Morgan Ortagus, President Trump's deputy special representative to the Middle East, met with top officials as tensions with Israel threaten a ceasefire.
The Trump administration's top Middle East envoy was in Lebanon on Saturday amid U.S. pressure on the country to take action against Hezbollah and heightened tensions with Israel despite a U.S.-brokered cease-fire.
Morgan Ortagus, President Trump's deputy special representative for the Middle East, met with senior officials after strikes over the past two weeks threatened a ceasefire that took effect in November.
The Lebanese government is trying to rebuild the country after a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah in which some 4,000 people in Lebanon were killed and about a million displaced. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that has long been the dominant force in Lebanon, was severely weakened by the war but still wields considerable influence.
On Saturday morning, Ms. Ortagus met with Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, to discuss issues including the situation in southern Lebanon, according to a statement from Mr. Aoun’s office. Under the cease-fire, the Lebanese military is set to take over control of the south, where Hezbollah has long had a strong foothold.
Last week, militants fired rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli forces to shell the outskirts of Beirut, the capital, and southern Lebanon. Israel later struck an area south of Beirut — known as Dahiya — that it said was a Hezbollah official, fueling fears that the truce could fall apart.
Hezbollah denied any connection to the rocket fire. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah has shown any desire to return to full-scale war. The cease-fire is holding, at least for now, despite the tensions.
Ms. Ortagus and Mr. Aoun also discussed ongoing financial reforms by the new Lebanese government, according to a statement from Lebanon. Lebanese officials hope the efforts will help attract more foreign aid — including from the United States — to help rebuild the country.
The World Bank estimates that the war has cost $14 billion in damage and economic losses, and that Lebanon needs $11 billion to rebuild, making the conflict the most devastating for the country since the end of its long civil war in 1990.
Experts say the extent of international aid will likely depend on whether the Lebanese government can assert control over the country, including by disarming Hezbollah. Before the war, the armed group was so powerful that it was generally considered a state within a state.
Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporter covering Israel and the Gaza Strip. He lives in Jerusalem. More about Aaron Boxerman
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