Schenker to L’Orient-le Jour: If Hezbollah refuses to back down, Washington will wield economic, financial leverage

During her visit to Beirut last week, Morgan Ortagus, deputy to the U.S. special envoy for Middle East peace, sparked controversy by celebrating Hezbollah’s "defeat by Israel" in the recent war — one that killed thousands and devastated entire villages in Lebanon — and calling for the party’s marginalization. Her remarks come as Hezbollah and Iran’s regional influence face setbacks following the war in Gaza, signaling a return to the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran and its allies.David Schenker, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for the Middle East and a researcher at the Washington Institute, says Washington is seeking to capitalize on regional and domestic instability to weaken Hezbollah, particularly through financial measures, and “have an opportunity for Lebanon to be a state...