The US has set a red line that the Shiite armed group Hezbollah should not be part of Lebanon’s next government after its military defeat by Israel last year, Morgan Ortagus, the US deputy envoy for the Middle East, said from Lebanon today.

Ortagus is the first high-ranking US official to visit Lebanon since US President Donald Trump took office and Josef Aoun was elected president.

Her visit comes as forming a cabinet is at a standstill in Lebanon. Positions in the government are divided between factions. The Amal movement, an ally of Hezbollah, insists on approving all Shiite Muslim ministers, keeping the process at a standstill.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with President Aoun, Ortagus said she“is not afraid” of pro-Iranian Hezbollah “because they were defeated militarily, referring to last year’s war between the group and Israel.

“And we have set clear red lines from the US that they will not be able to terrorize the Lebanese people and that includes participating in the government, she said.

“The end of Hezbollah’s reign of terror in Lebanon and the world has begun, and it is over,”
she added.

According to her, “Israel defeated Hezbollah and we are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating it.”

Ortagus was widely expected to deliver a tough message to Lebanese officials about Hezbollah, which was hammered by months of Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in southern Lebanon last year.

Hostilities ended in late November with a ceasefire brokered by the United States and France, which set a 60-day deadline for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters and weapons, and Lebanese troops to deploy to the area.

The deadline was extended to February 18. The Ortagus referred today to the new date but did not say clearly that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from Lebanese territory.

“February 18 will be the date for redeployment when the IDF troops will complete their redeployment, and of course, the (Lebanese) troops will come behind them, so we are committed to that specific date, she said.

Ortagus is expected to meet with Lebanon’s acting Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri—who also heads Amal—and travel to southern Lebanon with the Lebanese army.