Egypt Daily News – US Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus confirmed from Beirut on Friday that her country opposes Hezbollah’s participation in the Lebanese government, after its “defeat” in the recent military confrontation with Israel, stressing that Hezbollah’s era of “terrorizing” the Lebanese is “over.”
“We in the United States have set clear red lines that prevent them from terrorizing the Lebanese people, including through their participation in the government,” the US official said after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace, in response to a journalist’s question about the role of the Iranian-backed party in the next government, adding, ”The end of Hezbollah’s era of terrorizing in Lebanon and around the world, it’s over.”
“I saw great enthusiasm from the Lebanese community in America about the future of Lebanon,” Ortagus said, adding, ”We want to return Lebanon to the position of hope in the Middle East.”
The US official also expressed her hope to end Hezbollah’s influence inside Lebanon, saying that the era of terrorism practiced by Hezbollah in Lebanon and the world must come to an end.
In an official response to US Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus’ remarks about Hezbollah, the Lebanese presidency emphasized that this does not concern it and expresses only the US official’s point of view.
“Some of what was issued by US Deputy Middle East Envoy Morgan Ortagus expresses her point of view and we are not concerned with it,” the Lebanese presidency said in a statement on Friday.
She shook hands with the Lebanese president wearing a Star of David ring Ortagus sparks Lebanese outrage
A photo of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun shaking hands with US deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus, wearing a ring with a Star of David, went viral on social media.
Her statement from the presidential palace, in which she thanked Israel for “defeating Hezbollah,” sparked widespread public outrage, especially since the statement coincided with the death of a father and his three daughters after a house that had been booby-trapped by Israeli forces before they withdrew from the town of Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon exploded.
Morgan Ortagus has been a vocal supporter of strong ties between the United States and Israel, and converted to Judaism after her marriage.
During her tenure as State Department spokesperson in the Trump administration’s first term, she consistently supported pro-Israel policies, including recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and brokering the Abraham Accords.
In a previous speech to Christians United for Israel, Ortagus said: “We should never abandon our ally Israel.”
