U.S. Envoy Ortagus Heads to Lebanon After Tel Aviv Visit Amid Rising Border Tensions

U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus is set to travel to Lebanon on Wednesday to participate in a meeting of the Ceasefire Implementation Oversight Committee, following her visit to Tel Aviv and a tour of the Israeli-Lebanese border, according to diplomatic sources.

The visit comes as the Israeli Air Force has intensified its strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon in recent days, targeting sites believed to belong to Hezbollah. According to Israeli media reports, 11 people were killed, including 8 Hezbollah members, raising the total number of the group’s casualties to over 365 since the ceasefire agreement took effect on November 25, 2024.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem acknowledged in a televised interview that there is a “temporary imbalance of power after the recent war,” stressing that the group “will not initiate fighting but is fully prepared to defend itself if war is imposed.”

Ortagus is scheduled to meet with Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun as part of her visit, which will focus on the exclusive control of arms by the state and the deployment of the Lebanese Army. U.S. envoy Tom Brack is also expected to visit Beirut later next month, coinciding with the arrival of new U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa.

Local diplomatic sources indicated that Washington’s message goes beyond the issue of weapons, emphasizing the need to establish a negotiation mechanism with Israel in the near future, noting that Lebanon’s timeframe for action is limited to weeks, not months.

The renewed U.S. diplomatic push comes amid escalating rhetoric between Israel and Hezbollah, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “Israel does not need anyone’s permission to strike targets in Gaza or Lebanon.”