US Warning over Hezbollah Upends Lebanese Govt Formation Efforts

In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with US deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with US deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
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US Warning over Hezbollah Upends Lebanese Govt Formation Efforts

In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with US deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)
In this photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with US deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)

US deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus’ warning on Friday that Hezbollah should not be part of the new Lebanese government has upended efforts to form a new cabinet.

The formation process had already hit a snag with disputes over the name of the fifth Shiite minister. The remaining four have been named by the Shiite duo of Hezbollah and Amal.

The new American administration’s position will further complicate the process with the likely formation of a camp that will heed the warning and another that will cling on to Hezbollah’s participation.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the French foreign ministry said on Friday that Paris fully trusts the Lebanese authorities’ ability to form a new government that represents all segments of the country.

Replying to a question about Ortagus’ warning, the spokesperson said France hopes Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam will find a way to resolve the crisis.

Ortagus spoke after meeting President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda presidential palace.

She told reporters the US has set a "red line" that armed group Hezbollah should not be a member of Lebanon's next government after its military setbacks against Israel last year.

Ortagus said she was "not afraid" of the Iran-backed party "because they've been defeated militarily", a reference to last year's war between the group and Israel.

"And we have set clear red lines from the United States that they won't be able to terrorize the Lebanese people, and that includes by being a part of the government," she said.

Further complication

The Lebanese people will now have to wait and see how Aoun and Salam will handle the warning and if they really are capable of leaving Hezbollah out of the new government.

A source following the formation process held Amal movement leader and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri responsible for the latest setback, explaining that had he not insisted on naming the fifth Shiite minister on Thursday, a new government would have been formed already.

Had a new cabinet been formed, Salam would have persuaded Ortagus that Hezbollah was ready to join financial and economic reform efforts and implement United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, it added.

The US would have had to deal with the new government but with some reservations, continued the source on condition of anonymity.

"The new warning now deeply complicates the situation," it lamented.

"Ortagus’ stance has put the Lebanese state in a difficult position and it is now necessary for those involved in the government formation process to take the very clear and frank American statements seriously. They must not be ignored," it urged.

Firm message

Head of the Saydet el-Jabal Gathering former MP Fares Soaid said Ortagus’ message has upended the formation efforts.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he explained that the deputy envoy clearly outlined the new American administration’s stance that is in "absolute support to Israel and confrontation with Iran."

"Ortagus was clear over the need to keep Hezbollah out of government," he said.

"The president and PM-designate now have one choice and that is to keep all parties out of government, whether through direct or indirect representation. This is the only solution that would salvage the situation and all parties must understand this," Soaid went on to say.

Before the warning, Lebanese parties were willing to have Hezbollah in government where they would work on curbing its influence, he went on to say.

"Now, all parties are forced to stay out of government, which will be non-partisan. The new cabinet lineup will then be presented to parliament and whoever dares to withhold confidence will be held responsible for the choice," Soaid said.

"Defying the American official’s warning will make it impossible for the new government to have any international presence," he added.



Syrian Letter Delivers Response to US Conditions for Sanctions Relief

 Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
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Syrian Letter Delivers Response to US Conditions for Sanctions Relief

 Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)

Syria has responded in writing to a list of US conditions for possible partial sanctions relief, saying it had acted on most of them but others required "mutual understandings" with Washington, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

The United States last month handed Syria a list of eight conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill, including destroying any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles.

Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by 14 years of war, during which the United States, Britain and Europe imposed tough sanctions in a bid to put pressure on former president Bashar al-Assad.

In January, the US issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect.

In exchange for fulfilling all the US demands, Washington would extend that suspension for two years and possibly issue another exemption, sources told Reuters in March.

Reuters was first to report that senior US official Natasha Franceschi handed the list of conditions to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18.

Shaibani, in his first address to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, sought to show that Syria was already addressing the demands, including on chemical weapons and the search for missing Americans in Syria.

His public comments were consistent with the contents of Syria's private letter to the US, an undated copy of which was seen by Reuters. Its contents have not been previously reported.

Two Western officials and a Syrian official briefed on the letter said it was consistent with the copy seen by Reuters.

In the four-page document, Syria pledges to set up a liaison office at the foreign ministry to find missing US journalist Austin Tice and details its work to tackle chemical weapons stockpiles, including closer ties with a global arms watchdog.

But it had less to say on other key demands, including removing foreign fighters and granting the US permission for counterterrorism strikes, according to the letter.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed Washington had received a response from Syrian authorities to a US request for them to take "specific, detailed confidence building measures”.

“We are now evaluating the response and do not have anything to share at this time,” the spokesperson said, adding that the US “does not recognize any entity as the government of Syria and that any future normalization of relations will be determined by the interim authorities' actions. "

Syria's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FOREIGN FIGHTERS

The letter said Syrian officials had discussed foreign fighters with former US envoy Daniel Rubinstein but that the issue "requires a broader consultative session."

"What can be confirmed for now is that the issuance of military ranks has been suspended following the earlier announcement regarding the promotion of six individuals," the letter says, an apparent reference to the appointment in December of foreign fighters including Uyghurs and a Turk to positions in the country's armed force.

It did not say whether those appointed ranks had been removed from the foreign fighters and did not list future steps to be taken.

A source briefed on the Syrian government's approach to the issue said Damascus would delay addressing it as much as possible given its view that non-Syrian fighters who helped oust Assad should be treated well.

On a US request for coordination on counterterrorism matters and the ability to carry out strikes on terror targets, the letter said the "matter requires mutual understandings."

It pledged that Syria's new government would not tolerate any threats to US or Western interests in Syria and vowed to put in place "appropriate legal measures," without elaborating.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had said in an interview earlier this year that US troops deployed in Syria were there without government approval, adding any such presence should be agreed with the state.

A Syrian official briefed on the letter said Syrian officials were brainstorming other ways to weaken extremists without explicitly giving the US permission to carry out strikes, seeing that as a controversial move after years of foreign air forces bombing Syria during its war.

'GUARANTEES'

A senior diplomat and another person briefed on the letter told Reuters that they deemed it addressed five demands in full, but that the remaining were left "outstanding".

They said the letter was sent on April 14 - just 10 days before Shaibani arrived in New York to address the Security Council. It was unclear whether the United States had sent a reply to Syria's letter.

A Syrian official and a US source briefed on the letter both said Shibani was set to discuss its contents with US officials during his trip to New York.

Syria's letter said it hoped the actions taken, which it described as "guarantees," could lead to a meeting to discuss each point in detail, including reopening embassies and lifting sanctions.

On Palestinian militants in Syria, it said Sharaa had formed a committee "to monitor the activities of Palestinian factions," and that armed factions outside state control will not be permitted. It was sent just days before Syria detained two Palestinian officials from the Islamic Jihad militant group.

"While discussions on this matter can continue, the overarching position is that we will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel," it said.

The letter also acknowledged "ongoing communication" between Syria's counterterrorism authorities and US representatives in Amman over combating ISIS, and said Syria was inclined to expand that collaboration. The direct talks between Syria and the US in Amman have not previously been reported.