U.S. envoy visits Beirut amid pressure to control Hezbollah and assert Lebanese army authority

In this photo released by Lebanon's official government photographer Dalati Nohra, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, right, meets with U.S. deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Dalati Nohra/Government of Lebanon via AP)

BEIRUT — A senior U.S. envoy visited Beirut on Saturday amid a fragile ceasefire with Israel and mounting U.S. pressure on Lebanon to rein in the militant Hezbollah group, urging the Lebanese army to assert control over all national territory and prevent arms smuggling along the Syrian border.

Deputy U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, who has been leading shuttle diplomacy between Lebanon and Israel under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, met with Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri.

Ortagus emphasized the need for the Lebanese Army to assert control over all Lebanese territory, not just south of the Litani River — a boundary demarcated by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 that prohibits armed Hezbollah presence south of the river following the 2006 war with Israel. The boundary was reaffirmed with the November U.S.-brokered ceasefire that ended the 14-month war between Hezbollah and Israel.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Aoun, a former army commander, described his meeting with Ortagus, in which they discussed regional security and economic recovery, as “constructive.”

Regarding Hezbollah’s disarmament — a key U.S. demand — Ortagus praised the efforts of the Lebanese army but stressed that Washington expects further progress, a Lebanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make public comments, told The Associated Press.

Ortagus also stressed the importance of preventing tension and smuggling along the Lebanese-Syrian border, the official said. ​In mid-March, clashes erupted between Syrian security forces and local Lebanese factions along the border, resulting in multiple casualties on both sides. A subsequent ceasefire was brokered to ease tensions, but the clashes​ have reignited fears of broader instability along the border.

During her meeting with Salam, Ortagus welcomed Lebanese officials’ willingness to engage in shuttle diplomacy to resolve Israel’s withdrawal from five strategic positions it still holds in southern Lebanon, despite a missed deadline under the ceasefire agreement to entirely withdraw, the official told the AP. Ortagus made no public remarks after she met with Lebanese officials.

Israel maintains control over five strategic hilltops in southern Lebanon, citing their importance for security as they provide key vantage points to monitor Hezbollah movements and prevent potential threats along the border.

Ortagus commended the Lebanese government’s reform plan, including steps like lifting banking secrecy, drafting a banking sector reform law, launching a new mechanism for appointments in state institutions and moving forward with administrative and institutional reform. She also underscored the urgency of finalizing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

She also held talks with Berri, a Hezbollah ally who helped broker the ceasefire with Israel. Berri criticized continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the Beirut suburbs, accusing Israel of violating the truce and U.N. Resolution 1701, according to the state-run National News Agency.

Israel has continued airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, including two recent strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut, saying it is targeting Hezbollah and Hamas operatives and weapons depots. Rockets were also recently fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, for which Hezbollah has denied responsibility.

Article by Sally Abou Aljoud.