Michel Issa, President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 29, 2025. Screenshot.
Michel Issa, President Donald Trump's nominee for the position of United States ambassador to Lebanon, was officially confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday following a vote approving his appointment.
Issa has been publicly nominated by Trump as early as March 2025, who described him as "an exceptional businessman, a financial expert and a leader with a remarkable career in banking, entrepreneurship and international trade."
In July, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Issa called for urgent action against Hezbollah, asserting that its disarmament was not an option, but a necessity.
Issa, of Lebanese descent, will take over at the embassy in Awkar (Metn) from Lisa Anne Johnson, who has served since January 2024. He has already been congratulated by Beirut Sunni MP Fouad Makhzoumi, who said he was "confident in Issa's ability to strengthen the vital partnership between the United States and Lebanon" in a message on X.
This Senate vote of confidence was notably delayed by a blockade from Democratic lawmakers, who had vowed to thwart Trump's diplomatic appointments in protest against steps to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and integrate it into the State Department.
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