U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa holds a "Make America Great Again" hat signed by U.S. President Donald Trump next to Lebanon Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 23, 2026. (Credit: Kylie Cooper/ Reuters)
BEIRUT — U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa on Monday defended the idea of a meeting in Washington between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it "would not constitute a defeat or a concession," during a press conference broadcast by local television channels.
Netanyahu "is not the bogeyman, he is the other party in the negotiations," he added, responding to concerns stirred by the presence of the most right-wing Israeli prime minister in history alongside Aoun.
His remarks come at a time when many international proposals have been made to avoid such a meeting, amid fears of domestic turmoil and a political crisis in Lebanon, particularly as Israel continues its offensive in the south of the country.
'Putting Lebanon's demands on the table before Trump'
Issa insisted that a visit by the Lebanese head of state to the United States "will allow Lebanon's demands to be placed on the table." It would allow them to “be presented to [U.S. President Donald] Trump, and at that point Netanyahu will decide whether to accept them or not, with Trump as a witness. President [Joseph Aoun] would then return here [to Beirut], and negotiations could begin,” he suggested, following two direct preparatory meetings between Beirut and Tel Aviv held at ambassadorial level in Washington in April.
"I don't understand why people see [such a visit by Aoun] as a concession. How is putting forward one's opinion a concession?" Issa asked, adding that the U.S. administration seeks to “preserve Lebanon’s independence and dignity.”
The Lebanese-born ambassador made these remarks during a press conference held in solidarity with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, who was targeted by a smear campaign from Hezbollah-aligned circles following an LBCI cartoon depicting their leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, and its fighters. During the press conference, Issa criticized those responsible for the campaign. "Maybe Lebanon doesn't suit them. They need to find another country to live in," he said.
The remarks, and more broadly Issa’s statements, drew a strong response from Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar, whose party firmly opposes direct negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv. He denounced “the blatant interference of the U.S. ambassador in Beirut in Lebanese affairs, as well as his call for Lebanese people to leave their country, just like the enemy is doing in the South.”
"These seditious, inciting remarks, of a racist and abhorrent nature, reveal the destructive role of the U.S. administration toward our country, which it seeks to drag — humiliated and subdued — to Washington, imposing capitulation on its state," he added. He then called on the state to "declare [the ambassador] persona non grata."
This is a measure, accompanied by an expulsion request, that Beirut took against the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon last March, following Hezbollah's entry into the regional war alongside the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ultimately, it was not enforced.
Issa meets with Berri
Issa met in the afternoon with Parliament Speaker and Amal leader Nabih Berri. "The meeting focused on developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as the latest events," the National News Agency (NNA) reported, without providing further details.
Earlier, Issa said from Bkerkeh that he “greatly respects” Berri and believes he is “doing his best to run the country properly.”
Last week, Berri reiterated his rejection of any direct negotiations with Israel before a cease-fire and concrete guarantees of Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. He is widely seen as the main intermediary between Hezbollah, with which he is allied, and the international community, as a key political figure for Lebanon’s Shiite community.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces MP Sethrida Geagea expressed support on Monday for direct negotiations with Israel following a meeting with President Aoun, saying that "If we have arrived at negotiations, it is because of Hezbollah's involvement in the war to defend another country, and not out of any desire for negotiation," after her meeting with Joseph Aoun, according to the Lebanese presidency.
She added that the talks are meant to "secure Israeli withdrawal, end cycles of violence and death, and secure the state's sovereignty over its decisions and its territory ... We are tired of other people's wars on our soil, of senseless death and destruction."
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