World
US champions Lebanon's response to Hezbollah disarmament, hints at Abraham Accords opportunity
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The U.S. envoy to Lebanon championed a response issued by Beirut on Monday to a proposal by Washington that detailed the complete disarmament of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from its southern region.
Envoy Thomas Barrack told reporters he was “unbelievably satisfied” with Beirut’s timely response to a June 19 proposal that called for the disarmament of Hezbollah within a four-month timeframe.
“What the government gave us was something spectacular in a very short period of time,” Barrack said following a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who took the top job in January. “I’m unbelievably satisfied with the response.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, right, meets with U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Monday, July 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
TRUMP PRESSURES ISRAEL TO END GAZA CONFLICT AS HE EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION
The news comes as negotiators are also working to end Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip after Jerusalem saw itself facing four fronts just last fall with a war on its southern border against Hamas, back-and-forth missile strikes with Iran as well as with the Houthis in Yemen, and a campaign that unfolded in Lebanon.
A truce was struck in Lebanon following a sophisticated pager bombing that targeted hundreds of Hezbollah members across the country in September.
Hezbollah largely retreated from Lebanon’s southern region and has reportedly relinquished some arms.
But reporting by Reuters on Monday also suggested that Hezbollah may be unwilling to relinquish all its arms and the details of the U.S.-Lebanon agreement that would see the disarmament of the terrorist network remain unknown.
Israeli troops have remained in parts of southern Lebanon to counter what it argues is a continued threat posed by the terrorist network to Israeli communities that live on the northern border, and skirmishes have continued.
Barrack, who also serves as U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, said he believes that, ultimately, Lebanon and Israel share the same goal – peace.
An IDF soldier near anti-tank missiles that belong to the terror group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. (IDF)
AFTER SETBACK TO IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, TRUMP EXPECTED TO LEVERAGE MILITARY SUPPORT IN NETANYAHU MEETING
“The Israelis do not want war with Lebanon,” he said. “Both countries are trying to give the same thing – the notion of a stand-down agreement, of the cessation of hostilities, and a road to peace.”
Barrack also suggested that the Trump administration may look to add Lebanon to the list of nations that have normalized ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords – a chief policy of Trump’s during his first administration and one which he has once again made a top priority.
Fox News Digital could not confirm whether Beirut is yet interested in that level of diplomacy with its southern neighbor.
But Barrack also suggested that Syria has already begun “dialogue” with Israel.
“The dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon,” he said. “If you don’t want change, it’s no problem. The rest of the region is moving at Mach speed and you will be left behind.”
Mourners react during the funeral of Hezbollah member Hassan Ghassan Hijazi, who was killed by an Israeli strike in Tayr Debba, in southern Lebanon, Jan. 11, 2025. (Courtney Bonneau/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
The comments come one week after Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar said Jerusalem “is interested in expanding the Abraham Accords circle of peace and normalization.
“We have an interest in adding countries, such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization – while safeguarding Israel’s essential and security interests,” he added, though much of the normalization efforts would depend on Israel ending its war in the Gaza Strip.
Reuters contributed to this report.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
One of the leading American institutes devoted to research on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program sounded an alarm this week over the regime’s uninspected underground site in the Zagros Mountains.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not been allowed to visit the secret site, known as Pickaxe Mountain.
The highly fortified facility is casting serious doubt on Iran’s willingness to abide by the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached with the Trump administration. The United States, together with Israel, launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, 2026, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
Experts from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) argue that halting work at Pickaxe Mountain and allowing IAEA inspectors access would be a key good-faith measure to test whether Iran is prepared to abandon its pattern of deception.
OBAMA-ERA INSPECTION FLAWS IN IRAN COULD PERSIST AS EXPERTS WARN OF NUCLEAR BLIND SPOTS
A satellite image shows an overview of the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex in Natanz. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)
Spencer Faragasso, a senior fellow with the group who covers Iran, North Korea, illicit trade, and nuclear issues, wrote on X: “Important update by us at @TheGoodISIS. The ongoing work at Pickaxe Mountain is deeply concerning. This work has continued steadily since at least 2020. In my view, this is a hedge by Iran in case negotiations fail — they will then have a nuclear facility in a late stage of construction. We assessed that Pickaxe is likely large enough to hold an enrichment plant.”
