At the end of her three-day visit to Beirut last week, U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus stated in an interview with Lebanon News L.B.C.I. that Hezbollah and other armed groups should be disarmed “as soon as possible,” calling for greater efforts by the Lebanese Armed Forces (L.A.F.). After meetings with various Lebanese officials on the reconstruction of the national economy and Hezbollah’s disarmament, Ortagus expressed her encouragement to L.B.C.I. about the new government. She believes the new administration will decide the fate of the country’s people: “The sooner the L.A.F. is able to meet these goals and disarm all militias, the sooner the Lebanese people can be free. Free from foreign influence. Free from terrorism. Free from the fears that have been so pervasive in society.”
As Israel resumed its heavy bombings of Gaza in late March, the deadly spillover quickly spread to southern Lebanon, causing further instability to the U.S.-backed ceasefire. As the newly appointed Middle East Peace Envoy under the new Trump administration, Ortagus was expected to be a strong reinforcement to the White House “Peace Team” facing a turbulent Middle East. According to Axios News, Ortagus had long-standing affiliations with the administration, as she served as the Department spokesperson under former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. After the Peace Team’s failed objective to get a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal if one isn’t concluded by Jan. 20, Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Ortagus are hoping to maintain U.S. policy objectives in the region. However, the reignited war in Gaza, which led to Israel’s worsened confrontation with Hezbollah and other militias in southern Lebanon, further extends the Trump administration’s ability to maintain peace in the region.
During an interview, Tod Lindberg, senior fellow at Hudson Institute, expressed the division of opinions on a peaceful solution to the region, especially citing the proximity between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu: “…this administration is very pro Israeli, I don’t know if if it’s entirely explicable, but it seems to be real.” Lindberg claims that by leveraging American interests in the Middle East, the Israeli government has managed to maintain its influential presence during peace negotiations: “I wouldn’t expect…a huge amount of distance between the Trump administration and the Israeli government on a lot of this [conflict resolution and peace negotiations]. And in fact, an indication of that was just Netanyahu was the first person in town to negotiate over tariffs. What he put on the table was what the administration wanted to hear on the subject.”
According to Reuters in a later report, calls for disarmament have indeed gained momentum, as a senior Hezbollah official claimed that the group is willing to open dialogues with Lebanese officials. Still, the deal came with the condition that Israel withdraw and a ceasefire be established in South Lebanon. As the Trump administration braces for its 100th day of presidency, with the wars still going on in Gaza and Ukraine, any realistic advancement of peace is still opaque.
