Lebanon is demanding guarantees that Israeli forces fully withdraw from its territory before it commits to disarming Hezbollah, a Lebanese official said on Monday, in response to a recent US request.

Lebanese leaders, who took office after last year’s Israel-Hezbollah war, have repeatedly pledged to ensure that only the state bears arms. However, they also insist Israel comply with the November ceasefire that ended the fighting.

According to an official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, US envoy Tom Barrack recently asked Beirut to formally begin disarming the Iran-backed group, as stipulated in the ceasefire deal, alongside demanding a full Israeli withdrawal.

President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and parliament speaker Nabih Berri — a key Hezbollah ally — are “preparing a response,” the official said. Barrack, who is also Washington’s ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, is expected back in Beirut by mid-July.

The official noted that Lebanese leaders will also demand Israel halt violations of the ceasefire, withdraw from southern Lebanon, release prisoners detained during the war, and agree to border demarcation.

During his June 19 visit, Barrack additionally urged Lebanon to secure its border with Syria and implement economic reforms required by international creditors.

Aoun and Salam assumed office earlier this year after the war left Hezbollah, long a major political and military force in Lebanon, severely weakened. Lebanese authorities say they have been dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure near the Israeli border.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued strikes in Lebanon, claiming it targets Hezbollah positions and accusing Beirut of failing to disarm the group. Under the November deal, Hezbollah is supposed to withdraw fighters north of the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometres from the Israeli border, while Israel is required to pull out entirely from Lebanese territory. However, Israeli troops remain stationed in five strategic points.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday that Israel is “interested” in normalising ties with Lebanon and Syria, which do not recognise Israel and have been technically at war with it since 1948. Lebanon has not commented on the proposal, and the official confirmed that normalisation was not among the US envoy’s current demands.