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The National
08-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Despite US pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, Tehran alone has the leverage to make it happen
The US ambassador to Turkey and envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, returned to Beirut on Monday to hear what the Lebanese had to say about a proposal he had presented two weeks ago. Not long after his arrival, he declared he was 'satisfied and grateful for the Lebanese response … We are developing a plan to move forward, and I feel very hopeful'. Mr Barrack has taken over the Lebanon file momentarily following the departure of the previous envoy Morgan Ortagus. On June 19, he brought with him a plan outlining Hezbollah's disarmament, which would lead to Israel's withdrawal from hills it occupies in southern Lebanon. The proposal also covers economic and financial reform. In the proposal, Lebanon and Israel would also move towards demarcation of their border, removing any excuse for continued resistance against Israel. The Israelis would release their Lebanese prisoners as well. In parallel, Lebanon had to implement reforms that ended the cash economy, restructured the banking sector and closed Hezbollah's de-facto bank Al Qard Al Hassan as well as the money exchanges that help the party finance itself. Lebanon and Syria would also be asked to improve ties and control their common border, which they would demarcate. This would clarify to whom the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms belong, and if the sides agreed that they are Syrian, as the UN has said, it would end Hezbollah's justification for liberating the farms. Mr Barrack also made it clear the demands were part of a broader package – one with Arab backing. If Lebanon failed to implement Hezbollah's disarmament, it would not benefit from outside investment or aid to rebuild the country after the war last year. The Lebanese reply will now be used by Mr Barrack to help lay the groundwork for progress on the Lebanese-Israeli front, because the US feels that the mechanism put in place to consolidate the ceasefire negotiated last November is no longer working. In public, Hezbollah has maintained a hard line, describing calls for its disarmament as an Israeli demand, backed by Washington, and insisting the future of its weapons had to be decided by the Lebanese. Its secretary general, Naim Qassem, stated last week: 'We will address and agree internally to […] matters such as weapons and other issues.' 'Our weapons,' he added, 'are there to confront Israel, and we will not surrender our right.' On Sunday, Mr Qassem said the party was ready for one of two choices: peace and the building of a state or confrontation. 'But,' he said, 'we will not surrender, nor will be compromise on our rights and dignity.' Upon returning to Beirut, Mr Barrack sounded conciliatory when he said that there was 'no deadline' for Hezbollah's disarmament. The US proposal put the Lebanese on the spot. While President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam seek a monopoly of the state over weapons – they have made this a stated goal of the Cabinet – they have moved slowly on disarming Hezbollah to avoid a potentially risky confrontation with the party. However, under US pressure they explicitly mentioned in their reply to Mr Barrack that the state alone must hold weapons, to which Hezbollah had to agree. A major part of the problem is that, ultimately, any decision on Hezbollah's weapons will be taken in Tehran, given that the party's senior leadership was largely eliminated last year and Iran now has more central say in its affairs. Unconfirmed news reports have indicated that Mr Aoun recently brought up Hezbollah's disarmament with a leading party official, and proposed that the state confiscate its rockets, but this was met with a refusal. Publicly, at least, Hezbollah has sought to portray itself as flexible on its weapons. Not that it has had much choice. The party is isolated nationally and has no serious hopes of reviving a military strategy against Israel at present while remaining vulnerable to Israeli attacks. And it wants to avoid tensions with the Lebanese state. There have been unconfirmed reports, notably a July 4 story published by the news agency Reuters, that Hezbollah is discussing internally reducing its role as an armed group, even if this falls short of complete disarmament. At the same time, the party does not want to be seen as surrendering its weapons under outside, especially US and Israeli, duress. Yet this potentially poses problems for Hezbollah. Lebanon's President and government have staked their credibility on giving the state a monopoly over weapons, and the party's reluctance to go along with this, or its desire to impose conditions on its disarmament, may well strain its ties with the state. If the Americans and Israelis believe that the Lebanese state and Hezbollah are manoeuvring to buy time, it is a near certainty that Israel will escalate its military operations in Lebanon to impose its preferred outcome. The probability would rise if the fighting in Gaza is soon brought to an end. It also seems highly unlikely the US would support renewing the mandate of UN peacekeepers in the country in such a case, while a further lack of progress would mean no aid for reconstruction, let alone foreign investment in the country. Mr Barrack's initiative opens the door to a new phase, one in which Lebanon will soon have to offer a timetable for disarming Hezbollah. Mr Aoun and Mr Salam appear to agree in principle to do so, while Iran and the party are not there. Under these circumstances, the President and Prime Minister may sense, against their deeper preferences, that the only leverage that might change Hezbollah's mind is that provided by their sworn enemy.
