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In a region increasingly fraught with tension, U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus’s visit to Beirut unfolded as part of a diplomatic sequence in which Lebanon once again finds itself on the fault line between war and negotiation.
High-Level Meetings
Morgan Ortagus began her Lebanese tour on Wednesday with a meeting in Ain al-Tineh with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, attended by U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Keith Hanigan and Berri’s adviser Ali Hamdan. The discussions focused on Israel’s daily strikes in the South, the work of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, and the need to strengthen its role.
She then visited Baabda Presidential Palace, where she met President Joseph Aoun and members of the U.S. mission. Talks centered on reactivating the ceasefire monitoring committee, reducing Israeli attacks, and fully implementing Resolution 1701 thus allowing the Lebanese Army to extend its deployment to the international border. The president stressed the importance of enabling southern residents to return home and repair damaged homes ahead of winter.
Ortagus also met Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Grand Serail. No public statements followed the talks, but local news agency al-Markazia reported that she proposed expanding the Naqoura mechanism, possibly by including civilian representatives, and presented Lebanese officials with two negotiation options with Israel: direct dialogue or an expanded indirect dialogue through the existing commission. She also met with Social Affairs Minister Hanine Sayed.
A Sovereignty Mechanism
Speaking to This Is Beirut, former MP Fares Souhaid explained that Morgan Ortagus officially oversees the Naqoura mechanism: a dialogue framework among Lebanese, Israeli, American, and French officers tasked with resolving outstanding disputes between the two countries.
Unofficially, he added, she serves as a political liaison between Beirut and Washington, conveying “clear and precise messages” to the Lebanese government on sovereignty and arms control.
Souhaid noted that the visit, coinciding with the presence of American, Egyptian, and Saudi representatives, signals renewed Arab and international interest in Lebanon aimed at preventing a new conflict. “This visit is meant to advise Lebanon to avoid sliding back into a devastating war whose outcome no one can predict,” he said.
A Warning Signal to the Government
Retired General Khalil Helou, for his part, underlined that Ortagus’ visit directly concerns U.S.–Lebanese military cooperation He noted that American aid, ranging from $75 million to $400 million annually since 2008, is “the lifeline of the Lebanese army.” The 2025 budget, frozen under Trump administration, was reportedly released thanks to Ortagus’s intervention, as she expressed satisfaction with the army’s performance.
Helou described the mission as both political and military, necessarily involving the government and presidency. U.S. criticism, he said, targets political authorities more than the army itself, due to delays in implementing Resolution 1701.
As for the timing, he linked the visit to a broader sequence: Israel’s intensified strikes, Sharm al-Sheikh summit, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s visit to Lebanon, during which Graham warned in Israel that if Beirut fails to disarm Hezbollah, “a Plan B” would follow. “We are not in a phase of threatened stability,” Helou said. “We are in the midst of instability itself; a volatility that may well deepen.”
Regarding Ortagus’ stop in Naqoura, he noted that it falls within the routine follow-up of UNIFIL operations, which report monthly to UN Secretary-General. He also stressed that the Lebanese Army faces multiple challenges: monitoring the Syrian border, maintaining security in twelve Palestinian camps, combating terrorism, and ensuring internal stability; all while operating under fragmented political authority.
Washington Seeks to Contain the Situation
According to Hussain Abdul Hussain, analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Ortagus’ visit indicates that “things are not going as planned.” The frequency of U.S. trips to Beirut, he said, reflects a diplomacy now focused on containment rather than progress.
He dismissed any direct link to Tehran, “except for the fact that Iran continues to arm Hezbollah.” The Lebanese government, he noted, had pledged to work toward disarmament of the militia, “but instead we’re witnessing its rearmament.” This trend, he added, is alarming Israel and prompting it to strengthen its own capabilities, thus feeding a dangerous cycle of escalation.
Finally, Abdul Hussain said the visit was unrelated to Gaza: “Lebanon reached its own agreement nearly a year before Gaza and had the chance to move forward, but the Lebanese state failed to meet its commitments and instead tried to pressure Israel to do so.”
Whether this discreet but message-laden visit will translate into lasting action by the Lebanese government remains to be seen.
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