Senior officials in the Trump administration have recently approached top Lebanese government officials and urged them to open dialogue with Israel, several sources told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, well-informed Lebanese sources told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that Morgan Ortagus, the Trump administration’s special envoy to Lebanon, proposed improving the work of the five-member committee overseeing the ceasefire in Lebanon and expanding its authority to cover all of Lebanon’s borders, not just the southern border.
She also suggested including diplomats as committee members.
“In the end, only a broader dialogue between Israel and Lebanon can advance and improve the situation on the ground,” a Western diplomat told the Post.
Before arriving in Beirut, Ortagus visited Israel earlier this week and toured the northern region alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz. The US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, and the IDF Northern Command chief, Major General Rafi Milo, also participated in the visit.
Katz emphasized that Israel would continue to defend northern communities against any threat.
Hezbollah continuing to arm itself
Israeli officials told the envoy that Hezbollah continues to arm itself and has managed to smuggle hundreds of missiles across the Syrian border. When Ortagus later arrived in Lebanon, she made it clear to senior government officials there that they must act against Hezbollah.
Following the meetings, Ortagus issued a statement saying that the United States is closely monitoring developments in Lebanon and welcomes the Lebanese government’s decision to place all weapons in the country under state control by the end of the year. “The Lebanese Armed Forces must now fully implement their plan,” the statement said.
President Trump’s envoy for Syrian affairs and the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, likewise pressed the Lebanese government to engage in talks with Israel.
According to the Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar, Barrack delivered a message to Beirut warning that if no progress is made toward disarming the terrorist organization, Lebanon will be left on its own.
“Either you learn the lesson and agree to enter direct negotiations with Israel under US sponsorship, to establish a timeline and mechanism for dismantling Hezbollah’s arsenal, or Lebanon will be left to its fate, and remain that way for a long time, with no one to help,” Barrack reportedly warned.
Last week, the Post reported that Western intelligence officials believe Hezbollah has accelerated its rehabilitation efforts, including by recruiting more terrorists into its ranks. “Hezbollah is rebuilding itself much faster than the Lebanese Army is dismantling its weapons,” the officials said.