Barrack calls Lebanon a 'failed state', says US can press Israel on talks
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has called Lebanon "a failed state" in remarks underscoring Washington's frustration with what he called Beirut's "paralyzed government."
Speaking at the Manama Dialogue summit in Bahrain during a panel on "U.S. Policy in the Levant," Barrack pointedly said Lebanon is the only state in the region "not jumping in line" with the new Middle East realignments.
"The state is Hezbollah," he said, noting that the Iran-backed group provides for its supporters and fighters in ways the Lebanese state cannot — in a country where basic services like electricity and water are chronically unreliable.
"It is really up to the Lebanese. America is not going to get deeper involved in the situation with a foreign terrorist organization and a failed state dictating the pace and asking for more resources and more money and more help," he said.
Barrack added that the U.S. would not intervene in regional disputes but would support its ally "if Israel becomes more aggressive toward Lebanon."
Israel recently intensified its strikes on southern Lebanon. Both sides have accused each other of violating a ceasefire, which nominally ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war last November.
The conflict started after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians, prompting Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in return.
The low-level exchanges escalated into full-scale war in September 2024.
Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes across southern Lebanon, saying they target Hezbollah militants, weapons depots and command centers. Israeli forces have also maintained positions on several strategic points inside Lebanese territory.
Lebanese officials have accused Israel of striking civilian areas and destroying infrastructure unrelated to Hezbollah, calling on Israeli forces to withdraw and respect Lebanon's sovereignty.
Barrack said that Israel is still bombing southern Lebanon because "thousands of rockets and missiles" remain there, threatening it. But he acknowledged that "it is not reasonable for us to tell Lebanon to forcibly disarm one of its political parties — everybody is scared to death to go into a civil war."
He also urged Lebanon to seek direct talks with Israel.
"The conversation needs to be with Israel. It just needs to be with Israel. Israel is ready," Barrack told reporters on the sidelines of the IISS Manama Dialogue.
"March to that door, to Israel, and have a conversation, it can't hurt," he added.
But he told AFP that Lebanese leaders were "rightly nervous" about such talks.
Hezbollah, which opposes Israel, has been heavily weakened by the war but remains financially resilient and armed.
"They're rightly hesitant because it's a dangerous environment," he told AFP.
But "if you want to do that, we'll help. We'll put pressure on Israel to be reasonable" he said.
