President Joseph Aoun (left) meeting the American envoy Thomas Barrack and Ambassador Lisa Johnson, in Baabda, on June 19, 2025. (Photo provided by the presidency)
The U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, stated Thursday from Beirut that an intervention by Hezbollah in the war between Iran and Israel would be a "very bad decision."
"I can say in the name of President [Donald] Trump, who has been very clear about this ... that it would be a very, very, very bad decision," Barrack said in response to a journalist's question about a potential intervention by the party in the ongoing war.
Hezbollah, having emerged weakened from its last war against Israel in 2024, has not been involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran, its patron. After Israeli strikes on June 13, which decimated part of the Iranian military command and launched the war, the party supported the Tehran regime but implied that it did not intend to initiate attacks against Israel.
A position taken after pressure from Lebanese authorities to "spare" the country from possible repercussions as President Donald Trump vacillates on potential U.S. involvement in the conflict. During his meeting with Barrack, President Joseph Aoun stated that "contacts are ongoing to secure the monopoly of arms" to the state, the presidency posted on X.
He further stated that "the Lebanese Army, deployed south of the Litani, fully implements the provisions of Resolution 1701, by dismantling armed demonstrations, seizing weapons and ammunition, and prohibiting any armed presence other than that of official security forces." He, however, specified that "the continued occupation by Israel of the five hills and their surroundings prevents the army from fully carrying out its mission."
Aoun also told his guest that contacts are underway to achieve the monopoly of arms in the hands of the state, both on the Lebanese front – referring to Hezbollah's arsenal – and Palestinian one, and that they "will be intensified once the regional situation stabilizes." The president assured the American ambassador that "the reform process has been launched and will continue," while reiterating "the state's commitment to fight against corruption and strengthen its institutions."
Lebanese DNA
"We are determined to help and we remain hopeful ... We all hope that the chaos will quickly calm and that peace and prosperity will emerge from this phase," Barrack told journalists, after his meeting with Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri. "If I am here, it is because I have inherited, by chance, this wonderful Lebanese DNA, combined with American freedom," adding that "this meeting between two worlds is the future and the hope of Lebanon."
Barrack added that "what unites us all is the hope that the chaos will soon subside ... Everywhere I went, I saw Lebanese who knew how to turn a desert into an oasis. It is now up to us to do the same."
Askd about the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which Berri condemned during the meeting, calling for "the American effort to compel Israel to respect its commitments," according to the statement, Barrack replied, "If I could bring you a solution in two minutes, I would not be here."
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam posted on X that he told Barrack "Lebanon's commitment to the choice of security and stability, and its refusal to be dragged into the war raging in the region." He added that he asked Barrack "to help Lebanon pressure Israel to fully withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories."
Under the cease-fire that ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel at the end of November, the party was to withdraw its forces and dismantle any military infrastructure south of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the Israeli border, and Israel was to withdraw its forces from Lebanese soil. But the Israeli army maintains five "strategic" border positions and conducts almost daily strikes in Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah.
استقبلتُ المبعوث الأميركي الخاص توم باراك، وأكدتُ خلال اللقاء تمسّك لبنان بخيار الأمن والاستقرار ورفض الانجرار إلى الحرب الدائرة في الإقليم، وأكدتُ أن الحكومة اللبنانية عازمة على مواصلة تنفيذ خطتها الإصلاحية، وعلى بسط سيادة الدولة اللبنانية على كامل أراضيها. بالإضافة إلى ذلك،… pic.twitter.com/iyHz16KZGl
— Nawaf Salam نواف سلام (@nawafasalam) June 19, 2025
Behind the scenes...
This was the first official visit to Lebanon by this Lebanese-born official, at a time when the region is going through an unprecedented phase of tensions. The American envoy confirmed to the officials that he has officially taken charge of the Lebanese file at this stage – after the sidelining of Morgan Ortagus – pending the appointment of an American personality dedicated to this topic, according to an official source. He stated that this nomination would take time and could take several months. He insisted on the need not to procrastinate concerning the handing over of Hezbollah's arms and their monopoly by the state.
Aoun proposed, according to the source, a "step by step" approach, suggesting that Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon would allow the Lebanese State to centralize weapons and rapidly progress in this process. He claimed that this Israeli withdrawal would help Lebanon in this regard. However, Barrack said that Lebanon must first disarm Hezbollah, and that it was this disarmament that would lead to an Israeli withdrawal. He insisted on the need to keep the situation under control and prevent any intervention by Hezbollah in the Iran-Israel conflict, warning that such an intervention would lead to another violent war led by Israel against Lebanon. He added that if Hezbollah did not respect international resolutions, Israel would continue its operations on Lebanese territory.
He also stated the need to address this issue with Syria, highlighting that the latter was progressing in normalizing its international relations and that Lebanon should follow the same path. He stressed the importance of strengthening coordination between Lebanon and Syria by forming committees to cooperate on all issues, especially those related to border control, combating smuggling, and demarcating land and maritime borders in finding a solution to the dispute concerning the Shebaa Farms and the village of Ghajar.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
