Report: Ortagus lauds Salam's remarks, to give Lebanon deadlines on arms

U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus has lauded Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s latest remarks on Hezbollah’s arms, a media report said on Wednesday.

Salam said Monday during a visit to Dubai that “the era of exporting the Iranian revolution has ended” and “we will not remain silent over any arms outside the state’s control.”

Ortagus, who will visit Lebanon soon, will carry to Beirut “specific deadlines for the handover of Hezbollah’s arms both north and south of the Litani and there will be no grace period after the deadlines she will specify,” diplomatic sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper.

As part of the “pressures,” Ortagus will tell the Lebanese side that “Israel refuses to withdraw from the five points it still controls before agreeing on the remaining 13 disputed border points,” informed sources told the daily.

“Lebanon will also be told that Israel would refuse an extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, which would leave south Lebanon exposed to all scenarios should the extension fail to take place,” the sources added.