From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
US envoy Barrack: Hezbollah has ‘zero’ incentive to lay down arms
US Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack says Hezbollah has “zero” incentive to lay down their arms, in an interview with UAE-based IMI media.
“I mean, this is the problem, especially when Israel is attacking everybody,” he says.
“Israel is attacking Syria. Israel is attacking Lebanon. Israel is attacking Tunisia. As it goes on, their argument gets better and better as we’re here to protect the weapons from Israel,” he says.
US Envoy Tom Barrack:
“Hezbollah has zero incentive to put their weapons down. Especially when Israel is attacking everybody. Israel is attacking Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia.”
Tunisia? Does he mean the toy drone attack on flotilla? Really interesting pic.twitter.com/k4opq2lqf1
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) September 23, 2025
Lebanon’s government, earlier this month, approved a plan by its military to disarm the Iranian-backed terror group. Hezbollah has dismissed the plan and vowed it won’t give up its weapons.
Israel has been striking in Syria to prevent the former Assad regime’s weapons from getting into the hands of hostile forces, and is striking Lebanon to stop Hezbollah from restoring its capabilities after last year’s war.
However, Israel has not confirmed any strike in Tunisia. The organizers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla accused Israel earlier this month of twice launching a drone strike on one of their boats in Tunisia.
Barrack says Qatar has been a “great and valued ally” to Washington, praising its leaders, arguing that people get “confused” that they have allegiances to terror groups because Doha hosts Hamas leaders and hosted the Afghan Taliban’s leaders.
“They did it at our request,” he says. “If we didn’t have some conduit to be able to speak to them, we would never get them.”
Tom Barrack states: Qatar under the request of America house Hamas diplomats as a conduit for communication.
Arab Monarchies are agents of America and Israel https://t.co/pe6LoFWeyQ pic.twitter.com/pSzdf6Dz93
— Disputing Sunnah (@DisputingSunnah) September 23, 2025
Tom Barrack, or Jihadi Tom if you will, doesn’t even trust Israel.
Besides the fact that he literally tood Syrian minorities to submit to Al-Joulani, he is now directly working against Israel, or at least is showing disinterest in their plans… pic.twitter.com/PwGZF5dukg
— SyrianOSINT (@SyrianOsint) September 23, 2025
The US envoy also says, “Quite honestly, in this business, I don’t trust any of them. Our interests are not aligned. Ally is a mistaken word.”
He clarifies he doesn’t just mean Syria’s regime, but any regime in the Middle East, “including Israel.”
Barrack says that “America is divided” on the issue of funding Israel’s military.
Tom Barrack warns that U.S. backing of Israel in Gaza may have major repercussions, especially amid a growing global Muslim population, and notes America is divided on the issue, with outcomes shaping future public opinion and policy.
???????????????? pic.twitter.com/8I2Z2VHr5g— Ghous Alikhan ???????????????????????? (@AlikhanGho69458) September 23, 2025
The Times of Israel Community.