Nahar Net
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Barrack to reportedly visit Jumblat and apologize for Ortagus' behavior
by Naharnet Newsdesk 5 hours U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack will visit former PSP leader Walid Jumblat after the latter was insulted by former U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus. "Crack is whack, Walid," Ortagus wrote on the X platform after Jumblat described her conditions as "unrealistic." A report, published Friday on al-Jadeed, said that Barrack will apologize for Ortagus' behavior. Barrack visited Lebanon on Thursday and warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between Iran and Israel. Barrack is of Lebanese origins and is also the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. He has said that he will temporarily replace Morgan Ortagus as Washington's special envoy to Lebanon. During his first official visit to Lebanon on Thursday he met with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
Nahar Net
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Barrack to reportedly visit Jumblat and apologize for Ortagus' behavior
by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 June 2025, 12:51 U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack will visit former PSP leader Walid Jumblat after the latter was insulted by former U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus. "Crack is whack, Walid," Ortagus wrote on the X platform after Jumblat described her conditions as "unrealistic." A report, published Friday on al-Jadeed, said that Barrack will apologize for Ortagus' behavior. Barrack visited Lebanon on Thursday and warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between Iran and Israel. Barrack is of Lebanese origins and is also the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. He has said that he will temporarily replace Morgan Ortagus as Washington's special envoy to Lebanon. During his first official visit to Lebanon on Thursday he met with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
The National
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
US envoy Tom Barrack to visit Beirut as Iran-Israel war rages
US special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack is expected to arrive in Beirut on Thursday to meet Lebanon's leaders, sources told The National, as the region reels from open warfare between Israel and Iran. Mr Barrack – who is of Lebanese origin – will not be accompanied by Morgan Ortagus, deputy US special envoy to the Middle East, amid speculation she will no longer oversee the Lebanon file and will take on a new role within the US administration. Political sources told The National they did not know what message Mr Barrack would deliver from Washington, but he is expected to raise the issue of Hezbollah 's disarmament, a crucial component of the group's November ceasefire deal with Israel that brought 14 months of conflict to a near halt. 'There's a ceasefire that Lebanon is committed to,' one of the Lebanese sources said. "We want them [Israel] to commit also." The source was referring to continued bombardments by Israel since the truce deal was signed. The agreement called for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and for Hezbollah to disarm. While the militant group has largely stood down, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy in its place in southern Lebanon, Israel continues to occupy parts of the country and launch air strikes. Israel still has a presence at five locations in southern Lebanon and has been mounting near-daily attacks on what it claims to be Hezbollah infrastructure. On Monday, an Israeli drone struck the town of Houla in southern Lebanon, killing a beekeeper. The Israeli army said it had hit a Hezbollah operative. Finding Hezbollah tunnels in south Lebanon mountains The Israeli attacks on Lebanon have lessened in frequency since the outbreak of war with Iran last week, though they have not ceased entirely, one of the sources told The National. 'My estimation is that the Israelis don't want to mess with Lebanon because they're trying to dedicate themselves to fighting Iran full time,' the source said. Hezbollah has given assurances it will not join Iran in retaliating against Israel. As the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates, Tehran-backed Hezbollah, weakened after months of fighting, remains unable to aid its ally from Lebanese territory. The vast majority of the group's arsenal and infrastructure in Lebanon, south of the Litani river, has been either confiscated or destroyed by the Lebanese army under the terms of the ceasefire. Washington has pressed Lebanese officials to fully and rapidly disarm Hezbollah, a demand Lebanese leaders say is difficult because of Israel's occupation, attacks and domestic political constraints. Ms Ortagus had been expected to visit Beirut this month to push for an accelerated timetable for disarming Hezbollah and its allies.
Asharq Al-Awsat
04-06-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Alarm in Tel Aviv After Removal of Pro-Israel Officials from Trump Administration
The dismissal of pro-Israel officials in the White House sparked concerns in Tel Aviv as US President Donald Trump's 'America First' sidelines allies and reflects a broader effort to curb foreign influence across the administration. 'Israeli officials are expressing growing concern over a series of unexpected personnel changes within the US administration, particularly involving individuals widely seen as strongly supportive of Israel,' sources told the Ynetnews website, which is affiliated to the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. The reshuffling comes amid rising tensions between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a potential strike on Iran and the ongoing war in Gaza. According to the Israeli report, two senior officials recently removed from their posts are Merav Ceren, a dual US-Israeli citizen who was only recently appointed as head of the Iran and Israel portfolio at the National Security Council, and Eric Trager, who oversees the Middle East and North Africa. Both had been appointed by former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, a staunch supporter of Israel, who was himself dismissed by Trump. Ynetnews wrote that their removal was reportedly carried out by Waltz's successor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Meanwhile, another high-profile figure expected to depart is Morgan Ortagus, deputy to special envoy Steve Witkoff and the official handling the Lebanon portfolio. Sources say her departure is not voluntary. Ortagus, who converted to Judaism and wears a Star of David necklace, is considered one of the strongest supporters of Israel within the administration. According to the Israeli report, she played a key role in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and in persuading the Lebanese government to take a firm stance against Hezbollah and disarm Palestinian refugee camps. 'Her imminent departure has stunned officials in Jerusalem, where she is viewed as closely aligned with Israeli interests,' Ynetnews said. Officials following the issue do not rule out the possibility that more pro-Israel officials may be removed. In the Trump administration, they note, decisions often come abruptly. These removals are not occurring in a vacuum, but rather reflect a broader distancing between Jerusalem and the Trump administration, which appears to be pursuing its own strategic calculus. Israeli sources familiar with US-Israel relations told the Israeli website that the spate of removals is driven by Trump's 'America First' agenda. According to those sources, the shakeup is not specifically aimed at Israel but reflects a broader effort to curb foreign influence across the board. They stress that the dismissals were not a result of the officials' views on Israel, but rather part of Trump's ongoing attempt to weaken the National Security Council and consolidate control of US foreign policy in his own hands. This, they said, explains why Trump has left the national security advisor post vacant, with Rubio assuming the responsibilities instead. Also, the sources noted that the push to remove pro-Israel figures is being led by Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, and Vice President JD Vance. Ynetnews said that Netanyahu has reportedly confided in closed-door discussions with his confidant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, that he misjudged the direction the US was taking on Israel and the broader Middle East. Senior Israeli officials said Netanyahu did not hide his disappointment with Dermer. 'Dermer misread the situation; he was convinced the US would never turn against us,' said one source. 'He failed to anticipate the shift in US policy toward Israel. Even now, Dermer still believes the US will remain supportive and maintain coordination, but the truth is, he's lost his bearings.'
