Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian
Lebanese-American family ties appear to run deep in both politics and the military. After Tom Barrack, who has Lebanese roots, the new head of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, also revealed his own Lebanese ancestry.
During his official meeting with President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace on Saturday, the atmosphere included friendly exchanges, as Cooper has long had a good relationship with Aoun dating back to when Aoun was army commander and Cooper held a senior role in the U.S. military.
At the meeting, Cooper told those present that his great-grandfather was Lebanese, his grandfather was born in Lebanon, and that his family name traces back to Jibril. However, due to pronunciation differences in English, it was unclear whether the name is originally Jibril or Gebrael, and the exact town remains unknown. All he knows is that his family came from a region north of Beirut.
The diplomatic meeting also carried a warm tone, with Cooper expressing his readiness to support Lebanon. For his part, the president urged him to reactivate the ceasefire monitoring committee, known as the “mechanism,” particularly to ensure Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas and to stop ongoing hostilities, in line with the agreement.
Lebanon’s request came on the eve of Cooper’s meeting with the ceasefire committee, which he attended alongside U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, who arrived in Beirut on Sunday specifically for the session. Her participation marked a civilian presence within the military-led committee, a role previously played by her predecessor, Amos Hochstein.
As usual, the committee’s meeting was held behind closed doors. However, sources told LBCI that Lebanon was informed on Saturday that its leadership will soon see a change, with a new officer replacing Major General Michael Leeney in two weeks as part of routine rotations.
After the session, the two U.S. visitors returned to Beirut aboard a Lebanese army helicopter, following an aerial tour from Naqoura across the western and central sectors to inspect the area south of the Litani River.
Cooper’s regional mission also included a stop in Israel, which announced late Saturday that he had held talks there focusing on operational cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli militaries, preserving regional stability both near and far, and strengthening joint efforts to confront challenges and threats in the region.