US envoy cuts south Lebanon visit amid protests

BEIRUT: Lebanese state media said US envoy Tom Barrack cut short a visit to the south on Wednesday, amid protests in two planned stops against US pressure to disarm Hezbollah. The official National News Agency (NNA) reported that Barrack arrived by helicopter at a Lebanese army barracks in Marjayoun near the border, with soldiers deploying in the area.
The news agency later reported that the envoy had cancelled planned stops in nearby Khiam, which was pummelled by Israel during its latest hostilities with Hezbollah, and in the coastal city of Tyre.
The last was a reference to comments by the US envoy at a Beirut press conference on Tuesday which sparked an outcry in Lebanon.
Bilal Kashmar, an official from the southern municipalities union, said dozens of people had demonstrated in Tyre on Wednesday against Barrack's expected visit and Washington's 'biased policies'. — AFP