Hezbollah and its Shia ally Amal want to control the finance ministry in the new Lebanese government [Getty]
The US has warned that Hezbollah‘s involvement in the Lebanese government is a “red line”, as envoy Morgan Ortagus visited Beirut on Friday, delivering a strong message to the country’s leaders while praising Israel’s war on the country.
Ortagus’ visit came amid ongoing political negotiations, with Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam working to form a government.
The US is reportedly pressuring him to exclude Hezbollah, reinforcing Washington’s longstanding stance against the Iran-backed group’s role in Lebanese politics.
Following talks with Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace, Ortagus made a pointed statement underscoring US support for Israel’s operations against Hezbollah.
“We are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating Hezbollah,” she said during a press conference.
“It is thanks to President Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam and everyone in this government who is committed to an end to corruption… and making sure that Hezbollah is not a part of this government and remains disarmed and militarily defeated,” she added.
Hezbollah was severely weakened in the war, with Israel assassinating its leadership, destroying much of its weapons stockpiles, and forcing the group out of southern Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement brokered by Ortagus’ predecessor, Amos Hochstein.
In response to a question about Hezbollah’s potential insistence on being in the government, Ortagus dismissed any concerns.
“I am certainly not afraid of Hezbollah,” she said.
“We have set clear red lines in the United States that [Hezbollah] won’t be able to terrorise the Lebanese people, and that includes by being a part of the government.”
Hezbollah responded by accusing her of “blatant interference in Lebanese sovereignty”. The head of its parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Raad, denounced her comments as being “full of malice and irresponsibility”.
Ortagus also received online backlash from social media users who voiced outrage at pictures of her wearing a Star of David ring during her meeting with Aoun.
Following her remarks, President Aoun’s office quickly distanced itself from her comments, stating that Ortagus had “expressed her own point of view” and that the president was “not concerned with” her statements.
Since his appointment in January, Salam has faced protracted negotiations with Lebanon’s political factions over forming a new government.
Hezbollah and its Shia ally Amal, who did not back Salam’s nomination, have demanded key cabinet positions, including the finance ministry.
The US envoy also discussed the implementation of the ceasefire, the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south, and a captive exchange deal between the two sides.
Under the ceasefire agreed in November, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory within 60 days and hand over control to the Lebanese army.
However, Israel refused to leave by the 26 January deadline, accusing the Lebanese government of failing to uphold its end of the agreement. The deadline was later extended to 18 February.
Local media reports suggested this week that the deadline could be extended again until early March, although Ortagus insisted that the US would remain committed to implementing the agreement by 18 February.
Her visit came amid fresh Israeli strikes in northern and southern Lebanon, targeting what Israel’s army claimed were Hezbollah weapons storage sites.
The Israeli air force has continued to violate Lebanese airspace and attack Hezbollah positions despite the truce. The Lebanese government has accused Israel of breaching the agreement hundreds of times since its implementation.
Ortagus is expected to hold further talks with Prime Minister-designate Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who leads Amal, before traveling south with the acting head of the Lebanese army.
[embedded content]
