U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack said in Beirut on Monday that Lebanon has “taken the first step” toward ending the armed role of Hezbollah by approving a U.S-backed roadmap that would place all weapons under state control by the end of the year. Speaking after talks with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Barrack added that Washington would now pursue a long-term ceasefire framework with Israel and an economic reconstruction package for the war-hit country. Under the ceasefire that halted a 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war last November, Israel agreed to withdraw from five hilltops in southern Lebanon and stop air-strikes once Beirut moved to disarm the Iran-backed group. Barrack said it is now Israel’s “turn to comply,” stressing that the disarmament process is a sovereign Lebanese decision and “in the interest of the Shiite community.” The envoy warned Hezbollah it would “miss an opportunity” if it resists the plan, which requires the army to submit a detailed implementation schedule to the cabinet by 31 August. The World Bank puts war damage and economic losses at roughly US$11.1 billion. Barrack also confirmed that Iran had been consulted on the disarmament proposal. He ruled out the use of threats, saying Washington was focused on “future prosperity, not fear,” and would seek broad regional backing for the initiative. A day later, the envoy travelled to Paris, where he brokered the first publicly acknowledged talks in more than 25 years between Israel and Syria. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Barrack discussed de-escalation along the border, reactivation of the 1974 disengagement accord on the Golan Heights and monitoring a fragile ceasefire in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate. Syrian state news agency SANA confirmed the meeting, underscoring growing U.S. efforts to link progress on Lebanon’s Hezbollah file with broader regional stability.