Pompeo Dispatches David Hale to Beirut

An NNA file photo of Hale meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut last January
An NNA file photo of Hale meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut last January
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Pompeo Dispatches David Hale to Beirut

An NNA file photo of Hale meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut last January
An NNA file photo of Hale meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut last January

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale is expected to visit Beirut this month as Lebanon suffers a deep political and economic crisis, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Hale’s trip would be the first diplomatic move made by President Donald Trump’s administration towards Beirut since the start of massive anti-government demonstrations on October 17.

The US official’s planned visit comes after a meeting of the International Group in Support (ISG) of Lebanon held in Paris on Wednesday.

US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, who represented Washington at the IGS meeting, has informed the US administration about the dangerous levels that Lebanon’s political, economic, social and financial conditions have reached.

The US has openly supported Lebanon’s unprecedented cross-sectarian protests denouncing government mismanagement and corruption.

The diplomatic sources said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been closely monitoring the situation in Lebanon since his last trip to Beirut in April.

Another diplomatic source told the newspaper that Washington will neither provide financial assistance nor liquidity in US dollars that is much required in the Lebanese market.

“However, the US can speak with a number of donor countries and organizations, mainly the International Monetary Fund,” the source added.

Hale’s visit to Beirut also comes as Lebanon prepares to hold biding parliamentary consultations to name a new premier tasked with forming a government.

This month, Trump’s administration lifted a mysterious “hold” on more than $100 million in security aid for Lebanon, more than a month after lawmakers learned the funds were being blocked.

Hale said during previous congressional testimonies that there had been some disagreements about the efficacy of US aid to the Lebanese army.



UK PM Starmer Recalls Cabinet to Discuss Gaza Peace Plan 

US President Donald Trump (R) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) arrive at the Trump International Golf Links course in Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, 28 July 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump (R) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) arrive at the Trump International Golf Links course in Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, 28 July 2025. (EPA)
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UK PM Starmer Recalls Cabinet to Discuss Gaza Peace Plan 

US President Donald Trump (R) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) arrive at the Trump International Golf Links course in Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, 28 July 2025. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump (R) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) arrive at the Trump International Golf Links course in Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, 28 July 2025. (EPA)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold an emergency cabinet on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza and a proposed peace plan as he comes under mounting pressure from his own party to recognize a Palestinian state.

Starmer has taken the rare step of recalling his cabinet during the summer holidays to discuss how to deliver more humanitarian aid to Gaza.

In a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Scotland on Monday, Starmer discussed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and what he called the "revolting" humanitarian crisis.

Britain is working on the plan with France and Germany after a call between the leaders of the three countries last week.

Starmer has not shared details of the plan, but over the weekend he compared the proposals to the "coalition of the willing", the international effort to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in its war with Russia.

Starmer's spokesman said he would discuss the plan with other international allies and countries in the Middle East.

War has raged in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas for the past 22 months. Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which its government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

With warnings people in Gaza are facing starvation, growing numbers of lawmakers in Starmer's Labor Party want him to recognize a Palestinian state to put pressure on Israel.

British foreign minister David Lammy will attend a United Nations conference in New York on Tuesday to urge support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Successive British governments have said they will formally recognize a Palestinian state when the time is right, without ever setting a timetable or specifying the necessary conditions.

The issue has come to the fore after President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France would recognize Palestine as a state.

Starmer has so far rejected plans to immediately recognize a Palestinian state, saying he was focused on "practical solutions".

Last week, more than 200 British members of parliament from nine parties signed a letter Friday calling for an immediate recognition of a Palestinian state.