UPDATE 2 - US envoy cancels scheduled tour of southern Lebanon after protests

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, REVISES HEADLINE

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack canceled his scheduled tour of the southern Lebanese towns of Khiam and Tyre on Wednesday after protests by locals, local media said.

According to the state news agency NNA, a number of residents staged a protest in Khiam, waving images of relatives killed in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and condemning “US bias” for Israel.

Barrack had arrived in Marjayoun aboard a helicopter on Wednesday morning as the Lebanese army was deployed in the vicinity of Francois Hajj Barracks and at the northern entrance of Khiam to secure his visit.

Barrack, on his visit to Lebanon, is accompanied by US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Lindsey Graham, as well as Congressman Joe Wilson.

On Tuesday, the US envoy said that Israel has agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon if Hezbollah gives up its weapons.

Israel “will withdraw in the same cadence” as Hezbollah disarms itself, Barrack said following his talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

On Aug. 5, the Lebanese government approved a plan to consolidate all weapons under state control. The government tasked the army with drafting a plan to achieve this by the end of the month and executing it before the end of 2025. Hezbollah rejected the decision, calling it a “grave sin.”