm the terror group.

Lebanon’s foreign minister said Friday the country has received warnings from Arab and international parties that Israel was preparing for a wide-scale military operation against Hezbollah.

Those warnings came as the country intensified diplomatic efforts to avert an escalation and maintain the November 2024 ceasefire that ended over a year of fighting between Israel and the terror group.

Netanyahu met Barrack in his Jerusalem office alongside Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, acting National Security Adviser Gil Reich, Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, and Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter.

The US side included Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Middle East adviser Aryeh Lightstone.

The Lebanese army told The Washington Post on Monday in a statement that “weapons control” efforts in the country — involving disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River — were almost complete, ahead of a three-week deadline set by Beirut........

© The Times of Israel