US message to Lebanon: Assert state sovereignty and address armed groups — details

Washington Bureau Chief for Asharq News, Hiba Nasr, said in remarks to LBCI that President Joseph Aoun is leading intensive diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing a potential strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

According to Nasr, multiple parties are working to exert pressure in the same direction in an attempt to avert an escalation. She noted that any successful effort would likely come within the framework of a broader settlement that would require decisive steps from Lebanon.

She added that the U.S. administration believes Lebanese authorities have been given sufficient time to impose the state’s sovereignty.

According to Nasr, the U.S. position stresses that what is being requested from Lebanon is not normalization with Israel nor the displacement of the Shiite community. Rather, the core demand is for the Lebanese state to assert its authority across the country and address the presence of armed groups operating outside its control.

In her remarks, she said that recent developments in Lebanon came after the United States launched a war, with Washington’s priority focused primarily on responding to its internal developments and strategic objectives as a state. She noted that U.S. briefings have not provided clear answers regarding Lebanon.

Nasr added that the President of the United States has held contacts with all countries concerned with the file, except Lebanon.

She also noted that following the recent developments and the Israeli warning to Beirut’s southern suburbs, European intervention could yield limited results. However, any settlement capable of sparing Lebanon a catastrophe would require “bold, courageous, responsible and national decisions,” according to what U.S. officials say, adding that Lebanese authorities are aware of what is expected from them.