BEIRUT: Morgan Ortagus, US deputy special envoy to the Middle East, caused controversy following her meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday, after making comments about militant group Hezbollah.
Ortagus, who arrived in Beirut on Thursday evening, emphasized “US commitment to strengthening close relations with Lebanon.”
However, she told reporters that she believes excitement from the Lebanese diaspora about the future of Lebanon “is largely in part, of course, because Hezbollah was defeated by Israel. And we are grateful to our ally, Israel, for defeating Hezbollah.
“But it’s also thanks to you, thanks to the Lebanese people. It is thanks to President Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, and everyone in this government who is committed to an end of corruption, who is committed to reforms and who are committed to making sure that Hezbollah is not a part of this government in any form, and that Hezbollah remains disarmed and militarily defeated.”
She continued: “That, of course, starts with the pressure that US President Donald Trump is now placing on the Islamic Republic of Iran so that they can no longer fund their terror proxies through the region.”
Ortagus added: “We will be working again to make sure that the Islamic Republic of Iran doesn’t achieve a nuclear weapon and that they are unable to inflict chaos and harm into this country and to so many other countries around the region, which they were allowed to do for decades. That ends with President Trump.
“We’re incredibly hopeful that hope comes because we know that we have men and women of character, of resilience, of transparency. The men and women of character in this government will ensure that we start to end corruption. That we end influence from Hezbollah and that we embark on the reforms for Lebanon, that all of you, the people of Lebanon, deserve.”
Ortagus said she informed Aoun that “we don’t want to look at Lebanon as a donor country. You’re a beautiful, sophisticated country that deserves to have the most impressive businessmen and women, the most impressive businesses, companies and country from around the world investing in here. We want to get to Lebanon, back to that place where it is, the place and the hope of the Middle East. And I know we’ll get there together.”
Asked about the US stance on Hezbollah’s potential inclusion in the upcoming Lebanese government, Ortagus said: “I am certainly not afraid of Hezbollah. I am not afraid of them because they have been defeated militarily. We have set clear red lines in the US, and they will not be able to terrorize the Lebanese people, and that includes by being part of the government. The end of Hezbollah’s reign of terror in Lebanon and around the world has started, and it is over.”
The US, she said, “is committed to the Feb. 18 deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. This date is part of negotiations I had with my partner Eric Trager at the National Security Council, and with the Lebanese government and the Israeli government. Feb. 18 will be the day for redeployment, whenever the IDF troops finish their redeployment and, of course, the Lebanese troops will come in behind them. We are very committed to that firm date.”
Aoun told Ortagus that “the permanent stability in southern Lebanon hinges on Israel’s full withdrawal from the recently occupied territories and the implementation of Resolution 1701 in all its aspects, including the provisions of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Nov. 27.”
Aoun said: “Israeli attacks must cease. The killing of innocent civilians and soldiers, the destruction of homes, and bulldozing and burning of agricultural lands must stop.” He also pointed out that “the release Lebanese hostages is an integral part of the agreement.”
He added: “The Lebanese Army is prepared to deploy in the evacuated villages and towns, and Israel must adhere to the Feb. 18 deadline for completing its withdrawal.
“Our cooperation with UNIFIL is ongoing and focused on implementing Resolution 1701, aiming to establish stability and gradually restore life to the areas liberated from occupation.
“These areas require a comprehensive reconstruction plan, including essential means of livelihood for returnees, following the extensive damage caused by Israeli aggression to crops and property.”
Aoun’s media office said that he and Ortagus discussed the formation of the Lebanese government. The president emphasized that “the consultations to form the government are nearing completion, with the goal of creating a harmonious and effective government that will meet the hopes and aspirations of the Lebanese people, as outlined in my oath speech.”
Hezbollah supporters expressed their discontent with Ortagus’s statements, gathering outside Beirut’s Rafic Harari International Airport for a sit-in to protest her remarks.
Other Hezbollah activists criticized Ortagus’s ring bearing the star of David, which was visible when she was shaking Aoun’s hand.
The US envoy subsequently headed to southern Lebanon accompanied by a US delegation. Along with a number of Lebanese Army officers, she inspected the area where the Lebanese military has been redeployed.
This is Ortagus’s first visit to Lebanon. It came in parallel with an Israeli raid on Friday afternoon on Baysarieh in the Zahrani region, north of the Litani Line, following a violent day of Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Bekaa and the Syrian border, breaching the ceasefire agreement.
Lebanon’s National News Agency said that “the Israeli Army carried out bombings in two stages on Kfarkila.”
An explosion occurred in a house in Tayr Harfa, which witnessed the Israeli army’s withdrawal, killing two adults and several kids. According to the security bodies, it appeared that the house had been previously booby-trapped by the Israeli forces.
The Lebanese Army sent reinforcements to the Kald Al-Sabeh area in the Hermel barrens following tensions in the area, due to confrontation between the Bekaa tribes and Syrian Arab Republic forces.
Syrian personnel pushed into the villages of Al-Fadiliya, Blouza, Jermash and Hawik, to reinforce their presence in the Lebanese-inhabited Assi basin villages inside the Syrian territory.
US envoy’s anti-Hezbollah stance causes controversy in Lebanon
https://arab.news/ce4v2
US envoy’s anti-Hezbollah stance causes controversy in Lebanon