Iran has used facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan to enrich uranium, the key material for a nuclear weapons program.
Faragasso added, “If Iran is serious about negotiating, it should halt construction at Pickaxe Mountain as a token of good faith. But what can be expected from a regime as brutal and conniving as Iran’s?”
The institute posted a detailed analysis of new satellite imagery from late June 2026 showing continued activity at Pickaxe Mountain.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNVEILS SWEEPING TERMS OF PROPOSED IRAN AGREEMENT
Vice President JD Vance prior to a meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Bürgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, June 21, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/Keystone via AP)
The institute wrote that “at Pickaxe Mountain, vehicle activity can be seen on the roads leading to the open set of Western tunnel portals, indicating that construction inside the tunnel complex, as well as hardening of the tunnel entrance, are ongoing. The MOU signed between the United States and Iran requires that Iran maintain the status quo, which should prohibit construction at any nuclear-related facility, including Pickaxe Mountain.”
In late June, the IAEA declined to answer a detailed Fox News Digital query on whether it would seek access to the Pickaxe Mountain facility. According to the satellite imagery obtained by the institute, “at Natanz, little activity can be seen. The access points to the below-ground enrichment halls have not been repaired.
“The personnel entrances remain destroyed, and vehicle entrances remain severely damaged. A single vehicle can be seen on the road outside of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), which was destroyed in June 2025 but was later covered by Iran.”
As U.S.-Iran talks opened Sunday in Switzerland, and a dispute over who controls and monitors billions of dollars in potentially unfrozen Iranian assets emerged. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via Reuters)
The institute also reported, “As of June 29, 2026, there is no observed activity at Esfahan. The tunnel portals remain backfilled with dirt.” ISIS tracked developments at the Fordow site, buried inside a mountain north of the holy Islamic city of Qom.
“At Fordow, as earlier reported by the Institute, between May 10 and May 18, Iran added passive defensive measures in the form of earthen/rocky mounds and other objects on the roads leading to the tunnel entrances. The alternating placements of the piles/objects are very precise, which creates a series of chicanes, indicating they are not intended as obstructions but rather to prevent rapid ingress and egress by any vehicle toward the tunnels.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The institute added, “The June 21 Vantor image shows that the objects along the road remain there. The tunnel portals also remain backfilled with dirt” at Fordow.
Fox News Digital sent questions to the State Department and the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.
Published On 6 Jul 2026
The funeral procession for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has begun in Tehran as authorities prepare for crowds that could rival those that turned out for his predecessor nearly four decades ago.
After lying in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, the body of Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the United States-Israel war on Iran, began its journey on Monday through the capital, accompanied by large crowds of mourners, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew an estimated 10 million people, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Crowd surges during Khomeini’s funeral killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.
Thousands filled the Grand Mosalla on Sunday to pay their respects to Khamenei and his four family members who were killed with him on February 28 in air strikes on his office in Tehran.
Monday’s procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, culminating in Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
-
Utah4 minutes agoChicago breaks Utah’s 10-game unbeaten streak – Equalizer Soccer
-
Vermont11 minutes agoThe Velomont bike trail is getting more accessible – one trail at a time
-
.jpg?w=400&resize=400,240&ssl=1 "On Virginia’s Crooked Road, the Hills Are Alive—With Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Jams")
.jpg?w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "On Virginia’s Crooked Road, the Hills Are Alive—With Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Jams")
Virginia14 minutes agoOn Virginia’s Crooked Road, the Hills Are Alive—With Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Jams
-
Washington19 minutes agoGeorgia featured at Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C.
-
Wisconsin26 minutes agoWisconsin Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for July 5, 2026
-
West Virginia29 minutes agoWest Virginia police launch high-visibility speeding enforcement campaign
-
Wyoming34 minutes agoWATCH: The 1937 Movie Wings Over Wyoming
-
Crypto41 minutes agoTrader Turns $2 Million of ETH Into $14,208 as Lighter Token Rallies 53%
