Lebanon was officially informed on Monday that Ambassador Michael Issa will represent the United States in all upcoming meetings of the ceasefire mechanism.
According to official Lebanese sources, the notification was interpreted as a formal conclusion of Morgan Ortagus’s role in Lebanon related to the ceasefire mechanism.
The most recent “Mechanism” meeting took place on January 7, 2026 in Naqoura, southern Lebanon. It was attended by the Lebanese Armed Forces, Israeli Army representatives, U.S. and French officers, and the commander of UNIFIL, but did not include civilian representatives.
On Monday, An-Nahar newspaper quoted Salam as assuring that both Beirut and Paris have affirmed that a conference in support of the country’s army will be held in France in March as scheduled. Reportedly, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also denied any American intention to cancel the Mechanism meeting, stating, “No one informed me of that.”
When asked whether Lebanon could confront the U.S. administration if it tried to remove France from the negotiations under the Mechanism, he replied, “We are not in confrontation with America, which is a key partner and has not indicated any intention to remove France.”
According to French diplomatic sources, Ambassador Issa is pushing to end the Mechanism meetings; this stems from the U.S. perception that the Mechanism fails to exert pressure on Israel, signaling that American dominance does not fully translate to influence over its Israeli ally.
Salam stressed that the U.S. is a “strategic partner for Lebanon. We are not in a confrontation because it is a key partner in the ceasefire monitoring committee”.
Comments