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Protesters decry Tom Barrack sojourn amid Hezbollah disarmament push, informing to journalists not to enactment ‘animalistic’.
Published On 27 Aug 2025
US envoy Tom Barrack has chopped his sojourn to confederate Lebanon short, according to the Lebanese government’s authoritative quality agency.
The altered travel connected Wednesday came amid protests against Washington’s push to disarm Hezbollah, arsenic good arsenic continued outrage implicit Barrack’s caller derision of journalists successful the country.
The National News Agency reported that Barrack was flown by chopper to a Lebanese service barracks successful Marjayoun, adjacent the Israeli border, wherever troops were deployed successful beforehand of his accomplishment connected Wednesday.
However, scheduled visits to adjacent Khiam, a municipality devastated during warring betwixt Israel and Hezbollah, and to the coastal metropolis of Tyre were aboriginal cancelled.
The US Department of State did not respond to Al Jazeera’s petition for remark concerning the reported alteration of plans.
Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Turkiye and besides serves arsenic Washington’s peculiar envoy for Syria, has faced increasing outrage successful Lebanon since Tuesday, erstwhile helium told journalists to “act civilised” arsenic they peppered him with questions pursuing a gathering with President Joseph Aoun successful Beirut.
The US envoy further said helium would halt taking questions if the concern “starts becoming chaotic, similar animalistic”, portion appearing to comparison the speech to the wider unrest successful the Middle East.
Critics accused the diplomat of displaying a colonial mentality, with the Lebanese presidency aboriginal expressing regret for the comments.
Protests successful confederate Lebanon
Barrack besides said connected Tuesday that Lebanon’s authorities volition contiguous a Hezbollah disarmament program successful the coming days.
That came aft Lebanon’s furniture past period instructed the service to hole a program to disarm Hezbollah by the extremity of the year, a determination taken nether dense US unit and amid threats by Israel of further subject escalation.
The propulsion has besides led to unrest, peculiarly successful confederate Lebanon, wherever Hezbollah maintains support. Early connected Wednesday, images showed protesters waving Hezbollah flags, carrying pictures of slain fighters and lasting adjacent anti-US slogans scrawled connected the roadworthy successful Khiam.
One connection successful Arabic read: “America is the large Satan”. Another successful English said: “Barak [sic] is animal.”
Protests were besides reported successful Tyre, wherever Bilal Kashmar, an authoritative from the national of confederate municipalities, said that dozens gathered to reason Barrack’s expected accomplishment and to denounce Washington’s “biased policies”.
Fighting betwixt Israel and Lebanon escalated successful the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attacks connected Gaza, and Israel’s consequent subject run successful the Palestinian enclave.
Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire statement successful November 2024, but Israel has continued near-daily strikes successful Lebanon, successful usurpation of the deal. Israel has accused Hezbollah and Lebanon’s governments of failing to comply with the provisions of the agreements.
Hezbollah person Naim Qassem has rejected immoderate plans to disarm the group, saying Israel indispensable archetypal retreat afloat from Lebanese territory and halt its continuing attacks earlier immoderate treatment connected laying down weapons tin begin.
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
English (US) ·