- Ortagus told reporters that she believes excitement from the Lebanese diaspora about the future of Lebanon “is largely in part, of course, because Hezbollah was defeated by Israel”
- Ortagus said she informed Aoun that “we don’t want to look at Lebanon as a donor country”
Chief of Bahraini National Guard participates in Pakistan Day celebrations

- Sheikh Mohammed conveyed greetings from the Bahraini king and crown prince to Pakistani officials
- Saudi leadership sent separate cables of congratulations to President Zardari on his country’s National Day
LONDON: Sheikh Mohammed bin Isa Al-Khalifa, the commander of Bahrain’s National Guard, participated in the Pakistan Day celebrations held on Sunday in Islamabad.
The public holiday celebrated on March 23 each year commemorates the day in 1956 when Pakistan adopted its first constitution and became the world’s first Islamic republic.
Sheikh Mohammed conveyed greetings from King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa to the Pakistani leadership, the Bahrain News Agency reported.
Senior Pakistani political and military officials attended the Pakistan Day celebrations at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad on Sunday, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and various foreign delegations.
Sheikh Mohammed expressed his wishes for Pakistan’s continued progress, prosperity, and stability, according to BNA.
He has been on an official visit to Pakistan since last week, where he met senior military and political officials, including Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber, the country’s air force chief, and Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the chairperson of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
On Sunday, the Saudi leadership sent separate cables of congratulations to President Zardari on his country’s National Day, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wished Zardari continued good health and happiness and the people of Pakistan steady progress and prosperity.
Hamas says Israeli strike kills political bureau official Salah Al-Bardawil

- Bardawil, 65, was killed along with his wife in a camp in Al-Mawasi, near Khan Yunis
- He is the third member of the political bureau to be killed since Israel resumed air strikes on Tuesday
GAZA CITY: Palestinian group Hamas confirmed on Sunday that Salah Al-Bardawil, a senior member of its political bureau, was killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza the previous day.
Bardawil, 65, was killed along with his wife in a camp in Al-Mawasi, near Khan Yunis, according to the Palestinian Islamist movement.
He is the third member of the political bureau to be killed since Israel resumed air strikes on Tuesday, after Yasser Harb and Essam Al-Dalis, the head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military confirmed Sunday that it had targeted Bardawil, saying that “as part of his role, (he) directed the strategic and military planning” of Hamas in Gaza.
His “elimination further degrades Hamas’ military and government capabilities,” it added.
Bardawil, born in the Khan Yunis refugee camp, joined Hamas when it was founded in 1987, serving as a spokesman before rising through the ranks and being elected to the political bureau in 2021.
He spoke against security cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and supported armed struggle against Israel.
Detained by Israel in 1993 and interrogated for 70 days, according to Hamas, Bardawil was also arrested several times by the security forces of the Palestinian Authority.
In the flare-up since last week, Hamas has also announced the deaths of interior ministry head Mahmud Abu Watfa, and Bahjat Abu Sultan, the director general of the Internal Security Services.
Hamas sources said on Sunday that Mohammed Hassan Al-Amur, the bodyguard of slain leader Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an overnight strike on his home in Khan Yunis.
Hamas has been considerably weakened by the deaths of many of its leaders, both inside and outside the Gaza Strip, since the start of the war triggered by its deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The head of Hamas’s political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran on July 31, 2024, in an explosion claimed by Israel. His successor Sinwar died on October 16 in Gaza.
First Jordanian flight lands in Syria’s Aleppo International Airport after relaunch

