U.S. envoy Tom Barrack cut short his visit to southern Lebanon Wednesday after protests erupted at two planned stops against American pressure to disarm Hezbollah and comments in press, Lebanese state media reported.
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 canceled planned stops in nearby Khiam, which was pummelled by Israel during its latest hostilities with Hezbollah and in the coastal city of Tyre.
A spokesperson told AFP the U.S. embassy did not comment on officials' schedules for security reasons.
An AFP correspondent in Khiam saw a group of residents, some waving Hezbollah flags or holding pictures of fighters killed in the conflict, demonstrating against Barrack.
