The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, following a meeting with the Foreign Minister, Joe Rajji, in Beirut, on Dec. 8, 2025. (Reuters)
The intense activity of the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, has revealed the political as well as diplomatic role he holds, and indications show that he is contributing to a certain American flexibility with regards to Lebanon.His visits to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on two consecutive days are neither insignificant nor secondary, but carry several meanings. They come just days before the end of the deadline given to the Lebanese Army (end of December) to complete its mission of withdrawing weapons south of the Litani.The ambassador’s objective is therefore to understand the Lebanese position and help secure an extension of this deadline to allow the army to finish its work in the area south of the Litani and to completely withdraw Hezbollah's weaponry. In a similar vein Riyadh and Doha move to prevent an escalation...
The intense activity of the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, has revealed the political as well as diplomatic role he holds, and indications show that he is contributing to a certain American flexibility with regards to Lebanon.His visits to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on two consecutive days are neither insignificant nor secondary, but carry several meanings. They come just days before the end of the deadline given to the Lebanese Army (end of December) to complete its mission of withdrawing weapons south of the Litani.The ambassador’s objective is therefore to understand the Lebanese position and help secure an extension of this deadline to allow the army to finish its work in the area south of the Litani and to completely withdraw Hezbollah's weaponry. In a similar vein Riyadh and Doha move to prevent an...
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