Lebanese presidency rejects US envoy’s remarks on Hezbollah

Lebanon’s presidency has distanced itself from comments made by US deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, who said after a meeting with President Joseph Aoun that Hezbollah’s participation in the next government was a “red line”.

In a brief statement shared on social media, Aoun’s office dismissed Ortagus’s remarks, stating: “Some of what was said by the US deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus in Baabda [the presidential palace] only represents her own viewpoints, and the presidency is not concerned with it.”

Ortagus’s visit comes as Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam struggles to form a new cabinet, which is expected to include all major political factions.

Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, hold significant sway in Lebanon’s 128-seat Parliament, making their exclusion an unrealistic demand.