Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkiye and Washington's special envoy for Syria, cut a visit to southern Lebanon short amid protests and outrage. He was flown by helicopter to a Lebanese army barracks in Marjayoun near the Israeli border, while planned visits to Khiam and Tyre were cancelled. Barrack told journalists to act civilised and warned he would stop questions if exchanges became 'animalistic', prompting accusations of a colonial mentality and an expression of regret from the Lebanese presidency. Lebanon's cabinet previously instructed the army to prepare a Hezbollah disarmament plan by year end under heavy US pressure and amid Israeli threats. The push has sparked unrest.
Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Turkiye and also serves as Washington's special envoy for Syria, has faced growing outrage in Lebanon since Tuesday, when he told journalists to act civilised as they peppered him with questions following a meeting with President Joseph Aoun in Beirut. The US envoy further said he would stop taking questions if the situation starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, while appearing to compare the exchange to the wider unrest in the Middle East.
The National News Agency reported that Barrack was flown by helicopter to a Lebanese army barracks in Marjayoun, near the Israeli border, where troops were deployed in advance of his arrival on Wednesday. However, scheduled visits to nearby Khiam, a town devastated during fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and to the coastal city of Tyre were later cancelled. The US Department of State did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment concerning the reported change of plans.
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