- Maintenance and restoration work allows air traffic to and from Aleppo to resume
- Jordanian delegation on flight aims to enhance cooperation between Syria and Jordan
LONDON: The first Jordanian flight landed at Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria on Sunday after the airport’s relaunch last week.
The Jordanian flight carried an official delegation whose aim is to enhance cooperation between Syria and Jordan, reaffirming the revival of civilian activity at the airport, the SANA agency reported.
Last week, Aleppo airport reopened for flights after nearly three months of closure caused by the offensive by rebel groups against Bashar Assad’s regime in early December. Aleppo is the country’s second-largest city after the capital and an important industrial and trade center.
Maintenance and restoration work by Syrian authorities allowed air traffic to and from Aleppo to resume. Authorities announced that Aleppo will begin receiving international flights, facilitating the return of nearly 10 million Syrian refugees currently living in Turkey and Europe. It will also enable local and foreign investors to visit the city, SANA added.
In January, international flights to and from Damascus resumed for the first time since the fall of Assad with a direct flight from Doha — the first in 13 years.
UAE, Egyptian presidents discuss strengthening fraternal ties

- El-Sisi hosts Cairo iftar banquet in honor of Sheikh Mohamed
LONDON: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the president of the UAE, discussed regional development and brotherly ties with the president of Egypt, Abdul Fattah El-Sisi, in Cairo.
The two leaders met on Saturday to discuss their countries’ relations and ways to enhance cooperation in the development, economic, and investment sectors to serve mutual interests, the Emirates News Agency reported.
They confirmed their commitment to enhancing the strong relationship between Abu Dhabi and Cairo while promoting collaboration in all areas.
El-Sisi hosted an iftar banquet in honor of Sheikh Mohamed and the accompanying UAE delegation, composed of senior Emirati officials, the agency added.
Sheikh Mohamed left Egypt on Saturday evening from Cairo International Airport, where the Egyptian president and several senior officials bid him farewell.
Palestinians denounce Israeli recognition of new West Bank settlements

JERUSALEM: The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned on Sunday an Israeli decision to recognize more than a dozen new settlements in the occupied West Bank, upgrading existing neighborhoods to independent settlement status.
The decision by Israel’s security cabinet was a show of “disregard for international legitimacy and its resolutions,” said a statement from the Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry.
The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, is home to about three million Palestinians as well as nearly 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under international law.
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right leader and settler who was behind the cabinet’s decision, hailed it as an “important step” for Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Smotrich is a leading voice calling for Israel to formally annex the West Bank — as it did in 1967 after capturing east Jerusalem in a move not recognized by most of the international community.
“The recognition of each (neighborhood) as a separate community... is an important step that would help their development,” Smotrich said in a statement on Telegram, calling it part of a “revolution.”
“Instead of hiding and apologizing, we raise the flag, we build and we settle,” he said.
“This is another important step toward de facto sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” added Smotrich, using the Biblical name for the West Bank.
In its statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry also mentioned an ongoing major Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank, saying it was accompanied by “an unprecedented escalation in the confiscation of Palestinian lands.”
The 13 settlement neighborhoods approved for development by the Israeli cabinet are located across the West Bank. Some of them are effectively part of the bigger settlements they belong to while others are practically separate.
Their recognition as separate communities under Israeli law is not yet final.
Hailing the “normalization” of settlement expansion, the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization for the municipal councils of West Bank settlements, thanked Smotrich for pushing for the cabinet decision.
According to EU figures, 2023 saw a 30-year record in settlement building permits issued by Israel.