Israel said it will begin a phased withdrawal of its troops from Lebanon only after the Lebanese army starts implementing a government decision to disarm Hezbollah. The statement, issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Monday, came just hours before US envoys Tom Barrack and Morgan Ortagus were due in Beirut following meetings in Israel. The two US officials had pressed Israel to scale back its attacks in Lebanon, arguing that easing military pressure could encourage the Lebanese government to take a step forward on Hezbollah’s disarmament plan.
