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Despite U.S. Pressure on Lebanon to Disarm Hizbullah, Tehran Alone Has the Leverage to Make It Happen
(The National-UAE) Michael Young - The U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, presented a plan to the Lebanese on June 19 outlining Hizbullah's disarmament, which would lead to Israel's withdrawal from hills it occupies in southern Lebanon. He returned to Beirut on Monday and declared he was "satisfied and grateful for the Lebanese response." Barrack also made it clear that if Lebanon failed to implement Hizbullah's disarmament, it would not benefit from outside investment or aid to rebuild the country. A major part of the problem is that, ultimately, any decision on Hizbullah's weapons will be taken in Tehran, given that the party's senior leadership was largely eliminated last year and Iran now has a more central say in its affairs.