The message from U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus, delivered today from Baabda Palace, was unmistakable: Hezbollah, the Iranian terrorist militia that dragged Lebanon into devastation and lost its war against Israel, must not be rewarded with a seat in the new government. Ortagus made it clear that Washington stands firm in ensuring Hezbollah’s exclusion and preventing its continued stranglehold on Lebanon.
Hezbollah and its so-called “resistance” have always been built on lies, delusions, and empty bravado about throwing Israel into the sea. The truth is, they only understand force. Their so-called victories are nothing but hallucinations, and their leaders—many of whom turned out to be foreign agents—have led Lebanon into ruin. As for Nabih Berri, his corruption is well-documented, and rather than clinging to power, he belongs in court facing accountability, possibly even on the U.S. sanctions list.
Today’s blunt message from Ortagus was not just a condemnation of Hezbollah but a direct warning to President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam: The U.S. brought them to power despite Lebanon’s corrupt political class, and they are expected to act accordingly. Washington will not tolerate any compromise with the Iranian proxy or its enablers, including Berri, Naiem Qassem, and Mohammad Raad, nor will it allow Lebanon to be held hostage by Tehran’s puppets.
Echoing this stance, Lebanese nationalist leader Etienne Sakr (Abu Arz) tweeted today: “After this shameful failure in forming a government and the disgraceful theatrics surrounding it, the best course for the new era is to immediately replace Nawaf Salam with a leader of greater courage and integrity.” His words ring true—Salam is a relic of the outdated Nasserist era, ideologically unfit for the battle to rescue Lebanon from Iran’s grip.
Former Minister Youssef Salameh also weighed in, warning the Presidency against repeating past mistakes. He underscored that Ortagus’s remarks indicate:
A new set of U.S. conditions that Lebanon must implement,
An unclear relationship between the Lebanese Presidency and President Trump’s administration.
Salameh cautioned that if the Presidency miscalculates again, it will mark “the end of Lebanon the Message.”
Meanwhile, Hezbollah and its paid mouthpieces reacted with hysteria, resorting to their usual incoherent and delusional rhetoric. Figures like Mohammad Raad and Mufti Qabalan scrambled to respond, but their outbursts only confirmed the severity of their defeat.
The reality is clear: Hezbollah lost its reckless war, and its place is not in Lebanon’s future. The time has come for the country to break free from Iran’s stranglehold and reclaim its sovereignty.
