Barrack defends Syria comments, claims they are no threat to Lebanon
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US Special Envoy Tom Barrack defends his recent comments pressuring Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, claiming that his praise for Syria’s progress was not a threat to Lebanon.
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US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack meets with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 7, 2025 (AP)
After issuing pointed threats to Lebanon if it does not fully disarm the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon (Hezbollah), the US Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, has defended his recent statements in an X post.
His comments, made in an interview for The National on Friday, reflect escalating US pressure on Lebanon to dismantle its national Resistance group or be met with collapse.
"You have 'Israel' on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again," Barrack said, invoking the historic name for Greater Syria, adding that "Syrians say Lebanon is our beach resort. So we need to move."
In language criticized by observers as condescending and overtly interventionist, Barrack positioned the "disarmament" of the Resistance not as a domestic Lebanese decision, but as a prerequisite for US and Gulf financial aid.
Barrack claimed that the United States, alongside Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is prepared to support Lebanon financially, but only if Beirut agrees to a sweeping deal that includes "Hezbollah’s full disarmament" and implementation of economic reforms dictated by external parties.
Barrack addressed recent remarks that praised Syria’s developments in light of sanctions being lifted by the United States, emphasizing that his comments were intended to highlight Syria's significant progress and were not a threat to Lebanon.
My comments yesterday praised Syria’s impressive strides, not a threat to Lebanon. I observed the reality that Syria is moving at light speed to seize the historic opportunity presented by @POTUS’s lifting of sanctions: investment from Türkiye and the Gulf, diplomatic outreach to…
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) July 12, 2025
Barrack further claimed in his X post that Syria's leadership seeks peaceful coexistence and mutual prosperity with Lebanon.
"I can assure that Syria’s leaders only want co-existence and mutual prosperity with Lebanon, and the United States is committed to supporting that relationship between two equal and sovereign neighbors enjoying peace and prosperity," he wrote.
"Syria is moving at light speed to seize the historic opportunity presented by @POTUS’s lifting of sanctions," Barrack added, pointing to increased investments from Türkiye and Gulf countries, as well as Syria’s diplomatic outreach to its neighboring nations, signaling a new era of regional cooperation.
