Abdel Ra'ouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala
02 December 2025•Update: 03 December 2025
JERUSALEM/ ISTANBUL
US Special Envoy to Lebanon Morgan Ortagus held talks on Tuesday with Israeli officials to discuss the situation in Lebanon.
“We had a good discussion on the situation in Lebanon,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in a post on US social media company X.
He said he told the US envoy that Hezbollah was the one violating Lebanon’s sovereignty, not Israel.
Disarming the group “is crucial for Lebanon's future and Israel's security,” he said.
“The US is our greatest ally, and we'll continue our close cooperation.”
According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, Ortagus, who is also a senior adviser to the US mission to the UN, also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
No details were provided about the content of their talks, but Israeli media expect that Israel will resume its airstrikes in Lebanon following a three-day halt due to the current visit of Pope Leo XIV to the Arab country.
The pontiff departed Lebanon on Tuesday evening after a three-day visit filled with spiritual and official meetings, including solidarity tours and messages calling for peace and stability. The pope also urged a halt to attacks and hostilities between Israel.
